It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that a woman in posession of a large fortune must be in want of merchandise…and so MERYTON MARKETPLACE was born. My friend & associate Amy Hertzog and I launched our Jane shop at the North American Jane Austen Society Annual General Meeting in October 2011. We were truly overwhelmed and moved by the reception we received there from our fellow Jane-ites.
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Here’s our story:
I am a lifelong Janeite. My mom introduced me to Jane when I was in the third grade. She bought me the audio books of Pride & Prejudice and Emma on cassette tape and I played them over and over (and over and over) until they finally broke when I was in high school. I very nearly had them memorized and often 
talked along with the recordings. I still read P&P at least six times a year and I now have all of them on audio books to listen to while I design. My favorite book changes with my mood and with what is happening in my life, but today my favorite is Pride & Prejudice because my mom gave it to me. I lost her eight years ago from the day we launched the shop, and this is the first year I haven’t cried – I would like to thank Jane Austen & my fellow Janeites for that. Having my mother share the gift of Jane with me is a very happy memory.
I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the “average Janeite” would want. I came to the conclusion that there is no “average” Janeite. We are all exceptional, diverse and above all passionate about our Jane Austen! So, after all that “research” time – I threw caution to the wind and followed my own passion, designing a Jane line in my own simple, graphic, modern style. I didn’t know how people would respond to my creative interpretation of Jane, but I knew I had created something I was truly proud of and had an emotional attachment to.
Well, they “got” it. The response to our launch was AMAZING!!! I was so inspired I went home at night and designed more product, started working on the website and set a hard date for our online launch. We opened online CYBER MONDAY (November 28, 2011).
This project is truly a passion of mine and I am honored and humbled to be involved with JASNA.
