Melissa Gorga’s ENVY Boutique temporarily closed this week and shocked Real Housewives of New Jersey fans everywhere.
Now Melissa’s ex-business partner Jackie Robinson is speaking out to TooFab about why ENVY really closed.
While sources claim that Melissa and Jackie closed the store over a “difference of opinion” Jackie claims she made the decision to split with Melissa; alleging that Melissa’s lack of business experience is to blame.
“Just to clarify a couple things, Melissa and I were partners. I decided that I wanted out,” Jackie explained.“In the termination agreement we’ve been working on for months, we decided that I would take all of the inventory and I was going to liquidate the store… because I basically own everything.”
As for what drove a wedge between Melissa and Jackie, Jackie pinpointed multiple issues.
“You have people that quite frankly don’t understand business… That’s what I think ended our business relationship. I think a lot of inexperience in business was her biggest issue. You can only lead a horse to water; you cannot make them drink.”
Going on to say,“She could not comprehend what I was trying to do. She couldn’t comprehend what the lawyers and the accountants were telling her. The bottom line is: I did Melissa Gorga a favor. I cleaned out that store a month early so she could get her s–t ready. Now she has a month to get it ready to sell her spring clothes in February.”
Jackie then opened up about Melissa’s anger over her decision to sell some of ENVY’s merchandise to Kim DePaola’s rival store Posche; claiming that she’s not involved in their feud and isn’t picking sides. Moreover, Jackie claims she ISN’T going into business with Kim D. However; Kim D is claiming the opposite.
“She’s angry, and she’s pissed at me. She thinks that I did her wrong and I went behind her back, and I went with Kim D. I did not go behind her back, I am not in business with Kim D. I’m no way siding with Kim D. to pick on Melissa Gorga or shove it up her ass. She’s going to help me liquidate this merchandise because I didn’t want to do it in the store with Melissa standing over me. I wanted [Kim’s] professional opinion on what she thought I should do. They’re both good people and their war is with each other,” Jackie explained.
While Jackie admits she “had a good run” with Melissa, she also claims that Melissa “did some pretty shady things too.”
“It was really very questionable the way she went about things,” Jackie said. “She wasn’t going to be forthcoming with me. She wasn’t going to give me passwords to advertise the sale and that’s how we advertise — on Instagram.”
Jackie said her partnership with Melissa initially started with Melissa just being the face of the company and promoting the store on social media.
“What she didn’t do was do her job, properly, that’s what I’m upset about. She didn’t post the proper things and listen to what I had to say. She thought she knew it all, so let’s let her see how she does. I wish her the best and maybe she’s a lot smarter than I give her credit for.”
As for how Melissa will do on her own when and if ENVY re-opens, Jackie says “I don’t know. She certainly has the draw and the people there, the interested crowd. I believe inexperience will be her biggest problem.”
Melissa’s rep had this blanket statement to say,“Melissa Gorga is and has always been an owner of the Envy by Melissa Gorga boutique. Melissa and her business partner Jackie Bearch Robinson have had a difference of opinion on how the store should be run, and at this point Jackie is no longer involved in managing the boutique, but Melissa intends to maintain the success of the boutique by managing on it her own, and she is excited to open with a new inventory of Spring fashions.”
It’s very interesting to hear that Jackie has no plans to go into business with Kim D considering Kim is claiming the exact opposite. It’s more interesting that Jackie doesn’t want to get involved in Melissa and Kim’s war, but she obviously didn’t let Kim know that.
Thoughts on Jackie’s claims? Why do you think Jackie and Melissa went their separate ways? Do you think ENVY will re-open? Did Jackie betray Melissa by working with Kim D?
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