Biz Profile: Near-Death Experience Leads to Lucia's Closet

Behind every business is a person who's persuing their entrepreneurial dream...

Name of business: Lucia's Closet

Owners: Luci Vineyard, Peter Jurich Sr. and Peter Jurich Jr.     

Address: 15116 S. Des Plaines Ave.      

Phone number: 815-439-3484

Opening date: Aug. 21, 2010

What do you sell? Women's lingerie, including nightgowns, bras, panties and corsets; soaps and lotions; sexy costumes; jewelry; specialty wedding items.

Do you have an online business? Yes. However, the items sold at www.luciascloset.com are a bit more expansive, with items for couples and just for men.

Has opening a store been a lifelong dream? No, it was quite accidental, in fact, Vineyard says.

So, what's the story? Vineyard, 51, had a heart attack in November while working as a property manager. After having a stent put in, she went into respiratory failure and was legally dead for several minutes, she says. Her insurance dropped her, claiming her heart problem was a "pre-existing condition" due to high cholesterol – for which they refused to approve a prescription, she says – and her employer fired her for "abandoning" her job while she was hospitalized, she says.

What happened when you got out? Her boyfriend of four years, Peter Jurich Sr., told her it was time for a new career. "He told me, 'You know what? You're not going back to what you were doing. I'll 'buy' you a job," Vineyard says. So they brainstormed and came up with the idea for Lucia's Closet, she says. Jurich's son, Peter Jr., is also a partner in the business and his girlfriend helps out at the store.

What's your favorite item in the store? "I love it all," Vineyard says with a laugh. "I like sexy lingerie."

What one item did you think would sell but hasn't? Bath and body items. She thought lotions, soaps, scrubs and the like would fly out of the store but they haven't, she says.

What is flying out of the store? Customers are really drawn to the classic, quality nightwear and underthings, she says. She's had tremendous success selling silk nightgowns with spaghetti straps, for example.

So, will your merchandise change? She's already planning to bring in more "everyday" lingerie and to specialize in hard to find items, such as extra small or extra large bra sizes. She does bra fittings and, not surprisingly, of the eight or 10 she's done in the last week, only one woman was wearing the correct size.

Weren't you going to specialize in mastectomy undergarments? Yes, until she learned you need to be certified before you can do so – a process that takes two years and requires 500 hours, she says. She's not abandoned that idea, however. She's hoping to hire someone who's already certified, she says.