Where Confidence Meets Style: The Mother-Daughter Story Behind JBEE’S BOUTIQUE
Kern Magazine’s Spotlight Award celebrates Jannette and Jenesie Bastidas, the mother-daughter team turning personal style, family support, and one big dream into a growing Wasco boutique.
By Kathleen Hokit, Published on August 3, 2026 | Brought to you by Kern Magazine’s Spotlight Sponsor, Bee Creationz
Walk into JBEE’S BOUTIQUE for a new outfit, and chances are you’ll leave with a little more confidence too.
That has been Jannette Bastidas’ vision since long before her Wasco boutique had racks, a fitting room, and a front door. About eight years ago, she began selling children’s clothing while raising her daughters. The business started small, but the dream was always big.
“What started as a dream is now JBEE’S BOUTIQUE,” Jannette says.
Before JBEE’S BOUTIQUE had a fitting room and a downtown Wasco address, Jannette was building the business online. Nearly eight years ago, she began selling children’s clothing through Facebook Marketplace.
Slowly, the customer base grew. So did her vision for what the business could become.
Today, she sells women’s clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, accessories, shapewear, and more with her 17-year-old daughter, Jenesie Bastidas, working beside her as co-owner. Together, they’re creating the kind of local shopping experience Jannette felt Wasco needed: stylish, welcoming, and made for more than one age, size or body type.
For building a family business rooted in heart, helping women feel confident, and giving back to the community they call home, Kern Magazine is proud to recognize Jannette and Jenesie Bastidas of JBEE’S BOUTIQUE as our Spotlight Award honorees.
A dream gets a front door
JBEE’S BOUTIQUE officially celebrated its grand opening March 14, 2026 in downtown Wasco, but the ribbon cutting represented much more than the beginning of a storefront.
It marked the moment an idea Jannette had nurtured for years became something her family and community could walk into, shop from, and experience together. The boutique opened at 900 7th St., Suite B, surrounded by friends, relatives, customers and local leaders.
During the celebration, Wasco officials and representatives from state legislative offices presented Jannette with certificates recognizing the new business and its place in the community.
Still, for Jannette, the biggest sign of success isn’t a certificate or a single busy shopping day. It’s seeing familiar faces return.
“I love when people come back,” she says. “When I see the same faces, that means a lot to me. That means I did something right.”
That personal connection shapes the entire JBEE’S BOUTIQUE experience.
“It is very important for me to make you feel welcome,” Jannette says. “I want you to leave very happy with what you bought because that’s going to bring confidence.”
She isn’t interested in simply ringing up a purchase and sending someone out the door. She wants customers to feel seen.
The boutique carries clothing for juniors, teens, and women, including plus-size options. Jannette also works to keep prices reasonable while bringing current fashion trends to shoppers who don’t necessarily want to leave Wasco for a new outfit.
“We don’t just carry regular sizes. We sell plus-size as well,” she says. “I try to bring in whatever is in style.”
Bringing the latest fashion trends home to Wasco
Twice a year, Jannette travels to Las Vegas fashion conferences to shop upcoming collections. One trip focuses on spring and summer. The other turns her attention to fall and winter.
Inside the large apparel conventions, vendors display new clothing, colors, and accessories while buyers search for the pieces their customers will want next.
Jannette studies the trends, but she doesn’t stock her store based solely on one style.
“What I have here in the store is not just the style that I would wear,” she says. “I would like to have feedback from other people about what they like so I can have it here too.”
She also avoids filling the racks with endless repeats of the same item. A customer might ask for a sold-out dress to return, but Jannette often searches for a similar look in a different color or design instead.
“I can bring something similar, but not the same because I want to change it up,” she says.
That approach gives shoppers the chance to discover something current without feeling like everyone in town will arrive at the same celebration wearing it.
JBEE’S BOUTIQUE has already helped customers shop for graduations, quinceañeras, and other special events. Jannette says groups can also ask about ordering the same dress in a specific color or style for an occasion.
Still, she knows confidence isn’t reserved for formal events.
After having three daughters,Jannette admitted that her own relationship with her body has changed. Now, she’s considering modeling more of the boutique’s clothing herself so adult customers can see how an outfit looks beyond the mannequin or younger frame.
“I don’t always feel confident after having three kids. My body’s not the same,” she says. “But I need to be more confident about it.”
It’s a refreshingly honest admission from someone whose business centers on helping other women feel good in what they wear. Jannette isn’t selling confidence from some unreachable place. She’s learning to claim more of it for herself, too.
The co-owner who learned from the best
The family connection is built right into the boutique’s name. Inspired by a household filled with J names, JBEE’S BOUTIQUE represents more than Jannette Bastidas’ personal dream. It reflects the family who helped her turn years of online selling into a downtown Wasco storefront.
That support includes her husband, Jesus, who has been by her side since their years at Wasco High School, and their three daughters. Her oldest, 17-year-old Jenesie Bastidas, now works beside her as the boutique’s co-owner.
Jenesie doesn’t simply stop by after school to help fold clothes. She assists customers, works the register, helps manage social media, and takes care of the store when her mother can’t be there.
“I learned from the best,” Jenesie says. “My mom taught me everything, how the store runs, how to work the cash register and a bunch of other things.”
Through the boutique, Jenesie is learning customer service, marketing, product display, and entrepreneurship in real time. She’s also watching what it takes to build a business while balancing work and family life.
As a wife and mother, Jannette credits the people closest to her with helping her manage each role.
“I try to keep up with everything, and so far so good, because I have an army behind me,” Jannette says. “They’re helping me with every step that I take.”
As Jenesie watches her mother step into a dream years in the making, Jannette’s example is also encouraging her daughter to take a courageous step of her own.
Stepping outside her comfort zone in pursuit of a crown
Shortly after the boutique opened, Jenesie decided to participate in the Miss Wasco Rose Queen Pageant.
The decision surprised her mother. Jenesie had always considered herself quiet, and stepping into a pageant meant meeting new people, speaking publicly, and allowing the community to see a side of her she was still discovering herself.
“My mom really inspired me to get out of my comfort zone and try something new, which is what she did by opening a business,” Jenesie says. “That’s what inspired me to try out for Rose Queen.”
The experience has already introduced her to new friendships and a stronger sense of community.
“We’re all united,” she says of the contestants. “I’ve talked to girls I had never talked to before, and it’s so nice. We get to do things together, go out, and make memories.”
A group trip to Disneyland gave the contestants time to bond beyond rehearsals and pageant responsibilities. They shared a room, traded stories at the end of the day and took plenty of photos.
Courtesy Jannette Bastidas
For Jenesie, the pageant has become proof that trying something intimidating can lead to a version of yourself you haven’t met yet.
Store wall art created by Jenesie
“I would always say I would never do something like that,” she says. “I was the quiet one. Because of this opportunity, I opened up and finally did something out of my comfort zone.”
Jannette has watched that transformation with the kind of pride that makes words disappear and happy tears arrive right on schedule.
“This is a whole different Jen that I get to see,” Jannette says. “She has gotten out of her comfort zone 100%. I’ve seen so much out of her, and I’m so happy. I believe in her.”
As the owner of Bee Creationz, the exclusive sponsor of the Spotlight Awards, Angie helps Kern Magazine celebrate local people who have been nominated by the community. This time, she would get to recognize someone who had quickly become a close friend.
The two met at the JBEE’S BOUTIQUE grand opening and instantly connected.
“We met at her grand opening, and that’s when we just hit it off,” Angie says. “I got to know her more and see what she does for the community and her family. Her daughters are her world, and I admire that a lot in her.”
Courtesy Angie Lopez
After hearing that several community members had nominated the boutique, Angie wasn’t surprised.
“She worked really hard, brought her family into it and grew a following,” Angie says. “She wanted to share her fashion and bring confidence to women. She really deserves this.”
The honor carried a little extra hometown sweetness. Jannette grew up in Wasco, and now Jenesie is building a story of her own in the community that shaped her mother.
For Angie, the celebration became more than a sponsorship moment. It was a chance to stand beside a friend while the wider Kern County community recognizes everything she and her family had built.
“I’m really happy for her,” Angie says. “She’s local, and that’s huge.”
Community over competition
Jannette and Jenesie don’t view other Wasco businesses as competition. They see them as neighbors.
When local businesses share JBEE’S BOUTIQUE posts, the mother-daughter team returns the support by reposting their content and shopping with them.
“We support one another,” Jannette says. “Other businesses support us by reposting, and we do the same. We support them by reposting and shopping at their businesses as well.”
Jannette also attends local business meetings where owners can discuss community concerns and suggest changes. She understands that opening a business gives her a stake in Wasco’s future and a responsibility to use her voice.
“It’s very important for me to be there,” she says. “My voice needs to be heard about what’s going on and what could be changed.”
When another business owner couldn’t leave her shop to attend a meeting, Jannette brought the information back to her. She also encouraged her to attend the next one.
“The more people who go, the more they get to hear us,” Jannette says. “We have a voice.”
That mindset reaches beyond business meetings and social media shares. Jannette wants customers, fellow owners, and community members to know she’s willing to help.
“I’m here whenever somebody needs support or anything. I love helping others.”
A daughter’s view of the dream
Ask Jenesie what she sees when she looks at her mother, and the store’s racks, shoes, and accessories quickly fade into the background.
She sees the work and the courage.
Most of all, she sees what can happen when someone believes in an idea enough to build it.
“I’m so proud of my mom for the accomplishments she has made,” Jenesie says. “If she wants something, she’s going to get it, and she’s going to work as hard as she can to make what she wants come true.”
Watching her mother open JBEE’S BOUTIQUE changed the way Jenesie views her own possibilities.
“I’m proud of myself as well for the big accomplishments I have made because of my mom and because of the amazing mother I have,” she says.
Maybe that’s the real legacy taking shape inside JBEE’S BOUTIQUE.
Jannette is teaching her daughter how to run a business. Jenesie is reminding her mother to recognize how far she has come. Together, they’re learning that confidence doesn’t always arrive before the big leap.
Sometimes, you build it after you jump.
“Anything and everything is possible,” Jannette says.
And when another aspiring business owner wonders whether she or he could ever do the same, Jannette’s advice is fittingly direct.
“Follow your dreams,” she says. “If I was able to do this, you can too. Believe in yourself and do it. Don’t be scared… Do it.”
And for the youth who might want to try something new but unsure how, Jenesie shares:
“Get out there and show the world what you have to offer. Be yourself, be confident, and put yourself out there,” Jenesie says. “Once you do, you meet new people, learn new things and have so many amazing experiences.”
At JBEE’S BOUTIQUE, you may first come for the clothes, but very quickly you’ll want to stay for the mother-daughter pep talk.
Courtesy of Jannette Bastidas
“JBEE’S BOUTIQUE has a special meaning,” Jannette says. “Before having our storefront I used to sell kids clothing and my logo was simple and had a bee. Our family is full of “J” names, and our last name starts with a “B,” so ‘JBEE’S’ was the perfect way to represent our family. This boutique was built with love, hard work, and the dream of creating a place where our community can find styles they love while feeling welcomed like family.”
Visit JBEE’S BOUTIQUE, where confidence meets style.
Jannette: “The community has come together by sharing my posts. I’ve gained so many customers and followers because other people share and let people know we’re here. That means a lot.”
Jenesie: “I love how the community is together and how we support one another. Other businesses support us, and we do the same by reposting and shopping at their businesses.”
When you eat local, where do you go?
Jannette: “I usually go to Blue Sushi here in Wasco. It’s very good. If it’s somewhere else in Kern County, I like Texas Roadhouse because it feels family-friendly, and I want to go with my little family.”
Jenesie: “I love burgers and french fries. It’s a comfort food for me. I [love going to]Snow White.”
When you want to get out of town, where’s your spot?
Jannette: “Mazatlán, Sinaloa. That’s where I love going to the beach. My husband is from there, so that’s where we usually go. We get a hotel near the beach, leave the door open, and hear the waves. It’s so nice.”
Jenesie: “One of my favorite places to visit is Rosarito, Mexico. I love the atmosphere, the delicious food, and the beautiful ocean views. Most of all, I love spending quality time there with my family. Those moments allow us to unplug, make memories together, and enjoy each other’s company. Family means everything to me, and those trips are some of my favorite memories.”
Kern Magazine’s Spotlight Awards are brought to you exclusively by Bee Creationz, a Wasco, veteran-owned business that believes “If you can think it. We can make it.”
Kern Magazine was built by locals for Kern County locals. Do you know someone who deserves the spotlight? Contact us at info@kernmagazine.com.
