Jean Yancey: the Next Generation.

• Author: RAWLINGS, IRENE
• Position: Brief Article

COLORADO'S FAMED WOMEN'S BIZ MENTOR, 85, PLANS HER NEXT 15 YEARS

More than 20 years ago, during a crossroads in her business life, Carolyn Fineran met Jean Yancey

"She came into my store (Skandia Down), sat in a rocking chair, and rocked and rocked and listened to what I had to say. Then she told me to sell the store and put my energies somewhere else." Fineran opened Tapestry, a women's clothing boutique in Cherry Creek North.

Sixteen years later, Fineran again found herself at a crossroads. "My heart was no longer in retail; I wanted to do something else," she said. "Jean advised me to take the money and run."

Fineran closed Tapestry Dec. 31 and plans to attend school to become a certified business coach.

"Her role as a mentor has been incredible," she said.

That's Yancey's reputation, derived from nearly three decades of mentoring women in business. The petite and elegant 85-year-old looks 20 years younger and, by her own account, plans to practice business for another 20.

Mentoring is a natural for Yancey, who was a business coach before the concept was invented. "I helped women by listening to what they wanted and exploring the avenues they might try," she said. Then, through her network of friends and business acquaintances, Yancey helps women entrepreneurs connect with each other.

Yancey has been a leader since childhood. In 1928, she was the brains behind the nation's first high-school fashion show, a three-day event attended by more than 5,000 teenagers and their mothers. After three years at the University of Denver, she headed to New York City to pursue an Broadway acting career. "I don't give up easily," she said. "But, pretty quickly, I realized that I just wasn't good enough, so I took a job at B. Altman in the bridal department."

After she married, she moved back to Denver to raise her family and to manage the bridal department at the Denver Dry Goods store. In 1962, she opened the Bridal Loft in Cherry Creek, which earned her national recognition for customer service. When she sold her business in 1973, she listed 25 things she wanted to do. Topping the list was an idea for a new business -- a consulting and public speaking business with the goal of helping other women entrepreneurs. She called her business Jean Yancey Associates, although she never had any associates. "I never really wanted them; what I do is very personal."

Indeed, Yancey's talent for listening is mentioned most by those who know her. "It's not a talent,"...