Ukie Style owner Olena Jacobs. Photo from Preston Valley Center Facebook

Update: After weeks of collecting and shipping donations to Ukraine, Ukie Style owner Olena Jacobs asks that people stop bringing physical donations. Those who wish to help can donate money through the Ukranian Club of Dallas.

She writes: “Ukie Style is very proud to have been a hub for the humanitarian aid activity in DFW during this difficult time. In the last three weeks, the store has seen more visitors than in months since opening. We are extremely grateful to all our incredibly kind supporters and tireless volunteers. We continue our efforts to help Ukraine as best as we can. Please, note the update about the donation changes. We won’t be accepting physical donations any longer. Financial contributions only! www.UkrainianClub.org Glory to Ukraine!”

A tiny boutique on Preston south of 635, Ukie Style, since the threat and outbreak of war with Russia, has become a charity and gathering place for collecting supplies for soldiers and refugees in the owners’ homeland.

Embroidered dresses and colorful children’s jumpers now hang over boxes of blood-clotting bandages and bullet-proof vests ready for shipment to war-torn Ukraine, Ukie Style owner and Preston Hollow-area resident Olena Jacobs reveals in a Facebook Live stream.

“My beautiful store has become a hub for volunteers all helping — boys, girls, Ukrainians, Americans, even some Russians — I don’t even know how many people there are in here,” she says via video, which shows helpers packing and taping boxes and urgently loading them into airplane-bound moving trucks.

Not only are they packing and shipping supplies to Ukraine, but they also are helping with everyday shop orders, which is important too because Jacobs says 100% of the boutique’s proceeds are going to support the efforts and people of Ukraine.

On social media Thursday morning, Ukie Style’s owner (a native of Donetsk, Ukraine, living in the U.S. since 2009) shared with evident emotion that a brand based in Kharkiv served as motivation for her own entrepreneurial aspirations.

“I lived in Kharkiv for 10 years before moving to the U.S. I studied and worked, loved and made wonderful friends there,” she notes. “Also known as City of Students, Kharkiv was beautiful and peaceful, fun and dynamic. Kharkiv-based brand Nenka and their contemporary outfits with traditional Ukrainian designs inspired me to start Ukie Style business. Pure evil from Russia under Putin’s command brought unthinkable destruction and devastation. Residential, cultural and business areas are ruined beyond imagination.”

Jacobs tells us she moved to the U.S. in 2009, started her online Ukie Style store in 2015 and opened a physical location in Preston Valley shopping center in 2020.

Below find the most recent list of “priority items for humanitarian aid for Ukraine,” from Ukie Style and the Ukrainian Cultural Club of Dallas. Jacobs notes that those willing to donate can do so through UCCDallas, adding that, “At the moment we do targeted support of territorial defense battalions.” The list will be periodically updated based on ongoing reassessment.

The Ukie Style store at 12817 Preston Rd, suite 124, is collecting, packing and shipping items daily from 9  a.m. -7 p.m. except Sunday from noon-6 p.m.:

• Non-perishable food – BIG DEMAND
• NEW Clothes and footwear for men/women/children
• Thermal underwear
• Hygiene products (women’s products, diapers, etc.)
• Blankets
• NEW Bedding
• First aid and first aid kits
• Tents, mattresses, sleeping bags
• Standalone lamps
• Candles
• Containers for liquids (canisters for water, fuel, lubricants with capacity of 10-20 liters)
• Protective military gear (helmets, bulletproof vests, tactical backpacks, dry rations) – PLEASE NOTE: not all bulletproof vests are allowed. Please make sure that they are allowed for export.

Please refrain from sending any restricted items, including but not limited to:
• Alcohol and any products with alcohol
• Perishable food
• Knives
• Batteries
• Aerosols
• Compressed air and gas cylinders
• Camping stoves
• Matches
• Perfumes/aftershave
• Illegal drugs