Los Angeles ? Before Jennifer Lopez began hawking frocks and perfume, before Sean “Diddy” Combs introduced his Sean John threads, before Kathy Ireland led the charge into supermodel merchandising, there was Jaclyn Smith.

Two decades ago, capitalizing on her “Charlie’s Angels” fame, Smith signed a deal for a Kmart clothing line. Given Smith’s image as the elegant Angel on the TV series, it was seen as roughly akin to Posh Spice marrying a pro bowler instead of a glam soccer star.

“At the time, people said, ‘Don’t do Kmart.’ But something in my head said, ‘Yes, I want to do it,'” Smith recalled. Among those against her was cosmetics maker Max Factor, which didn’t relish the idea of its pitchwoman attached to subcouture clothing.

But the 1985 partnership between Smith and Kmart proved lucrative for both, with her line a mainstay for the retail chain since its introduction.

“I don’t have to defend it anymore. One hundred million women are wearing (the clothes) and it’s been phenomenally successful,” Smith said. Annual sales have reached as high as $600 million, according to the actress-entrepreneur.

But as celebrities who followed her became virtual conglomerates, Smith kept her commercial interests narrow. She was balancing motherhood and acting (TV projects including “Rage of Angels” and “The Bourne Identity”) with her retail responsibilities.

“There was never a lull: Kmart, movies, miniseries, kids in school. Homework was harder than all of it,” Smith said. Her children, with ex-husband Tony Richmond, are Gaston, 24, and daughter Spencer Margaret, 20.

In recent years, however, Smith started branching out in a big way – or in, with Jaclyn Smith Home goods including upholstered and wood furniture and fabric. Rugs, fine art reproductions, lamps and more also are available or planned.

“My goal is to be a whole-home resource,” she said. “We’re on our way and almost there.”

Jaclyn Smith International, formed four years ago as she launched her new ventures, has partners including Largo International of Houston and Hickory Hill Furniture Corp. of Valdese, N.C.

Just as she insisted on being an integral part of the Kmart design and marketing team, Smith said, she has a direct hand in her new home furnishings. She works with manufacturers and invites them to her home to understand her taste.

Smith sounds confident that her home furnishings, a step up in price from her Kmart apparel, will be equally well-received. She’s considering cosmetics and jewelry lines as her next ventures.

Among her corporate duties are personal appearances to meet potential customers. On a recent visit to Hawaii she promoted Jaclyn Smith Home at a military base store, among the retailers carrying her furniture, and gave pep talks to salespeople.

Her memorable first in-store appearance for Max Factor, at a Bloomingdale’s in New York, came at the height of her “Charlie’s Angels” fame.

“They had a stampede and had to take me out,” she recalled. These days, people still show up with dolls and lunch pails from her 1976-81 tenure as Kelly Garrett on the fluffy detective series.

“People who are true fans are shaking, crying : it’s very emotional. It’s not sign and move on,” she said. Her admirers must think time has stood still for Smith, who at 58 looks virtually unchanged, her hair still glossy brown and her figure Angels-trim.