Bling blooms

Jessica Fowler started selling jewelry in April 2020 on Facebook.

About three months ago, she opened her business at 124 W. Walnut St. in Portland.

“It’s just one of my dreams to have a storefront,” she said.

Jessica’s Blooming Bling opened its doors to the public in August. Fowler offers jewelry and hair decorations from Paparazzi Accessories, a multi-level marketing group. All of her items are lead free and nickel free, and most are $5 each.

Fowler and her husband, Joshua, a Jay County native, moved to Bellfountaine in November 2020. Joshua built pegboards and installed them around their bedroom for her to display stock.

After moving in May to a Portland house, Fowler noticed a building across from Jay County Courthouse was available for rent. That’s when she decided to expand to a brick-and-mortar business.

Having a storefront gives her a place to keep inventory. It also offers her a connection to the community and a place to thrive, she said.

“I love the jewelry itself, but I just love meeting new people,” she said. “To be honest, when I come in here … I just walk in here and it changes my mood. I don’t know how to explain it, it just makes me happy to know that I’m succeeding in something.”

Currently, most of her sales come from social media and the live shows she hosts at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Using the live shopping feature on Facebook, she shows off accessories paired with numbers.

Some of her regular customers on Facebook hail from as close as Muncie and as far as Missouri and Illinois. She offers shipping or pickup for her online orders.

Fowler sells a variety of items, including bracelets, rings, necklaces and hair accessories. She offers children’s jewelry at $1 each and, for formal occasions such as weddings or prom, a signature collection at $25 a set. In store, Fowler also has customized tumblers — they are made by Tiffany Gahagen — for sale.

She’s hoping to expand her inventory soon and sell plus-sized clothing at affordable prices in the back room of the store.

“I want to cater to plus-sized women because a lot of plus-sized women that see these cute boutique clothes, they can’t buy them because they’re not available in their size,” she said.

Since she started her sales career, Fowler said, she’s seen a lot of personal growth. It’s a result of the networking she’s done and the Facebook Lives she frequently hosts.

“I’ve come a lot further now because I was so shy,” she said. “In school, I was quiet, I wasn’t the talkative person or anything like that, and now I’m talking (online all the time).”

Fowler started working at MSSL Wiring System recently, but she’s still opening her business for a few hours through the week. Her store hours through the holidays are from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. She’s also available on Facebook at Jessica’s Blooming Bling.