Honoring Jake

FORT RECOVERY –– Krista Muhlenkamp of Sunshine Boutique will never forget her late son’s strong ties to American patriotism.

“He wore a flag on his shirt, on his hat, on his boots — he was a boot-wearing kid, he usually had flag boots,” Krista said. “He just was very much a country boy … (and) the kid just loved the flag.”

Around Christmastime last year, the Fort Recovery boutique owner was looking for a gift for her father, Terry Linn. He’s a Korean War veteran and, like Jake, loves patriotic wear. Her coworker and friend, Nikki Kremer, suggested she design tees with American flags on them.

That’s what jump-started the idea to make a new fashion line in memory of her teenage son, Jake David Muhlenkamp, who died in an all-terrain vehicle accident Oct. 9, 2020.

Initial pre-orders for the Jake David line launched the weekend of July 4. The first set of shirts were passed out on Aug. 6, Jake’s birthday.

To date, Sunshine Boutique has ordered at least 2,500 shirts from T-Flyerz with patriotic slogans and symbols as well as meaningful phrases on them. That’s not including all of the other merchandise — hats, bracelets, candles and other items — it has ordered and sold.

Because Jake was 15 years old when he died, Krista explained, she’s contributing 15% of all proceeds to community causes.

“It’s kind of a neat thing, it allows her some legacy to live on and make an impact in her life,” said Chase Ainsworth, T-Flyerz owner.

Her fashion line is inspired by a few key words: positivity, motivation, hope, faith and looking forward. All of these, she said, are ideas Jake represented. The theme also revolves around patriotic graphics such as the American flag.

“When we see these images, we see him,” Krista said.

Everything in the Jake David line has meaning, down to the candles scents, which offer aromas resembling cologne, sandalwood and flowers. (Krista noted he was an outdoors-oriented boy.) The candles themselves also serve as symbolism.

“It kind of goes along with the idea that, literally, he lit up a room with smiles,” Krista said.

Sunshine Boutique released new items at the beginning of November, several of which have sold out on the website. This week, it released sweaters and a T-shirt labeled “God is so cool.”

Krista’s goal is to offer new items each season. She added that the “Live Like Jake” shirt — it displays statements on the back that are reminiscent of Jake’s personality — will always be restocked because it’s a core piece.

In the beginning, Krista wasn’t sure if she should move forward with the fashion line. She noted there were days she felt like her idea may not be worth pursuing, and there were days she felt like closing her boutique.

Krista made calls to other businesses, such as Portland’s Display Craft, EMB Designs in Coldwater, Ohio, and Blended Collective in Celina, Ohio, to see about using their products.

Each person she contacted, Krista said, had a response that kept her moving forward with the project. One example she shared was when Whispering Prayer Jewelry of London, Ohio, asked her to customize a charm for their bracelets.

“Nikki and I call these God winks,” Krista said. “That’s our expression, and it kind of was really my propelling force, I guess, to say, ‘OK, we’re going to do this, we’re going to move forward.’”

Putting the new fashion line together took some intensive planning on Sunshine’s part, Kremer explained.

“(This takes) lots of brain power,” she said. “God has brought us creative people to help us along the way. Krista has a creative brain. She thinks of creative ideas and we help her implement them. (That’s) really how it goes.”

Krista has a goal to write a check for $1,000 every month to go toward a local family, organization or other cause. So far, she’s donated to the families of Lillian Handt and Joseph Laux.

Lillian’s mother, Beth Siegrist Handt, grew up in Jay County. Lillian was diagnosed with focal brain seizures and cortical dysplasia, a brain malformation, at 4 months old.

Joseph Laux is also from Jay County. He has autism with severe anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

“It’s very hard to receive, but the whole idea behind this is to make something a little bit easier on someone,” Krista said. “There’s been a lot of people that have made (it) a lot easier for us along the way.”

(Following Jake’s death, the Muhlenkamps received an outpouring of community support, such as when Jay and Mercer County residents lined their farm equipment Oct. 14, 2020, along Indiana 67 in eastern Jay County and Ohio 29 in western Mercer County in memory of Jake.)

Krista tries to choose individuals to donate to based on “what would make Jake proud.”

She also has more plans in the works for Jake D. Muhlenkamp “Little Patriot” Endowment Fund through The Portland Foundation. Using those dollars, she put together about 15 care packages last week for members of the military from Jay and Mercer counties.

“She’s an amazing person,” Ainsworth said of Krista. “I don’t know how she does it … She does so much for everybody else.”

As time goes on, Krista hopes to keep developing the Jake David line.

“We say it’s a journey, and I don’t know where it’s going to go,” she said. “We’re just going to keep moving with how it moves and not rush it. I keep saying I want it to remain fun and joyful. I don’t want it to become stressful, because that’s going against the whole mission of the project.”

Krista has seen people she’s never met wearing Jake David shirts. Phrases on their merchandise like “Believe there is good in the world” or “God is so cool” have resonated with Sunshine’s customers, even if they never knew Jake.

“People we don’t even know want to wear it,” Kremer said. “Which is like an expression of love for our community. They’re just as proud because while this directly affected us, the ricochet has been so deep that we don’t truly understand how Jake impacted other people.”

For those who knew Jake, Kremer said, the Jake David line has helped keep them going. It’s also helped brighten his classmates’ lives.

“You know, I think for a lot of people, grief is hard,” Kremer said. “Especially for young people who don’t know what to do with it or how to handle it. So this Jake David line, it not only gives us a purpose for every day, but it’s something these kids can do and wear as like an expression of love, which is pretty cool.”

Jake David fashion line items can be purchased in-store at Sunshine Boutique, 128 N. Wayne St., Fort Recovery, or online at shopatsunshineboutique.com.