At a young age, Jessica knew she wanted to go to fashion school and never thought about any other field of study. “Fashion, interiors, and retail were my passion,” says Jessica. She attended the University of Southern Mississippi on a cheerleading scholarship and majored in Business Administration with a minor in Fashion Merchandising. She continued her studies and obtained a degree in Fashion Management at Hinds Community College. She then had the opportunity to attend the Art Institute to even further her knowledge for a fashion career. Another dream Jessica had was to own a specialty boutique. After having three little boys and being pregnant with her fourth at the time, a little girl, she was deciding on a new business venture. “I thought what better than a children’s boutique,” laughs Jessica. She built a customer base online and through social media and she was able to learn her customers and save money in order to open a brick and mortar storefront. In January of 2015, she was working on a logo and wanted a creative store name that would depict a fashion forwards store for both boys and girls. “I had just finished my son’s room, where we had been using arrows as décor, and thought Bows & Arrows…Bows portraying girls and Arrows portraying the boys,” smiles Jessica. Everything began to fall into place and she had the Grand Opening for Bows and Arrows in Dogwood Market in Flowood, MS, the first week of August in 2015. Over the years, numerous customers have asked for design help or had questions about interior design details at the store. Customers have also asked to buy several decorative items she put together for the store. “We have worked with so many local vendors to create and design custom headbands to match outfits, custom deer mounts for nursery décor, custom hospital announcement door hangers, you name it, we have helped pull it together,” smiles Jessica. With a style she calls classic and refined with a whimsical flair, Jessica says what sets her designs apart is that she truly craves sourcing and searching to find the perfect pieces to put together to bring a dream room to the reality of what the client envisioned, but can work with any budget. “If you choose every piece but don’t know the placement, we can do all the placing in ways you wouldn’t have imagined,” smiles Jessica. “If you have some decor and need additional pieces, we can find those things to work with the theme you already have, or if you want something done from scratch we can come up with themes and design boards to help you get the look you are going for and go from there.” Along with offering clothing for children, Jessica is excited to now have a studio where customers can come in to design custom pieces for outfits or décor and get help in designing their nurseries, playrooms, and children’s rooms. “I am so blessed to be able to have the extension for the design studio off of the Bows and Arrows storefront to begin my design career,” says Jessica. “We are SO excited for the future and the growth of our client base!”
What a better way to begin a new year than by discovering new music? Lucky for us, the third annual Jackson Indie Music Week is right around the corner. Primed and pumped for another takeover of Mississippi’s Capital City, Jackson Indie Music Week (JIMW) returns Jan. 7-14, 2018. This is the 3rd year for the highly-anticipated seven-day indie music festival, and you know what they say: ‘The third time’s the charm.’ Over 50 artists and bands from inside and outside the state of Mississippi are set to entertain the masses with their moving, inspiring and exciting performances. Creative minds from various backgrounds and musical persuasions are set to converge in the Capital City and present their best works from Alternative, Country, Blues, EDM, Folk, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock and Independent Video or Film genres. “We showcase artists and musicians who are passionate and serious about their craft. People who want to expand their audience; people who want to learn, grow and thrive as independent artists,” said Donyale Walls, JIMW co-founder and coordinator. Fashioned as a platform for the broad spectrum of Mississippi’s underexposed talent and gaining notoriety as a contender among national music fests, JIMW gives all established and burgeoning acts a chance to hone their crafts, garner industry knowledge and attend networking events with indie music influencers and visionaries. Due to growing popularity, additional panel discussions have been added, participating venues has increased, and the musical talent has evolved in variety and depth. JIMW is the music fest that all indie artists should know and all music lovers should attend. JIMW wants guests, transplants, and visitors to enjoy the full range of JIMW offerings that take place at a swath of Jackson’s mainstream and underground entertainment locations while partaking in the City of Soul’s dynamic music and arts culture. For more information follow JIMW on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
For vendor or sponsorship inquiries contact [email protected] Check out the Jackson Indie Music Week website for more information and to purchase tickets. Cheers to the New Year! If you found yourself with a beautiful ring on your finger after this holiday season, make sure to check out the Bridal Path’s Engagement Season Sale! The sale is running from January 2nd to the 13th. This is the Bridal Path’s first annual sample sale and will feature designers such as Lazaro, Tara Keely, Allure, Mori Lee, Maggie Sottero, Eddy K, Casablanca, and more discounted up to 75%! All dresses, even the newest collections in the store will be on sale starting at 10% off! No appointment is necessary so make sure to stop by when you can.The Bridal Path is open Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and Saturdays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The store is located on the first floor of Banner Hall, 4465 N Hwy 55 #104 . Hop on over to their instagram (@thebridalpath) for more details and to see some of their stunning gowns. Happy New Year y’all! All photos courtesy of the Bridal Path.
www.bridalpathinc.com Blast off into the new year with The Mississippi Children's Museum's annual Noon Year's Eve event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 30. It's the perfect way to ring in 2018 with the little ones! During the event, children can build their own confetti cannon, design a party hat, and dance their way to the launch of the museum's rocket full of wishes during the countdown at noon. The event is included with regular admission to the museum, which will be open until 5 p.m. that day. For more information, visit mschildrensmuseum.org.
Tucked away in downtown Hattiesburg lies Blooms A Garden Shop, a family owned floral and retail space. Mother-daughter duo Joyce Hicks and Adrienne Hicks Garanich designed their business with God at the center and sentiment all around. Blooms airs on the side of traditional, but with a mix of antique, clean lines, layered textures and all things symmetric. We had the opportunity to speak with Adrienne about the founding of Blooms and where the business is going.
{Tell us a bit about your background.} My mom, Joyce Hicks, is the founder/heart and soul of Blooms! I've just been lucky enough to carry on what she began in 1994. When you are young, you don't really know what you want! But I feel so fortunate that all my roads led me back home to Hattiesburg and ultimately to Blooms! I worked with my mom for the first few years of business while in high school. I got into property management when I was 18, but quickly decided I needed to go to college and chose The University of Southern Mississippi. I worked in advertising (Cliff Brown Advertising & RARE Design) during college and loved it, so it was easy to choose business and marketing as a major. Through study abroad at Southern Miss I became interested in language and living abroad. Just before I graduated from Southern Miss with a BS in business with an emphasis in marketing and a BA in French, I had the opportunity to finish my French degree in France. Once I left, I really thought I would never come back! My mom sold Blooms in 2004, so when I returned after three years in Paris, we no longer owned Blooms. I jumped right back into advertising and sales, but all roads led me back to Blooms when my mom and I bought it back in 2010. And no regrets! {Have you always been interested in retail/owning your own business?} The short answer is No, I have never been interested in owning a retail business, but I've always been an entrepreneur. At the young age of 10 I had fliers that I passed out in the neighborhood for babysitting, petsitting, and dog walking. I love to work! {Fast forward to now and you and your mom are making moves in the floral and retail industries. Can you tell us about Blooms?} Blooms was established in 1994 by my mom in a quaint historic home on Hardy Street (the main street that runs from one end of Hattiesburg to the other) where it grew and prospered for 10 years. She sold it in 2004 and it changed ownership and locations a couple of times. My mom and I bought it back in 2010 in its current location, in The Bakery Building in downtown Hattiesburg. Blooms A Garden Shop is our official name and we have always had a focus on gardening. When my mom opened the shop she wanted to carry lines that all pertained to gardening and while we still have a focus on the gardens, our primary focus is carrying local Hattiesburg and Mississippi made products. Our main MS made line is Peter's Pottery, but in total we have 10-20 (inventory changes and some are seasonal) local artist who share their talents with Blooms. We are a full service florist, meaning we design florals for everyday, sympathy and special events/weddings. This side of the business started strong in 2010 and continues to flourish! I am amazed and humbled! {What sets Blooms apart?} Blooms is so much more than a retail gift shop and florist! What we offer is an experience and a relationship! We want everyone who enters our shop to feel welcome and like they are part of our family. The staff that we have plays a huge part in this and they do a great job! The experience at Blooms is more than just buying a gift or something for yourself. We wrap every gift and hand tie each bow. If someone is giving a gift that same day we will put a flower on the package as well. One of my favorite traditions is one my mom started. When young girls come in the shop she always gives them a rose, but the impact of this is realized when a mother and daughter come in and it was that little girls mom who received a rose in the early days of Blooms and now her daughter get to have the same experience. Our customers are our friends and if we have never met them before, they are a friend by the time they leave! If a customer walks in and walks out empty handed my mom and I have been known to chase them down the side walk just to be sure they were greeted and found what they were looking for (even if they had been asked and said they were just looking) and many times they come back in and we help them find exactly what they needed....the shop can be some what overwhelming with so much inventory. We want people to be inspired in and by Blooms! You never know the impact you have on others with just a smile and hello! This might sound strange, but Blooms is rooted in something so much bigger than us as individuals! When my mom started Blooms she was told over and over that it would never work much less succeed! But she felt God was calling her to do Blooms! She dreamed about Blooms for an entire year before she opened the doors. To have had a successful business for 10 year, sell it, and then for it to come back to us six years later is no coincidence! In a similar way, in 2010 I felt God calling me and my mom to do it again together, but it took me persuading her this time around because she knew the amount of work it would take and she was ready to retire. Blooms has always been a ministry! When our customers come in the shop we laugh with them, we cry with them, we pray with them, we do life with them through Blooms! What sets Blooms apart is the people who work long hours to serve our customers, the loyal customers who change us by sharing their lives with us and the God that we serve as we seek to serve others! {Are there any memorable experiences you have had since you opened you might want to share with our readers?} Honestly, we have had so many memorable experiences that there is no way to share all of them! When you celebrate the birth of babies, couples embarking on a journey through marriage, and loved ones that are no longer with us each of these is memorable! These moments are a time we connect with people on a deeper level! We are so honored to celebrate the big and small moments in the lives of our customers. |
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