Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Bowers.
Hi Stacey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started making jewelry when I was a pre-teen, eventually working at my local bead shop as a high schooler before going to college. I found my way back to jewelry about nine years ago when I taught myself how to hand-stamp metal on my apartment floor.
I wanted to make my friends funny bracelets for Christmas gifts, so I figured it out on my own. I shared them on social media and got such a great response that I started an Etsy site, which evolved into my own website, which evolved into a website and a storefront to showcase all of my collections along with clever gifts and local art by some of my favorite creators.
Our storefront in the Argenta Arts District in downtown North Little Rock is a fun, rainbow-painted happy place where we showcase our jewelry along with tons of hilarious, creative, and clever gifts. We stock outrageous greeting cards, local pottery, gorgeous puzzles, amazing candles, party supplies, funny shirts, prints and original art, thoughtful home decor and so much more.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think that having a business and growing it from scratch is a continuous learning experience.
And having a creative business where you make your products by hand is a lot to juggle because you have to run the business side of things and still find the time and inspiration to create new work and make products to stock your shop or website.
I’m definitely one to try to do everything myself, and it’s taken me a while to find the right people to help me run Bang-Up Betty so that I can create more and more. I wish I would have asked for help sooner!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Bang-Up Betty is known for our snarky and funny stamped jewelry as well as our thoughtful collections of nature-, science-, and history-inspired jewelry. My favorite collection is the Gallery Collection inspired by art history. It draws from artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frida Kahlo, and many others.
Our Siren Collection inspired by Greek mythology is also a fan favorite, as well as our Seven Seas Collection inspired by sea creatures. We’re also known for our Arkansas-centric jewelry, like our Arkansas Rice Flower Necklace I designed using real Arkansas rice; we’ve raised more than $1,000 for the Arkansas Foodbank with it. I think what sets our jewelry apart is how much like wearable art it is. When I release a new collection of jewelry, there is always a story behind the entire collection and each piece in it.
I wasn’t much of a jewelry wearer before I started making it because I didn’t think most jewelry I saw in stores was very interesting. I put a lot of thought into each piece that I make, and I make sure that it’s something I would wear before I release it into the world.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
We opened our storefront in the middle of the pandemic, which was a terrifying thing to do, but I knew that I would be vigilant about safety at our store. My clients have told me how much they appreciate that we’ve never dropped our masks required policy.
We don’t have any plans to in the near future. I love my clients and my employees, and I just want to keep everybody safe, especially as the virus changes and keeps surprising us. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Contact Info:
- Email: stacey@bangupbetty.com
- Website: www.bangupbetty.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/bangupbetty
- Facebook: facebook.com/bangupbettyjewelry
- Twitter: twitter.com/bangupbetty
Image Credits
Katie Childs and Collin Buchanan.
