Open for business: Craft Jar opens today in downtown Monroe
A new business opening today in downtown Monroe aims to cater to those who just love to make things.
The Craft Jar, located at 12 S Monroe St., is billed as a one-stop shop for all your sublimation, Cricut and silhouette needs, offering items such as blank t-shirts and cups, vinyl, glitter and more. In addition to buying their supplies, customers will be able to rent stations to work on their projects. The store also offers a candle bar where individuals or small parties can create their own custom, 100 percent soy wax candles.
Today's grand opening will include snacks and beverages, as well as coupon giveaways.
The store is the brainchild of owner and operator Chelsea Hicks, who got the idea after realizing just how difficult - and expensive - it was to find the right supplies for her own crafting projects.
Hicks had to make 30 t-shirts for a family reunion this summer, and she struggled to find the correct color of vinyl to use for the decals.
"I was so upset because I could only get vinyl (for the shirts) on Amazon," she explained. "I was upset because I go to Amazon and I couldn't get the right color, and they couldn't get it to me on time. So I'm going back and forth to (craft) stores (out of town) and I thought that we need a local supply store, somewhere (where you can go) 'Oh my gosh, I need something real quick.' I know Amazon Prime (is easy to use), but people (like) myself like to feel the t-shirt, versus buying it online and hoping it's the correct material. It's the same with cups... Every time I ordered a cup and it came, it was never correct. I hate ordering and then having to send stuff back.
"We needed somewhere where you could feel the cup and say 'This is what I want, this is the style I want.'"
Hicks' husband Josh needed some convincing before he could get on board with his wife's business plan. But he came around once Hicks began talking to her crafting friends, who were excited at the prospect of a local store offering all the supplies they need in one place.
"Over the last couple of months I started getting the calculator out and calculating everything, and I thought 'This is it, I need to do this,'" Hicks said. "I've always wanted to be a downtown business owner."
Hicks was surprised the first time she entered what would become her new store.
"It actually took my breath away when I walked through the door," she said. "I thought it was going to be a small little shop, but it's way bigger than I anticipated. I knew immediately that this was it."
Following today's grand opening, The Craft Jar will be open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For now, Hicks will be the sole employee, although her husband has promised to help out as much as he can.
"He asked 'Are you sure you can do this yourself?' and I said 'Yes, I got it,'" Hicks said. "But as the grand opening got closer I asked him 'Are you sure you can't take the week off (to help in the store)?'"
A lifelong Monroe resident, Hicks says she is excited to be a part of the resurgence of downtown Monroe. Even as the stress of opening day mounted, she says she knew she was making the right career choice based on how it felt coming into the store every day.
"Even though the store wasn't open yet, I was looking around going 'Oh my gosh, this is mine,'" she said. "...I love coming here."
For more information about The Craft Jar, visit Facebook.com/TheCraftJarLLC.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: The Craft Jar opens in downtown Monroe
