![]() ![]() ![]() “That’s what really excites me about this work. “I'm fortunate enough to have this space, so when I hear about positive things happening in the community, it starts propelling me into partnerships,” Wilson says. Wilson realizes that she has prime real estate and a voice in the downtown community, and she wants to use those assets to help others. Since Giant and Simmons launched the fund, Wilson and her team have been donors and active supporters, promoting it on social media. Kristin Giant of the Family & Friends Fund for Southeast models a necklace by The HEDGE at The FInd. Instead, she told me about how, that weekend, she'd had this idea for the Family & Friends Fund for Southeast, and I was like, ‘Do it. “We were sitting here in the dark, and Kristin really didn't want to talk about Hyper-Local Impact. “The Tuesday morning after the protests, the store was all boarded up,” Wilson says. As a result, Wilson and Giant’s conversation shifted to current events. ![]() But by the time they met, two protests had ended in police dispersing crowds with tear gas and minor damage to The Find’s building. Prior to the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Fort Wayne last summer, Wilson had planned to meet with Giant, to discuss her own impact investing firm called Hyper-Local Impact. The Find’s meter was designed by local artist Lyndy Bazile of AfroPlump and supports the Family & Friends Fund for Southeast.ĭesigned by entrepreneurs Kristin Giant and Ty Simmons, and housed with the Fort Wayne Community Foundation, the Family & Friends Fund seeks to create greater equity in the city by infusing a formerly redlined district with economic opportunity. The Find and Wilson were partners in the City of Fort Wayne’s “Meters with a Mission” project. The Find’s own meter was designed by local artist Lyndy Bazile of AfroPlump and supports the Family & Friends Fund for Southeast. Recently, The Find and Wilson were partners in the City of Fort Wayne’s “Meters with a Mission” project, turning old parking meters into works of public art, which provide artists with commissioned work and offer nonprofits free advertising. She describes the business as a “lifestyle shop,” which is equal parts 1) gifts, décor, and furniture, 2) baby products and unique toys and 3) women's clothing and accessories.Ībout a third of The Find is devoted to children and baby items.Īs the owner, she doesn’t prefer to work the retail floor, but she finds a deep sense of purpose in managing the shop’s robust community connections, which have been numerous. Since then, Wilson has expanded The Find to its current location on the corner of Wayne and Harrison streets. Wilson opened The Find in downtown Fort Wayne in 2016 and has since expanded her shop. ![]() “It was just a really great first year we had,” she says. Its first store was about 900-square-feet on the ground level of the Ash Skyline building, and while Wilson was leery that customers might be dismayed by parking downtown and other logistics at first, the venture took off. In 2016, Wilson opened The Find with two partners in downtown Fort Wayne. Wilson often uses natural materials in her designs. Wilson shares a pair of her own earrings at The Find's local earring display. Her jewelry is inspired by the timeless bohemian styles she admired in the Sundance catalog and seeks to showcase the natural beauty of pearls and semi-precious stones. The move to support Fort Wayne artisans is a nod to Shop Owner Melani Wilson’s personal journey as a jewelry artisan and retail entrepreneurīefore opening The Find, Wilson owned two iterations of retail stores in Roanoke and launched her own jewelry line, Melani Wilson Designs. It hosts Saturday pop-ups in its entryway featuring local makers, too. To help customers navigate the options, a boutique called The Find in downtown Fort Wayne created a local Jewelry Makers Guide in March, has been promoting local artisans on its Instagram. Fort Wayne is home to artists and makers of many crafts, but one hot item at local boutiques is the ever-growing selection of made-in-Fort-Wayne jewelry.įrom poms to macramé to leather, resin, and polymer clay, young female artisans are creating earrings, necklaces, and more to suit many styles. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |