A Minnesota native, Nikki Smith moved to Dallas for a job at JCPenney’s headquarters in Plano. When she began receiving compliments on her handmade jewelry, she decided to start selling it. She began with pop-up shops and booths at art and music festivals, and then she set up a weekend tent at the Dallas Farmers Market. After three years in The Shed, she opened her first storefront at the Dallas Farmers Market in March. The pandemic forced her to close shop for two months, but thanks to online sales and a new creation designed for the times, she was able to keep her business running.
“I am quite forgetful, so I always have to turn around to go get my mask,” Smith says. “Then one day I was talking to a customer at our new store, and while digging in my purse for my mask, she said, ‘Hey, have you seen those chains so you can just always have your mask around your neck?’ ” She ended up selling her first chain to that very customer, and within a month the line had taken off. “We have sold thousands to boutiques across the country,” she says. “They are so popular with boutique owners that we now sell entire displays daily to stores across the country.” Nikki Smith Designs 14K gold-plated chains start at $26.
“I am quite forgetful, so I always have to turn around to go get my mask,” Smith says. “Then one day I was talking to a customer at our new store, and while digging in my purse for my mask, she said, ‘Hey, have you seen those chains so you can just always have your mask around your neck?’ ” She ended up selling her first chain to that very customer, and within a month the line had taken off. “We have sold thousands to boutiques across the country,” she says. “They are so popular with boutique owners that we now sell entire displays daily to stores across the country.” Nikki Smith Designs 14K gold-plated chains start at $26.
