Meet Jessica Griffin | Boutique Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
This is actually a funny story. My son was about 4 at the time, and any boy mom knows it’s nearly impossible to get them to bathe. So one night, I’m searching through Amazon, and I find these bath bomb with miniature toys in them. I thought these were super cool and figured my son would like the thought of a surprise and I could finally get get his ass in that tub! Well, it totally worked!
After a while, they started to get really expensive considering I had to have a bath bomb every night so I DIYed my own bath bombs, which spoiler alert, was a total bust. I was so upset because I had bought a pack of miniature glow in the dark dinosaurs in bulk- think Costco sized- to put in these bath bombs. So here I am with all these dinos, and I’m thinking, “what the fuck am I supposed to do now?”
Well you probably guessed it by now- I turned them into earrings. I made a pair for myself and I remember posting a story on IG, and I had a few people ask me where I got my earrings. I didn’t think they were actually serious so I did the whole “A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING ME ABOUT MY EARRINGS”…blah blah blah, and I straight up asked who would be interested in them if I started to make them. To my surprise I actually did have a lot of people interested.
I started off by making a whole bunch of silly earrings like lollipops, burgers, donuts, sea creatures, beer bottles, ect. I actually still sell a few of these in my shop. Since then I have evolved to polymer clay and gold.
Who knew …glow in the dark dinosaurs.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My art is extremely versatile. While remaining trendy, I still love to include bits of my culture into my work. I’d also love to give myself a shoutout for being as low waste as I possibly can- which if you’re a business owner, you know this is NOT easy. I am most the most proud of opening up my store front. This process was so challenging for me, but I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out, and it’s in my dream location. I get to drive by the neighborhood I grew up on everyday and it’s such a nostalgic feeling for me.

I am mostly excited to see where my small business takes me. I have come across SO many amazing opportunities, met so many interesting people, and have even worked with a company featured in Forbes!
This sounds so fucking cheesy but, I got to where I am today with a lot of hard work. This isn’t to say I have reached my goal and I’m not currently working my ass off, but you only get out what you put in. If you want more, GIVE MORE. Obviously this is easier said than done, but if I can do this with kids, and a husband, I feel like anyone can.
Everyones challenges will be different. I honestly overcame by a lot of trial and error. I had to constantly remind myself that mistakes are also progress. I kept thinking because I’m this business owner, I needed to act like I knew what I was doing at all times and I needed to know every bit of information about budgets, jewelry making, hiring, protocols, marketing, ect. In case you needed the reminder- no one truly knows what they are doing. The biggest lesson I have learned is to just go for it, your comfort zone is your biggest enemy. My favorite saying to reference is “If you weren’t ready, you would’t have the opportunity. And if you weren’t capable, you wouldn’t have the desire.”

I want the world to know that I am extremely passionate about my business and that you can do anything you set your mind to. I am so proud of every single product in my shop. Mostly everything in our shop is handmade, ethically sourced, from a woman owned business, and low waste. We also only hire other women in our store, and a couple of our girls are mini entrepreneurs. I really think that speaks volumes.

I’d also love to meet anyone who reads this and wants a chance to get to know me better. Our shop is located in Bishop Arts at 714 W Davis, St. Dallas,TX.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I absolutely love the Bishop Arts District- and not just because my store is there. Bishop arts has so many cool places to shop, eat, dance, and I truly love that it hold so much culture and history. I grew up in Oak Cliff so this area holds a very special place in my heart. I will say however, Emporium Pies is a MUST!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

My life partner deserves the biggest shoutout. Chris stuck by my side through the good and bad. We actually have a photography and video business we also own, so even though we were busy running that, he helped me start up mine. Chris helped me fulfill orders, make earrings, set up my site, gave me advise, and gave me the best support I could have asked for. Not to mention, he practically set up the entire store, and he is NO handy man. Seriously- he pushed me to go full time during COVID!
Moonfire wouldn’t be where it is today without the help of my other half, Christian Contreras. 

Lastly, I’d love to give a shoutout to my staff. I truly have THE dream team of girls. Lainey, Samantha, and Judith have helped me SO MUCH and I am forever grateful for them.

Website: www.ahopmoonfire.com

Instagram: instagram.com/shopmoonfire