Today we’d like to introduce you to Shun Johnson.
Hi Shun, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Hello and Thank You for having me. My name is Shun Johnson, I’m a mother, daughter, sister, auntie, and now a proud Grandmother “Hunni’. My journey into the bling world began in 2012 where I started out making t-shirts once; I’ve done it for a while I wanted to know and learn more. I went on with life and forgot all about the t-shirt business until the summer of 2014 when life hit and hit hard. I found out I had stage 4 Ovarian Cancer while I was undergoing Chemotherapy. A fellow friend that was also going through chemo one day was there making some shoes. I didn’t know what she was doing at first, so I just watched for a while. I made sure I sat next to her the next time we had treatment because I wanted to be nosey and see what she was doing. We were there for a few hours so I asked as many questions that I could possibly think of and believe it or not she didn’t mind me asking because she answered them all. When I got home that evening, I couldn’t get those shoes and her off my mind, that same evening I made up my mind that I would figure out a way to make some. My friend gave me some different things to do to get started, but unfortunately, she couldn’t teach me all that she wanted before losing her battle to Cancer.
After years of research and many trial and errors and lots of practice. I now have a thriving business blinging for clients all over the word, also teaching new blingers the business. In the beginning of my journey, I was always wanting to pick the brains of those who were already in the business. But as many of you know, getting information from them was pretty much a waste of time, and no one would respond with help. I can’t say I blame them for not sharing, this is a competitive business at the end of the day. But I dared to be different, I made it a mission of mine that if anyone asked for help, I would give them the knowledge I have and what has helped me.
The Bling Bar Dallas was established in 2012 with one mission: to bring high-quality bling to the Dallas/ Ft. Worth area. My passion for excellence inspired me in the beginning and continues to drive me today. I pride myself on offering a superior shopping experience and in the long-term relationships we’ve built with our customers.
I have customized over 5000 pairs of shoes along with customizing various other styles of shoes and different items as well. I started teaching individuals how to bling and found a strong passion for it because I knew that there were not many others that were willing to do the same. I have always been transparent with giving others the knowledge that I have acquired over the years. I have done work for clients all over the world, from Germany, The UK, Africa, Dubai, Greece, and more. Also, I’ve worked with many celebrity clients such as Lynn Whitfield, K.Michelle, Da Baby, PreMadonna, Briki Fa President, and others. I love what I do and am so blessed to share my gift with the world…
CANcer was my blessing…….
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?
No, this journey has not been an easy road…. I was diagnosed with Cancer a few more times during this process, some days were better than others. There were times where I was unable to work due to being in so much pain, it would be times where I couldn’t move from the leg pains. On this journey I have severe nerve damage and currently undergoing treatments for that as of today. I still have my good days and bad days, but God is taking great care of me. My grandmother always told me “Tough times don’t always last BUT tough people do”. I figured God thought I was one of his toughest soldiers because geezzz them times were hard. I was battling with depression and anxiety through it all. I have lost everything I owned and even been homeless and life really had me at a point where I questioned everything, I didn’t understand why I was going through so much so young. I had thoughts of just giving up, and I was even at a point in life where I thought about an exit plan. But my faith was so much bigger than the fears I had. I have an awesome praying family and support system and looking at my kids every day at how strong they were, while fighting with me going through what I was going through, they were my reason for not giving up and quitting on life. Because there were times where I wanted to just throw in the towel and say forget it. I can remember times where I didn’t want to wake up or even had thoughts about what it would be like to not be here anymore, and what would life be better if I wasn’t going through all this and I’m so glad I didn’t because God’s plans were so much bigger for me. I look back now and I’m so thankful just to wake up every day and hear my kids’ voices, and now being able to see my granddaughter every day, this is life. They are why I do it, they are why I live, they don’t know it, but they really saved my life, and I’m ever so grateful for my Royce and Alexis.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do? What are you most proud of?
I bling out custom items from tumblers to sneakers to portraits, well basically anything I can stick a stone on I will bling it. I also teach classes on how to bling from beginners to advanced. Also, I have a YouTube page with tutorials on how to bling. I am most proud of being a grandmother aka “Hunni” to my beautiful granddaughter Mykah Michelle. This is why I’m still here, for her. She is my WHY…. What sets me apart from others is my willingness to step out of the box and to not be afraid to do things differently.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Yes, I’m very much a risk-taker. I go so far out of the box, it scares me sometimes, my imagination is very wild. The biggest risk I’ve taken in my career was when I was asked to bling out a canvas portrait of Young Dolph, something I never done before nor seen. But I did it and now I have mastered it and have done over 20 portraits now. The biggest risk I’ve taken in my personal life was to stop taking all the medicine the Dr. was giving and putting ALL my FAITH in God; I did it all the natural way. And I know if I trust him, he will pull me through. I know he has not let me go through all this to just fail; I know he has me covered. Nothing in life comes without risk, you just have to take a deep breath and jump, believe me your parachute will open. Just keep trusting and believing. I know now, I wasn’t ready even though I thought I was, I was trying to rush things when I should have just waited. He will place me on the right path when he knows the time is right…. Please know that there are stumbling blocks along the way, but all things work together for the good of them that love God.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theblingbardallas.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/theblingbardallas
- Facebook: Facebook.com/theblingbardallas
- Youtube: YouTube.com/theblingbardallas
- Yelp: Yelp.com/theblingbardallas
- Others: Tiktok – TikTok/shunjohnson2
