Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Turner.
Hi Courtney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Essential Oils combined with Lava rock and a touch of Sea Glass = the beginning of Lava The Sea
What started as a search into the benefits of essential oils for me & my family, came an exciting venture that I never saw coming. Lava beads are naturally porous and carry essential oils really well. When you wear them, you experience the calming benefits of the oils. This is truly where the journey began. I began looking for fun and unique ways in which to combine lava beads with other unique stones, to create one-of-a-kind bracelets. One year, while on family vacation along the Texas coast, we started combing the beach for Sea Glass. What starts out as just a simple piece of broken glass, thrown aside, after years of being tossed and turned amongst waves, is washed ashore and given back to us as a beautiful, smooth, & glistening treasure, just waiting to be used to create something new. In 2015 we began adding sea glass to our semi precious stones and lava bead bracelets. It has been a fun experience learning & creating new pieces with the endless possibilities that semi precious stones and sea glass provide. We attended local vendor fairs and had the privilege of sharing our passion with our customers on a regular basis. In 2020, everything changed. With change came adaptations that led to where I am today. People were now separated from family and friends for long periods of time and were looking for ways to stay connected with each other. We started offering hand painted note cards alongside our bracelets and keychains, as a way for people to gift a smile. From there, we began expanding our shop to include not only our signature lava bead jewelry and cards, but also tumblers, stickers, notebooks, etc, that could all coordinate to create unique gifts, to help keep spirits up during a most difficult time period. That transition is what led me to create Just Around The Corner Market, where the next best thing, is just around the corner.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every journey will have its challenges but therein lies the very things that will push you to grow and become stronger. The pandemic in 2020 definitely caused me to change the way I approach things. I had to shift my jewelery business to encompass different creative avenues and I had to become 100% self motivated and self-taught when it came to learning new things in order to provide the best customer service to my clients, during a most difficult time. It was essential that I quickly create an online presence via websites and social media sites. This way, my clients and I could still maintain a working relationship even though the nation was under strict no contact guidelines. This has proven to be not only the biggest challenge but also, a huge blessing. I’m having to learn and keep up with the ever changing world of social media and ai, but I’m also able to connect with customers from around the country and expand my horizons in ways not available from just attending local fairs. It is definitely an exhilarating process!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
With each new day, comes a new opportunity to create something that will make someone else smile, even if only for a precious minute. This is what keeps me motivated. From making a custom piece of jewelry that will be worn every day, to a tumbler carefully created to showcase treasured moments in time, to even a little sticker that lights up your day, I specialize in making custom merch, just the way you like it. I love providing a platform for my clients to express their own creativity in a way that matches them personally.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Perseverance & Consistency
When I started on this journey, I thought I had an idea of where I was heading. I never could have anticipated the twists and turns that have popped up along the way. The biggest lessons I’ve learned are to persevere. Never stop doing something you are passionate about even if it takes you longer than you thought, or if it is harder than you thought. Be consistent, show up every single day, and search out the lesson to learn from each mistake. The journey will give you amazing gifts. You will have opportunities you could not have foreseen and meet people that will enrich your life. Enjoy the journey. It’s a beautiful adventure.
Pricing:
- Lava The Sea bracelets $10 & up
- Tumblers $13
- Hand painted note cards $2
- Spiral Notebooks $8
- Pens $3
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.JustAroundTheCornerMarket.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justaroundthecornermarket/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJustAroundTheCornerMarket?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@justaroundthecornermarket?feature=shared
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jatcm?_t=ZP-903k7Hb1ltf&_r=1
Image Credits
All photos taken by me, Courtney Turner
