Independent retailers are community members, neighbors and friends who might be running a coffee shop, a bakery or a clothing boutique or maybe handcrafting unique items.
July is Independent Retailer Month, offering an opportunity for the community to show appreciation to local small businesses.
There are many independent retailers in Jackson County. One of them is The Magic of Books Bookstore, 113 W. Second St., Seymour, where preparation is underway for a one-year anniversary event July 31.
Brownstown resident Jenna Martinez has been an avid reader since she was a young girl, and as a child, her dream job was to get paid to read, and she had always wanted a bookstore.
That dream of owning a bookstore came true Aug. 1, 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was exciting and terrifying," Martinez said. "I was so excited to be able to fulfill my dream, but then with the pandemic, I just didn’t know how it was all going to play out but knew I had to try."
She can hardly believe it has been almost a year since her store opened.
"I’m pretty excited, and we have a big one-year anniversary event planned," Martinez said.
She said there will be several Hoosier authors at the store signing their books, including Ashley Greathouse, Candra Kylar, Courtney Diles, Jeremy Perry, Melissa Slate-Bindschadler and possibly more.
City of Seymour employee Floyd Amburgey also will be at the bookstore event to sign copies of his page in the Color Seymour coloring book.
There will be games, prizes, snacks and all sorts of fun activities planned, Martinez said.
"It’s a family-friendly event, so I’m looking forward to seeing everyone," she said. "I’m still working on a few surprises. I hope we can make them happen."
During the bookstore’s anniversary event, community members are encouraged to donate school items for the store’s Sponsor a Teacher fundraiser.
"For every three items you bring in from the supply list, you will get to draw a prize from our book bucket," Martinez said. "The prizes will vary from different amounts of coupons, bookmarks, shirts, stickers, gift cards, books and other various items."
For a list of needed school supplies, visit themagicofbooksbookstore.com/sponsor-a-teacher or stop by the bookstore and pick up a list.
The Magic of Books carries more than 10,000 used books in all genres, from psychological thrillers, science fiction, romance and true crime to fantasy, westerns, biographies and nonfiction.
There’s also an area for young adult and children’s books and a section for new books in stock, particularly those written by local and indie authors.
"We also carry other items such as canvas bags, stickers, bookmarks, gift cards and store shirts," Martinez said. "We also have handmade jewelry created by a few locals."
There are several ways to purchase reading materials through The Magic of Books.
"You can come into the store and place an order with us directly or send us a message," Martinez said. "You can use our store page on bookshop.org, and we will get the same portion of sales as if you’d ordered from us in store."
The advantage to ordering on the website is the books get mailed directly to you.
"We have a QR code on our store window that will take you straight to our bookshop page," she said. "You can also visit our website and go to the shop online section to shop."
Martinez loves to help people and promote downtown businesses because she wants to see them all succeed.
"After being downtown for this past year, I’ve gotten to know the other store owners, and they are great people," she said. "It’s such a great community, so I love supporting them and giving them a shoutout whenever I can."
Martinez said her hope for the bookstore is to grow an amazing group of individuals who can bond and build relationships over the magic they find in books.
Other independent retailers don’t necessarily need a storefront, which is a point proven by KlayZ Kreations owner Julia Murphy.
The Seymour resident is a dental office manager by day, then works on making jewelry pieces for her Etsy shop in the evenings.
KlayZ Kreations is definitely a team effort, as Murphy’s whole family has helped out in one way or another.
"My husband, David, helps me set up at my local shows," she said. "When he isn’t available, my son, Mitch, fills in, and my daughter, Shelby, initially started out with me at our first craft show in 2014."
Shelby moved to Nevada in 2016 but still helps long distance with design ideas and color choices.
Murphy’s jewelry business got its name because she originally started with only clay items.
"The name was chosen with that in mind, even though I’ve expanded to include a variety of soldered items, leather cuffs and repurposed vintage pieces," she said. "I had an art background in school and took art and ceramics classes, oil painting and a lot of artsy type classes, which has helped me with this."
Soldering was intimidating for Murphy when she first started, but her dad soldered circuit boards and other things.
"He always encouraged me to not me intimidated by it and to not give up on it," she said. "He enjoys seeing what I’ve done and the different pieces since I’ve improved on it."
Murphy’s clay jewelry goes back to the early 1990s when her children were in elementary school.
"I made beaded watch bands at that time, and when the kids got busier with sports and activities, I got away from making jewelry until 2014," she said. "Things had really changed since the 1990s, and clay really evolved over the years."
Over the years, KlayZ Kreations has evolved and grown, and with almost everything, the longer you work on something the more you improve, Murphy said.
She takes more time creating pieces now and is very particular about what she sells. If she is not completely happy with the quality, she starts over.
"That’s the great thing about clay and solder because if clay hasn’t been cured, you can start over if you’re not happy with the results," she said. "Same with soldering. If it isn’t perfect, the solder can be melted and reapplied."
Murphy makes clay and soldered necklaces and earrings, Indiana necklaces, leather cuffs made from repurposed belts and vintage broaches and baseball items made from actual baseballs.
"I also repurpose a lot of items such as vintage salt and pepper shakers, miniature perfume bottles and antique thimbles and buttons," she said. "My repurposed vintage items are just randomly found at antique shops and flea markets."
She said, clay has been a bit difficult to find since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
"I think a lot of people began a new hobby when there wasn’t anything else to do," Murphy said. "Several manufacturers were already behind due to mandated shutdowns, so that coupled with a greater demand has made finding clay somewhat challenging."
When Murphy and her family originally began setting up at shows, she was usually the only clay vendor at every barn market and craft show, but it seems to be a lot more prevalent now, she said.
"I work on jewelry during weeknights and several weekends. It depends on the time of the year," she said. "It takes awhile to get stocked up for our shows and barn markets."
For her online Etsy shop, Murphy makes it a point to deliver locally or mail items out right away. She wants her customers to get their items quickly, so that’s definitely a high priority, she said.
"If you’re local to Seymour, I have a coupon code for Etsy, and a local shopper can enter LOCALCUSTOMER at checkout, and that will waive the shipping fee if their items don’t have to be mailed," Murphy said.
Her most popular items are her clay earrings. Two of her additional big sellers have been the rustic metal Indiana necklaces and her baseball cuffs. Murphy also has a variety of baseball necklaces and keychains available.
Even though KlayZ Kreations does not have a store, Murphy has a partnership with several local businesses and festivals, where her jewelry is sold.
"We’re currently at the Jackson County Visitor Center and Claire Marie Boutique as well as Hen and Chicks Barn Market in May and September," she said. "We’re at the Sunflower Barn Market in September and Stream Cliff Winery in June and October and several craft shows in the fall."
Murphy hopes to continue her jewelry for many years but doesn’t want to do it full time.
"I really enjoy my full-time job, and I love working on jewelry as more of a fun hobby/business," she said. "I love that I can come home after work, have supper and work on jewelry."
Murphy said it’s sort of a creative outlet that helps her wind down at night and is therapeutic. She’s afraid she might lose her passion for it if she made jewelry full time.
"It is so rewarding to have frequent local customers and to be out and about and see someone wearing their KlayZ Kreations," she said. "It’s such a great feeling to know that someone is getting enjoyment out of something I’ve made."
Murphy said she wants to thank everyone who has shopped at the barn markets, crafts shows, Etsy and local shops.
"I could not do this without their support, and I’m so thankful for each and every one," she said.
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The Magic of Books Bookstore
themagicofbooksbookstore.com
themagicofbooksbookstore.com/sponsor-a-teacher
KlayZ Kreations
Independent Retailers Month
nationaldaycalendar.com/national-independent-retailer-month-july
daysoftheyear.com/days/independent-retailer-month
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