Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Deponte
Hi Lauren, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
A year ago I was working a low paying job in a store for a very lovely woman who had been in business for almost 40 years. The job was easy enough but I knew I was hungry for something more, much more. I paid attention to everything my boss did from ordering, to inventory to how she treated her customers. To this day when I’m having a business issue I think “what would Cheryl do?” After all you can’t be in business for that long if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I left that job and wasn’t sure what I was going to do but I knew my time there had expired.
A friend of mine had been talking about wanting to get “permanent jewelry” together. I wasn’t sure what this was but I looked it up after she told me she couldn’t find many places in the area that do it. I could only find a couple places myself and they were both an hour away. I was impressed by the pop up shop of one of the businesses but both were lacking the same thing; a good variety of chains. I thought to myself “I could do this but I could do it better.” I started doing research and couldn’t find a single permanent jewelry shop in my city (Kissimmee). I also found out that it had become very popular in the past couple of years and had an excellent profit margin. I knew because I live in a heavy tourist area that I’d be able to make money doing this.
After completing all the research, ordering everything and going over my initial start up budget by almost 1000 dollars I launched Bombshell Bracelets; a permanent jewelry pop up shop. I remember sitting on my living room floor hand painting my sign and even though I’m able to buy a screen printed sign now I still use mine because I made it myself.
I excel in marketing, sales, inventory and customer service (pretty much all the managerial roles) however I needed a welder because I knew I wasn’t going to be a good one. I asked my husband to weld a bracelet onto me to see if he could do it and just like I thought; he could. He did it right the very first try and I still have that bracelet on today. I knew I had my welder.
I immediately thought of the promenade at sunset walk as the perfect location with the perfect demographic for my new business. I got denied at that location twice before they approved me. I worked other markets knowing I would do a lot better at the promenade, I was gaining experience and building clients and I was not going to give up. I even added a new service to my business (fairy hair) to appeal to more markets and clients.. I taught myself how to do the hair in just one day. On the third try the promenade came a calling and everything has been wonderful since. I was right about the demographic, we are wildly popular at that location. I am making money I never imagined; doing something that I absolutely adore at a place I love and I couldn’t be happier. Sometimes I look up at the sky and say thank you to whatever higher power helped me make this happen.
Bombshell Bracelets was chosen to compete on the latest season of the reality tv show for new start ups; Betablox. We are fully booked through the holidays and I have to turn down bookings several times a week. I can barely keep up with inventory, that’s how much we’re selling. I plan on starting a second business under the Bombshell name in winter/spring of 2025. The possibilities from there are endless, the sky really is the limit!
I have to give credit where credit is due and I certainly did not do this all by myself. My husband Ryan helps me with not only the welding but my entire set up and break down. He works a full time job and often helps me until midnight after working a full day. He hardly ever complains even though sometimes I give him a hard time. I’m a perfectionist and I want everything done a certain way. He does all the dirty work and lets me take all the credit. He’s my biggest supporter and Bombshell wouldn’t exist without him.
My mini me (LJ) was my model to learn how to do fairy hair; rings and necklaces. She is very interested in the business and has told me she’s proud of me several times. There is no better feeling than hearing those words from your own child.
My best friend Anca is also extremely supportive. She checks in with me every market to see how we did and let me take custody of her chairs for my pop up. I couldn’t have done this without her love and support!
I’m 41 years old with an adult child and I’m finally living my dream! I’m living proof to never, ever give up!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It took me 3 tries and a few months to get the location I wanted for my pop up. I worked other markets knowing I would make a lot more money at that one. I never gave up and now I’m a regular vendor at the location I wanted.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Bombshell Bracelets we are more than just permanent jewelry we’re a whole vibe! We have a variety of chains that cannot be beat and our clients love us! We have a comfortable, vibrant pop up and we guarantee all of our jewelry. If your jewelry breaks we will try to fix it even if it’s not our fault. We are professional jewelers and we take the trade very seriously. We offer an additional service that no other PJ pop up has (fairy hair) and we are adding more services under a second business soon!
Here at Bombshell we take pride in our quality of metals and offer many charms and connectors to help our clients really build that perfect piece of jewelry!
We take pride in not only our selection to choose from but our workmanship and customer service as well.
Our motto is: In a world where you can be anything.. be a bombshell!
How do you think about luck?
The weather has been our bad luck. We have been rained out several times throughout the months of August and September. This is one of the downfalls of being a pop up vendor which is why we’re looking for an indoor retail spot.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bombshellbraceletsfl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558394698180
