‘Blinging’ with Boasy Accessories
THE beginning of a timeless legacy is how Erica Jacques describes her business. Jacques, a 27-year-old mother of two, is the owner and operator of Boasy Accessories, a registered online-based, custom jewellery business that she started by chance in 2019.
“I started my business in 2019 just before the coronavirus became a pandemic. At first I was just doing it to pass the time but as time progressed, my passion for it grew. I love jewellery and my sister encouraged me to look into the custom jewellery industry — and the rest is history,” she explained.
Jacques reminisced on how her first few personalised pieces made her customers happy and credits them as one of the driving forces that contribute to how she stays motivated.
“My customers are top tier, they make Boasy Accessories unique, and they make me want to continue in this business. The turnaround time for orders takes three to five weeks and while that seems like a long time to wait, when the items are delivered it warms my heart to see how they make my customers happy.”
Boasy Accessories has indeed grown — almost three years in and over 3,000 orders and counting — as well as supplying both the local and international markets, Jacques continues to look for ways to grow her business so that she can leave a legacy for her children. The seasoned saleswoman and jeweller lamented that she has got this far in business through faith in God, manifestation, and words of encouragement from friends.
“I’m a strong believer in manifesting and speaking positively over my business. I don’t refer to Boasy Accessories as a ‘small business’, this is my big business, and it is full of potential. The more I remain optimistic, the more I yield good results.”
Currently, Boasy Accessories provides a wide range of customised jewellery and other items with their storefront located on Instagram @boasy_accesories.
“We customise everything. If you’re looking for a personalised necklace, anklet, bracelet, watch, wallet or phone case — if you name it, then we can do it. All our pieces of jewellery are made from hypo-allergenic materials, and they are long-lasting — a truly good investment for a personalised piece.”
Despite being online based, Boasy Accessories plans on taking the business on the road with the first of many pop-up shops at the Cecil Charlton Park in Mandeville this month, with hopes of popping up in other parishes in the future to boost her business’s local presence as well as provide budding entrepreneurs with tips on how to break into the jewellery business.
“I can’t wait to go out and meet the people who have made Boasy Accessories a success. This is the beginning of many good things from my Boasy Accessories, and I want to share everything I’ve learned. For me, the end goal is to help someone else and to continue to put smiles on my customers’ faces.”
Jacques shared that a lot of what she knows now is through the guidance and support of other trailblazers in the industry and so she wants to empower other entrepreneurs too. She expressed that everyone has something unique to add, and it is that uniqueness that will make their business different from others who might share the same market space.
LacyAnn Simpson is a final-year communication studies major at Northern Caribbean University.
