After one semester of selling clothing, the newest addition to Scents of Heaven on Main Street has become the go to place for unique and customized vintage pieces.
Jessica Taylor, the owner of Thrift Boutique says she’s been an entrepreneur since elementary school and knows how to cater to the area she’s in.
Taylor, who has worked in Scents of Heaven for two year’s, has successfully expanded her business from peddling handmade jewelry to selling stylish vintage clothing.
“It all started with making jewelry,” said Taylor. “I remember really wanting a necklace, but it cost $60. I went home, made the necklace, wore it and everybody wanted it.”
The Shreveport native transferred to Grambling two years ago after completing an Associate’s Degree at Southern University at Shreveport in electronic engineering and math. Now the graduating senior, majoring in Physics and Math, plans to future her education and open a new store in Shreveport all while keeping her business in Grambling.
In a recent interview, the young entrepreneur explained how she maintains school while owning a business. “It’s been a struggle, but I decided to put my all in the store this semester. I’m only taking 12 hours.”
Taylor travels every three or four months to different thrift shops in states including Texas and Washington, with Illinois being her favorite place to shop.
“To me Illinois is the best place to thrift shop hands down! Their stores have cheaper prices with good quality,” said Taylor.
She shops once a month at consignment shops in Louisiana and receives boxes of vintage clothing from friends in Baltimore and Georgia every two months.
“Some people in Grambling are skeptical about buying clothing here because they think the clothes just come from other stores in the area,” she said.
Even with the skepticism, the community seems to embrace the store well with its slew of regular customers. Taylor has also sold to employers of GSU, helped with various university fashion shows and sold to students at Louisiana Tech.
“Jessica has been a blessing to the store. She brought something that we didn’t have before, and I think she’s doing really, really well, said Mr. Johnny Greene, owner of Scents of Heaven.
Items sold in the Thrift Boutique including vintage clothing, shoes and accessories range from $12 to $45.
Check out Taylor’s various selection of custom jewelry, vintage and modern clothing at TaylorMayedCREATIONS on Instagram and Twitter.