We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Burt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Starting a small business is a big risk. It is scary and intimidating however, it is also completely worth it. I left my full time job as an assistant underwriter to pursue my dream of jewelry making. I spent several years working at festivals and craft fairs as a vendor before I had the opportunity to open my brick and mortar location in Clinton,TN. It was exciting as well as intimidating to open a retail shop and I wondered if I had done the right thing by leaving my job in insurance.
I have recently just celebrated my 5 year anniversary as a brick and mortar and I can say wholeheartedly that it was well worth the risk and that I have never regretted following my passion.
The Mystic Orb is now home to 40 local artists and vendors and we have cultivated a community that we are truly proud of.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

The Mystic Orb is home to 40 local artists and vendors who make and sell beautiful, one of a kind items with us. Since i was a child, i have had a love of art and creating. I started The Mystic Orb as a jewelry vendor at craft fairs and festivals 8 years ago.
5 years ago, I got the opportunity, with my mother and business partner, to open our brick and mortar store in Clinton, TN. Since then, we have curated a shop that it home to many local makers.
We aim to support local artists and makers by giving them a shop where their items can be appreciated by the community.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Most of the items at The Mystic Orb are locally handmade. I am Co-Owner and also one of the jewelry creators in the shop. I create wire wrapped gemstone jewelry for The Mystic Orb. I have been making jewelry since I was very young. I would mostly string beaded necklaces and bracelets. About 7 years ago, I was in a car wreck and hurt my hand. I started wire wrapping as a form of physical therapy for my hand and fell in love with the craft. I am self taught and love working with gems and metals, specifically copper, to create one of a kind pendants with intention.
Creating wire wrapped jewelry has become my passion and I feel so blessed to be able to do it everyday for work.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

The Mystic Orb has been in business as a brick and mortar since 2018 so we have seen some tough times. We we’re fortunate to survive the pandemic shut down. We were not able to open our door to customers for two weeks during 2020. It was a scary time for all businesses but we focused on online sales and no contact pick up at the shop and we’re able to survive. After only being in business for two years, the idea of having to shut down for two weeks could have been detrimental to a small business like ours so we are very proud to have survived 2020. We recently celebrated our 5 year anniversary and hope for many more to come!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/themysticorb?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMysticOrb?mibextid=ZbWKwL