Jewelry artist opens downtown shop for handcrafted, unique items

June 9, 2020

A new retailer in downtown’s Jones421 Building features jewelry made by the owner and other locally made goods and sourced merchandise.

“We have a little bit of everything,” said BluMoon Designs owner Amy Balster, who started the business three years ago, selling her jewelry creations at festivals. She opened her first shop nine months ago in the 518 Marketplace in Harrisburg and decided to open a second location a few months later.

“I absolutely love it down here,” Balster said of the first-floor marketplace in the Jones421 Building. “Our neighbors are great, and it’s just a fun atmosphere down here. It’s a really neat building.”

She leased the space – the former second location for Dell Rapids-based Corduroy & Pixie Dust – at the beginning of the year and initially planned to open in April, but the pandemic delayed the opening into mid-May.

“As things started reopening a few weeks ago, then we decided we’d open the doors and start with some limited hours, and as things get back to normal here, we’ll extend the hours,” adding Tuesday and Wednesday to the schedule.

For now, BluMoon Designs is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Balster said she’s seeing a steady increase in traffic. That’s a good thing, because most of the festivals she typically sells at have been canceled because of the pandemic. Balster grew up making jewelry with her mom and got back into craft shows as her own children grew up.

She describes her jewelry pieces as “something that’s unique but simple for everyday wear, made primarily with resin, different metals and leather.” She makes necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings.

The other merchandise includes items such as home decor, purses, hats, T-shirts, bath and body products, dog collars and bowls, salsas, dips, honey, candles and insulated beverage holders.

“I’ve got a lot of area makers in the store and then we just added in some fun and unique stuff that we find at market or from other small businesses throughout the country,” Balster said.

She’s already out of room and planning to lease a bigger space around the corner – the former site of Game Chest.

She sees potential for adding to her offerings too.

“When we transfer over to the larger space, I am thinking about adding some classes.”

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Jewelry artist opens downtown shop for handcrafted, unique items

A new retailer in downtown’s Jones421 Building features jewelry made by the owner and other locally made goods and sourced merchandise.

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