Visit Jackson Recognizes Small Businesses During NTTW
May 4, 2021
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economies. During National Travel and Tourism Week, May 2-8, Visit Jackson takes a look at a handful of selected retail partners who entice visitors and locals alike, and enhance the City With Soul mission to connect, engage and inspire the Jackson community.
Offbeat
Billed as an “alternative culture” store in Jackson’s (now in Downtown Jackson), OffBeat started in May 2014 as an idea and an attempt to build community through a store and art gallery.
“I learned how to read from comics and being a DJ… they just mesh so well together,” said owner Phillip “DJ Young Venom” Rollins. “I felt like (comics) wouldn’t be strong enough as a store by itself, so, let me combine the two and add in some designer toys and a gallery wall for minority artists.”
The store hosts shows, parties, movie screenings, album releases, free comic book days, video game tournaments, record store days and so much more.
Rollins added, “I want people to realize all the potential Jackson has before giving up on it.”
Offbeat is located at 109 North State Street. Visit them online at offbeatjxn.com.
Thimblepress
It is the mission of Jackson, Mississippi-founded Thimblepress® to “encourage kindness and inspire fun with the colorful, happy and innovative products they create, the stories they tell and how they operate their business.”
The vibrant and inspirational brand, founded by Jackson native, Kristen Ley Allen, was nurtured from early on. Allen’s creative family propelled her to pursue an arts education at Mississippi State University, and, in 2007, she founded Cultigraphic Creative® with fellow MSU classmate, Catherine Yerger.
In 2011, she purchased an antique letterpress in Kentucky and opened Thimblepress, a name inspired by her childhood thimble collection.
Allen’s work has been spread nationally and internationally, with collaborations with Target and Staples, among others, and featured on the Today Show. But, locals appreciate her State Street storefront where they pick up greeting cards, inspirational journals, notebooks and other encouraging works of art.
Thimblepress is located at 113 North State Street. Visit them online at thimblepress.com.
Lofton and Co.
Lofton & Company Brands is a locally owned and operated small business run by the husband and wife team, Tony and Jessica Lofton. Their products are handmade in small batches in Jackson with scents inspired by family, friends, nostalgia and life in general. There’s even a “City With Soul” scent, created in collaboration with Visit Jackson, described as sweet, buttery perfection with notes of sugar, butter and vanilla (you can purchase this candle at the JXN Welcome Center or online).
The company was created in the family living room after the Loftons had a talk about the future they wanted for their two sons, Marley and Mason. Their interest in candle making combined with Jessica’s love for making her own hair and body products were the perfect match for a business they both could call their own.
With a collective goal of teaching their sons the value and importance of working hard, taking control of their own finances through entrepreneurship and making a positive impact in their community, Lofton & Company became bigger than Jess and Tony; it has become the start of a legacy for their entire family and the generations to come.
Foot Print Farms
Cindy Ayers Elliott’s Foot Print Farms is a 68-acre specialty crop, vegetable and livestock farm, with a focus on agri-tourism for community development in the City of JacksonAyers-Elliott’s mission extends beyond planting physical seeds, though: she believes offering educational opportunities in the community have the power to plant a seed in the minds of young people.
After working five years as CEO for Delta Foundation, Delta Enterprises in economic development in the Mississippi Delta, Ayers-Elliott also worked many years in New York as an investment banker. She likes to say she has traded in her high heels for a pair of work boots (and that “never-leave-home-without-it” pink cowboy hat).
In recent months, Foot Print Farms has partnered with Chef Enrika Williams and creative Thabi Moyo to host Magnolia Sunset Markets – every third Saturday – a curated urban marketplace mixed with artisans, local produce, food, and music and good times. Ayers-Elliott hopes events like these will lead to additional opportunities to welcome locals and visitors alike to experience her farm.
Foot Print Farms is located at 4945 South Drive. Visit them online at footprintfarmsms.com.
Conkrete Kickz
Keith Richardson owns Conkrete Kickz Sneaker Boutique, now located in Fondren.
A longtime sneaker fan, Richardson was living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast when a “job offer I couldn’t refuse” called him to Jackson. He worked with Foot Locker part-time (“for the discount,” he said) until he formed his business plan and opened his own store.
Conkrete offers a selection of exclusive shoes, along with clothing and accessories, mostly for men, but women’s shoes are offered, too. The shop also serves as a community gathering space, with live music and dance events.
Conkrete Kickz is located at 2943 Old Canton Road. Visit them online at conkretekickz.com.
More small businesses: The Beacon | Lemuria