About Flippin' Fabulous
My name is Jessica Smith and I am the founder, sole owner, and operator of Flippin’ Fabulous LLC. I currently reside in the small town of Norway (aka Wind Lake), Wisconsin. I am a mother, a wife, and a lover of life who designs and creates all things fabulous! I am also a grandmother to two beautiful little girls. I love what I do and love sharing my creative talents with others.
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a passion for decorating and art. I always loved drawing and painting. I kept a stash of sketchbooks and paint supplies in my bedroom close. Doing crafts was therapeutic for me and I performed best when I was creative. As a young adult, I quickly learned that I had a passion for home décor and decorating. I often received many compliments on how beautifully decorated my home was.
Before I decided to launch my business in 2016, I felt stuck in a vicious work cycle in corporate America while working in the insurance industry. I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I was burnt out. While talking with friends, family, and co-workers, I was oftentimes told that I had missed my calling. I knew I was at a turning point in my life, and that God had something bigger planned for me. God gave me the gift of creativity. After completing several months of research and self-reflection, I decided to end my career of 14+ years and open my own small business. I followed my dream of becoming an entrepreneur and Flippin’ Fabulous was born.
In April of 2016 I rented a small booth inside Waterford Unique Antique Market in Waterford, Wisconsin. My main focus was creating handmade wood signs from repurposed wood. I started to learn the process of refinishing furniture and my pieces moved rather quickly. I was addicted! My business was growing fast, so I decided to add a 2nd adjacent booth inside the market. Shortly thereafter, I began collaborating with local artists on a consignment basis, which helped my business grow and prosper. From there, I expanded into several other locations in southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois including Renewed Creations in Richmond Illinois, Fox Lake Country Antique Mall and Brown Street Emporium in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and T&L Landscape Supply and Graden Center in Zion, IL .
When Covid hit in early 2020, I needed to pivot my business in order to stay afloat, despite many other small businesses being forced to shut down and close doors. I did a ton of research, worked with a business mentor, and worked diligently on building my own website to enter the world of e-commerce. I then launched my online shop.
In November of 2021, a terrible tragedy occurred during the annual Christmas parade in the neighboring City of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Although I had no business ties to the Waukesha community, I knew some people whose lives would be forever changed from the incident and wanted to help. I designed a Christmas ornament in honor of the victims and donated 100% of the proceeds to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Fund. Fast forward to late spring of 2022, when I received the unfortunate news that the location I called home for 6 years, Waterford Unique Antique Market, was for sale as the owners decided to close their business. I was not ready to do the same and knew I needed to pviot, yet again. I looked at a few potential locations but nothing caught my eye, until I came across the charming downtown area of Waueksha, Wisconsin. Coincidentally, this was the same community that I had designed the ornament for as part of a fundraising effort the prior year. They say when one door closes another opens, and that's exactly what happened in my situation.
In the spring of 2022 I received notice that the owner of the Waterford Unique Antique Market was selling the building and closing the business. I looked relentlessly for a new place to call home, and nothing seemed right. I took a leap of faith and decided to open my own store in the historically charming heart of Downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin.
In September of 2022, I opened my first brick-and-mortar location. The first few months were very successful. After the new year started (which is normal in the 1st quarter for the retail industry), sales had slowed down significantly. I was feeling very discouraged. In March of 2023, much to my surprise, I was nominated and presented with the "New Business Of The Year" Award from the City of Waukesha Chamber Of Commerce. It was just the inspiration I needed to continue on my journey of being a store owner. It gave me hope and provided me with motivation to keep going. I decided to expand my product offerings and collaborated with local artists, crafters, and small business owners on a consignment basis to bring my customers even more product offerings. I also launched classes, workshops, and pop-up events.
In spring of 2024, after spending nearly 2 years in Downtown Waukesha, I was craving change and realized that I was outgrowing the 900 square foot space I called home. When I initially started my search for a new location, I wasn't finding anything that caught my eye. I was about ready to end my lease and just scale back for awhile. As time had it, the owner of Waterford Unique Antique Market (where I initially started my storefront) just announced that he would be reopening in a new location in May. Without hesitation, I reached out to him and opened a small booth in their new location. I made the decision not renew my lease at the end of July. Despite closing the doors to my first storefront, I still had a spark in me and knew my story wasn't over.
In August of 2024 I opened my second brick-and-mortar shop in Burlington, Wisconsin. The space was beautiful and sprawled nearly 2,000 square foot space. I changed my business model and offered booth spaces to rent in addition to split commission consignment. Product offerings included handmade home decor, refinished furniture, apparel, accessories, gifts, vintage & collectible items, and upcycled goods. I continued to carry a small selection of wholesale goods from local and national small businesses.
I received an overwhelming amount of support from our loyal customers, and the Burlington and surrounding area communities. I was fortunate enough to be able to expand into a 400 square foot adjoining space in December of 2024, which was used as our creative studio and classroom area, which is where a variety of classes and workshops taught by guest instructors were held.
In January of 2025, we acquired nearly 1100 square feet of space and started hosting indoor makers’ markets. We became home to over 125 permanent local artists, crafters, and small business owners in addition to multiple temporary vendors at each market. Although I achieved my goal of becoming a one-stop gift shop and community hub, I was getting burnt out. In addition to collaborating with a large number of temporary and permanent vendors, I hired three part time employees, . My days "off" were spent doing all the behind-the-scenes work. I was working constantly and had no time for myself or to make my own products.
In spring of 2025, we faced a variety of economic challenges, most of which originated from the political changes and economic uncertainty. I also noticed a ton of other stores in the area who were now offering similar products and events. On top of that, transitioning from a small 900 square foot storefront into a 4,000 square foot operation within a year made me realize that bigger isn't always better. I was starting to feel a need to pivot once again and was ready to take a break from store ownership for awhile. I was craving a sense of normalcy and was sick and tired of working non-stop, missing important holiday events, family gatherings, etc. There was no work/life balance.
In the summer of July 2025, I received an unexpected email from a property owner in Lake Geneva. I was on a waitlist for years, and a space had finally opened up inside my dream location,located inside The Market Of Lake Geneva. With a tremendous amount of pressure and also the feeling of possibly missing out. I closed the Burlington location and moved into my dream location inside The Market of Lake Geneva. We moved out and re-opened within 2 short weeks. I loved the aesthetic of my store and how it turned out, but we faced daily challenges and something just didn't feel right from the day I picked up my keys to the space. We opened and closed the store in Lake Geneva within one month.
Although my time in Lake Geneva was very short-lived, I knew I needed to make a change as soon as possible. I was beyond burnt out and exhausted. It was too much too fast. I decided to follow my heart, trust my gut, and close my store in order to rest, recharge, and regroup. One of the most important lessons I learned whiel owning and operating a brick and mortar store was that you need to make time for your wellness before you're forced to deal with your illness.
Through all of this, I still love to create and help others whether it's sharing my products, designing a cozy space, or teaching others what I've learned along the way. Now more than ever, I want to go back to my roots of making unique handcrafted items that are funny, relatable, and guaranteed make you smile. I want to share with others what I've learned throughout my small business journey and shed light where others see darkness.
Hearing customers laugh and hearing stories of how relatable and useful my products are or how much someone loved giving or receiving a gift from my shop gives is what I love the most and is the sole reason I keep going. Seeing others gather with intent while feeling a sense of warmth and belonging makes my heart full. Leaving a positive impact on my community gives me purpose and brings me joy. Thank you all for being here and becoming a part of our supportive and amazing community. I am forever grateful and can't wait to see what's waiting for us right around the corner. Welcome to the Flippin' Fabulous family!
Much Love & Blessings,
Jessica Smith
Founder & Owner-Operator of Flippin' Fabulous