Jenn Lopez is owner of the beautifully curated shop Alchemy in Taylor, Texas.

1. Why did you move to Taylor? 

I haven’t! Not yet. I’ve lived in Austin for 30+ years and am privileged enough to say ‘I remember when SXSW was $25 a ticket’. The country IS calling, but not sure where just yet.

2. What compels you to spend time creating?

Opening in a shop in Taylor was an accident, honestly. I was offered to sublet a space within another business and I was still working a full time wholesale job. 

The shop grew, my people found me, and I found a permanent home on southside of historic downtown. Needless to say, I am no longer working full time in wholesale and working full time + 1000 extra hrs a week for myself. 🙂

3. Tell me three things you’ve learned in the past five years.

I love this question because I’ve had the privilege of meeting several people on the dawn of their own business ventures and this is always my advice;

1. Be yourself, no matter what that looks like. Your people will always find you and embrace your flavor of crazy.

2. Only put things in your space that you love, you would wear, you would give, you would eat. You will struggle selling things that don’t bring you joy.

3. It’s okay to doubt yourself. Small business is hard and especially in this economic climate. You will have months where you don’t know how you’ll keep the lights on. But those months where it seems like the world is busting your doors down, those months make it all worth it.

4. What are you currently making, reading, watching, or listening to?

Making a mess.
Reading Walkable City by Jeff Speck & Egyptian Magic by EA Wallis Budge
Watching anything I can find online about Curanderismo.
Listening to everything. Music and art fuel this dumpster fire.

5. Cake or Pie?

Is it a cop out to say both? 
Cake – Chocolate Fudge
Pie – Anything fruit except rhubarb because wtf is that?

…….

Location: Alchemy 119 W 2nd Street, Suite A, Taylor, Texas 76574
Hours: 11am-ish – 6pm-ish
Website: shopalchemytx.com
Instagram: @shopalchemytx
Facebook: shopachemytx