Wally Kennedy: Joplin-based online clothing shop opens Main Street store
May 13—A new clothing shop that offers stylish casual wear for men and women has opened in a storefront at 911 S. Main St.
Mint Cove Clothing Co. was started by Jordyn Thompson as an online business in her Joplin home. Her success there and a need for more space led her to open the storefront and venture into direct retail sales. In addition to clothing, she offers jewelry, hats and accessories.
"We have so much more room for inventory now," she said. "What you see is just the beginning. We have more stuff coming in and we are expanding our lines."
Among the summer lines coming in will be swimwear for women and men and a broader selection of sunglasses. Mint Cove has a beach theme.
"My favorite color is mint and we are definitely water people," she said. "People love our sunglasses because they are so unique."
The shop opened last Saturday. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Thompson plans to continue her online business at shopthemintcove.com.
Beljoy success
Beljoy, a local company that specializes in the production of jewelry for wholesale and online sales, had an open house last week for its new base of operation on the second floor of a storefront at 216 S. Main St. It moved there from a warehouse at 12th Street and Wall Avenue.
"We are all online," said Abby Clevenger, founder of the company. "Last Friday was the first time in seven years we were open to the public."
Local Beljoy fans turned out in force for the open house. It nearly overwhelmed Clevenger and her crew of jewelry stylists.
"We did not anticipate that kind of turnout. But it was a really fun thing to do," she said.
At the same time, her husband, Lane Clevenger, was staging an open house for his business, Clevenger Financial, on the storefront's first floor.
Abby Clevenger, who has a fashion degree, got her start in jewelry sales by doing home parties in college. From there, she expanded into the wholesale market. In 2014, her husband suggested that she pursue a way to create jewelry-making jobs for people in the impoverished country of Haiti.
After surviving the pitfalls of doing international business, she launched the project in 2015. It would continue until 2020 when the pandemic hit. The ongoing social unrest since then has made it impossible for her jewelry-making business to resume there.
"We tried this week to get the factory that makes our clay beads up and running," she said. "We'll try again when things calm down."
It should be noted that the Clevenger family has had a longstanding connection to relief work in Haiti.
To check out the jewelry, visit shopbeljoy.com.
Third Thursday
Third Thursday will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Main Street in downtown Joplin. Local artisans, music, entertainment and food will be on tap.
This month's theme is Big Bike Bash. Bring your bicycle, participate in a bike decoration contest and be a part of the spokes parade.
Third Thursday is a free community event for all ages.
For more information or to sign up as a vendor or sponsor, visit www.downtownjoplin.com/thirdthursday.
Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.
