Ampersand Woman: Kelly Jennings

This week’s Ampersand Woman is Kelly Jennings. She is one of the amazing co-owners of MIRTH, a new clothing store in downtown Bloomington. MIRTH is personally one of my favorite stores their collection consists of unique, hand-picked women’s apparel and accessories. The aesthetic is comfortable, edgy, and unique….because fashion doesn’t have to be boring.

Kelly, has worked customer service positions her entire working life. She loves the social interaction, but the long hours had begun to weigh on her. She felt she was ready for a new challenge and loved fashion. She had been designing her own clothing pieces for many years. She was a frequent Relish customer (a legendary clothing/furniture store in downtown Bloomington). When she heard about Relish closing, she contacted Shannon (one of the store owners) and said “I want to do, what you do”. She had wanted to be in business for herself. Shannon suggested she work with a partner and introduced her to Amanda, her business partner. Kelly and Amanda worked together to create MIRTH.

Here are some questions from our interview:

I hail from… Michigan

I currently live in… Nashville, Indiana

My morning routine before leaving for work is… I go outside with my 3 dogs, make coffee, shower, spend time with the husband, I do one chore (to make the rest of the day easier), and prep my crockpot

My personality at work in three words: Always dedicated, excitable, and generous

My favorite go to tea: Lady Grey

My favorite tea types are… Black tea and White Tea

My favorite time for tea… right before bed

When I grew up I wanted to be… a teacher or vet

When I “grow up” I want to be… Doing what I’m doing right now

My mother always said… “My mom has always said you can everything you want, you just can’t have everything. So, do your best, be nice, and always try to do the right thing.”

What I wish I knew when I started working: how to be…more open minded and not being so critical of myself. Always knowing that it's ok to not know, and a great opportunity to learn something new.

If I could have a power lunch with anyone, living or dead, it would be… My grandma

If I could have happy hour with anyone, living or dead, it would be… My mom

Finish the following sentences:

Success is….Being happy in what you do

Happiness is… Enjoying what you have and making the best of it.

Sexy is… Being successful and happy at the same time

A working woman can never have too many… Purses

Your motto:. “Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.”