Meet Nancy Gissendaner of Vintage Bliss & Co in Highland Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy Gissendaner.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started making jewelry 15 years ago in Montreal, Quebec. When my husband got a job transfer to Gurnee IL I started to attend many vintage markets and antique shows in Chicago. I’ve always had a love for vintage teacups and other vintage treasures. I got the idea of creating family heirloom jewelry out of vintage teacups, vintage chandelier parts, vintage silverware and other Upcycled items. While enjoying these antique markets. I have made many family’s happy by making family heirlooms from treasured items that they have inherited over time. I started doing local art & craft shows and then found myself selling wholesale to over 60 boutiques across the USA. Two years ago I opened up an artisan market/ studio in Lake Geneva Wisconsin because very popular and a hot spot for tourists. The market became so busy I had to move my studio back home to get my orders done without distractions. After letting my studio take over my home again we decided to find a small studio away from home. We found the perfect spot in Highland Park IL. It was bigger than required for the studio so we decided to open a store in front of the studio. My new store is a unique concept it’s a studio, showroom for wholesalers (boutiques) and open to the public. Customers can actually walk into the store and create their own one of a kind piece of jewelry in minutes. At vintage bliss & go I sell my 3 lines of jewelry, clothing and some of my most popular artisans (soap/candles/gift items from my Lake Geneva store to have the opportunity to expand in IL. So far the response from the Highland Park area has been amazing!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We pretty much started the Lake Geneva WI artisan market .With hardly anything. We actually took the leap of faith when my husband lost his job. It was successful almost overnight. We were very fortunate and lucky that it worked out. Then finding the right location for the Highland Park studio was not easy, it took a long time and research to settle on the right place. The biggest struggle we’ve had so far is keeping up with the orders. I finally started to hire people to help me out I had 3 days off in the last 6 months.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vintage bliss & co story. Tell us more about the business.
People bring me their inherited family vintage china, silverware and other treasures to make new jewelry out of. I love hearing the stories from each and every customer. I have seen many tears turned into joy. I absolutely love what I do. I have met people from all over North America wanting to surprise family members with unique sentimental gifts for an affordable price. My Highland Park store Vintage Bliss & co is truly unique. What sets us apart from everyone else is that I personally make 95 % of the jewelry in the store. I have 3 complete different styles of jewelry lines. So other retailers in the area don’t have my designs. Customers love coming into the studio and designing pieces for family members.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We have had bad luck with my husband losing his job. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We would have never taken the plunge to open the artisan market in Lake Geneva WI without that life changing event. We still can’t believe a year later we opened a second store in Highland Park, IL. I guess you can say we took the lemons and made lemonade 🙂

Contact Info:

• Address:
  Vintage Bliss & Co 1822 second street Highland Park,Il
  Queen bee artisan market
  755 lower Main Street Lake Geneva WI
• Website: Vintageblissco.com
• Phone: 847-977-1528
• Email: nancy@vintageblissjewelry.com
• Facebook: @vintageblissandco

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