A Fresh Start

By
February 2021 View more

Facemasks, health and wellness, and at-home cocktails were big trends of 2020—and all are likely to remain popular throughout 2021. Dana Mitchell, owner of Adorn512 in Downers Grove (1010 Curtiss St., adorn512.com), not only figured out how to keep her jewelry store in business during the pandemic—she also educated customers on natural medication through her CBD line Batch Apothecary (batchapoth.com), plus she launched a craft cocktail mix line in November with her husband called Lou’s Libations (louslibations.com).

Prior to starting Adorn512, which sells handmade jewelry, accessories, and facemasks, Mitchell worked as a labor and delivery nurse for 15 years. She was looking to make some supplemental income in 2010, so she began hosting home parties in Downers Grove where she sold accessories like jewelry, hats, scarves, and purses. Most of the products she sold were from artists she had found on Etsy, and her home parties were doing so well that she started an online store and learned how to make her own jewelry.
Mitchell opened her brick-and-mortar store in downtown Downers Grove in May 2017, and then launched Batch Apothecary in December 2019 after learning how CBD had helped many of her friends and family improve their health. She was really intrigued by the benefits of it, and her entrepreneurial experience and background as a nurse led her to create her own line. Her products include body butter and body oil that Mitchell formulated with a chemist and tinctures that she worked with a lab to private label. “My nursing background gave me that understanding of medication and CBD, and I love that I get to educate people about it through these products that I can create and design myself.”

Prepandemic, one of Mitchell’s greatest sources of revenue for Adorn512 was art shows she participated in, like the Ann Arbor Art Fair and One of a Kind Show Chicago. When she was forced to close her store and all her shows were canceled last spring, she shifted her focus to ramping up Batch Apothecary and the brand’s social media presence. “I really wanted to focus on the wellness aspect of CBD during COVID and how the everyday use of it can help your immune system and mental health.”

Later in the year, inspired by hours spent watching Mad Men and enjoying the occasional quarantini, Mitchell launched Lou’s Libations. With flavors like Rosemary’s Paloma and Ginger’s Juice, the mixers are made with dehydrated fruits, herbs, and fruit-infused sugar that just need to be mixed with alcohol for a flavorful cocktail.

After a productive year spent starting and launching new lines, Mitchell now sells her handmade jewelry, Batch Apothecary CBD products, and Lou’s Libations cocktail kits at Adorn512.

Photos courtesy Dana Mitchell