'It was meant to be': Plymouth's Miss Lou Makes sells 'funky' beaded jewelry

PLYMOUTH - There are many words that could be used to describe Jessica Parks.She's a Manomet homeowner, wife and mother, a jewelry designer, a customer service representative, a business owner, a shipping specialist and an e-commerce expert. Five years ago, an entirely different set of descriptors would have been used to describe a South Carolina woman who helped a friend run her business and worked fulltime as a special education interventionist for preschoolers.It's only a few years later and a few states over, but Parks said the overhaul of her home, family and work life has transformed her mindset, given her a creative outlet and pushed her to own her dreams. "I loved teaching, I loved the kids and the families, but it just wasn't for me," Parks said. "I cared so much and was always overwhelmed with guilt that I wasn't doing enough ... I looked forward to coming home and doing it, I found it therapeutic. "'I think they could save us': Hingham couple tout benefits of locally grown mushroomsUniquely Local: With a local focus, this fan-favorite farm store wants to 'shorten your food chain'Parks started Miss Lou Makes as a home decor business in Charleston in 2017. It wasn't until a few years later that she moved to Plymouth and another year after that before a COVID-related furlough pushed her into the business full time. "Once I started jewelry, I just never stopped," she said. "It gave me back a piece of who I was when I was a kid. It unlocked a part of me I'd forgotten about. "After a year of furlough, she quit her job to invest more money into supplies, more time into making jewelry at home and more time away from her family to sell her wares at markets and vendor fairs. Two years ago, she was making 10 bracelets per week. Now, she's up to about 100.Everything sold by Miss Lou Makes is made by Parks in her small beach-town cottage in Plymouth while her two young children are napping or down for the night. Quincy woman with bipolar disorder uses art to heal - herself and others'It's meditative, it's gorgeous': Rockland wood burner takes her cues from nature"I love colors and I love texture. It's super important to me with jewelry," she said. "I like to build bracelet stacks and I love them to have different colors, patterns and materials ... I'm all about connection and experiencing it in new ways. Whatever calls to you, it was meant to be. "Some of her pieces are understated with neutral tones, and others are brightly colored with tassels and stand-out beads. Someone with a "funky style. ""Somebody who isn't afraid to mix colors or patterns or metals. Someone who just wants to have fun with their accessories, experiment and not take it too seriously," Parks said.Despite leaving her job in teaching, Parks hasn't stopped giving back. She currently has several bracelets that give back to local charities. "It's OK to not get stuck," she said. "My happiness is at all all time high, and my stress level is at an all time low. You can't argue with that. "Uniquely Local is a series of stories by Mary Whitfill highlighting the South Shore's farmers, bakers and makers. Reach Mary at EMAIL.