The jewelry hadn’t even shown up yet, but already, there were curious bystanders mulling about Fringe Boutique, Dec. 18. The shop was hosting a trunk show for Bourbon and Boweties. The up-and-coming jewelry line was founded by Durant alum Carley Ochs.
The signature piece is a bracelet. The gold plated bangle has oversized stones strategically placed in regular intervals around the brass wire. Each bracelet is handmade. They glittered on the table as a hungry crowd descended upon the displays faster than associates could set up.
“It’s like this everywhere we go,” Ochs says.
She had just gotten back from a show in West Palm Beach. Carrying stacked boxes into the store, the high heeled powerhouse was just as effortless and fashionable as her jewelry line. She also rocked some of her own accessories, preferring to wear natural stones stacked upon her delicate wrist.
The fashion gods seem to agree with her styling. After sending samples out to various magazines, her jewelry has starting making the cover. Broadcast journalist Katie Couric wore some of Ocsh’s bracelets on the cover of People magazine. The newest Bachelorette, Desiree Hartsock, also was outfitted in some bracelets during an Extra magazine shoot.
Ocsh found out about the covers second-hand. A friend called her screaming about Couric. Ocsh thought something terrible had happened. She couldn’t make out what her friend was saying.
A similar situation happened for the Hartsock cover. This time, one of the stores that carried her line made the call.
Ocsh started the business just 18 months ago, but, already, her pieces are available in more than 300 stores around the United States. Bourbon and Boweties also has gained international notoriety and is featured in a store in Belgium.
Ocsh’s line also has been invited by the likes of Lilly Pulitzer and Lauren Conrad to do special shows. The Washington Redskins even had the wives, coaches and players outfitted in the brand.
“We call it getting ‘Bowetied,’” Ocsh says.
Ocsh always had been interested in fashion. After Durant, she graduated from Florida State, where she studied textiles and consumer products. But, the adventurous soul tried many things before making her first bracelet. She worked as a nanny and for Salt Life. Then she decided she would go to China to teach English.
The trailblazer was supposed to be there for a year. She lasted only 63 days.
“It just wasn’t the South,” Ocsh says.
Still, Ocsh took some valuable lessons home with her. She also unknowingly took home what would spark her successful business.
As one of her souvenirs, Ocsh brought back some jade beads. It took her six months to finally touch them. She wrapped her first bracelet around a red Solo cup.
She was hooked.
The line spread by word of mouth, and she worked tirelessly to launch it. Ocsh was at trade shows in a different city every day. Travel was incessant. She even lost a relationship over it.
Her first store is in Charleston, N.C. Locally, she started selling at the hair salon next to Fringe. When Fringe opened, she moved her wares there.
“We wanted a hometown retail spot,” Ocsh says. “We’re at home here.”
Home is where the heart is. And the heart and soul Ocsh pours into her jewelry reflects her Southern roots. The line’s motto is, “Made by proud Southern hands.”
Ocsh employes 67 local women that hand-make the bracelets out of her grandmother’s detached four-car garage. They get about 300 orders a day. The Bourbon and Boweties Facebook page even warns patrons to allow 48 to 72 hours for a response on an inquiry.
Because Ocsh wants to keep the line artisan, she has worked with other talented artists in the area to create necklaces and earrings.
“I’d love to keep up with that,” Ocsh says. “We want more people to benefit from our success. We want to share the love.”
Ocsh only owns four of her pieces. But they’re the first ones she ever made. The natural stones — turquoise, quartz and blue agate — remind her of her story.
“Whatever you want to do put 100% into it,” Ocsh says. “Never be afraid to try. An idea is just an idea as long as it’s on paper.”
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
WHERE TO BUY
BOUTIQUE: Fringe Boutique
ADDRESS: 601 E. Alexander St.
PHONE: (813) 754-4438
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/BourbonAndBoweties