HARBESON, Del. – If you shop for wooden home decor from a local retailer or Amazon, chances are it’s from Jenny Gems in Harbeson.
Owner Jennifer McMillan tells me the Covid-19 pandemic has put a damper on their road, but they’ve been creative. “We decided to go all out on social media campaigns and take a risk and put the word out there that we were going to put our products out there. Our business just took off from there,” McMillian said.
This summer, McMillian was named Delaware’s Women-Owned Business Person of the Year.
On Tuesday, SBA officials and Senator Chris Coons took a behind-the-scenes look at the shops’ manufacturing facility, from print to box. “They’re going to grow from a small business to a big business here in Delaware and for our state,” said Delaware Senator Chris Coons.
“It’s so important for other women entrepreneurs who are considering starting a business to hear about the success stories like Jenny’s with Jenny’s Games have had before them,” said Michele Harris, Delaware SBA District Director.
Jenny Gems has a goal of shipping 3000 units per day. We’re told they need a helping hand from resources like the Small Business Association to do this. “Obviously one of the biggest challenges is supply chain issues. Finding your supplies and balancing that with the cost of supplies because demand has increased and supplies have decreased. So costs have gone up,” Harris said.
“Our office is working directly with our resource partners and small businesses to design strategies to address those barriers and make them cost-effective.”
October also marks National Women’s Small Business Month, which shines a light on female entrepreneurs like Jenny.
She wants others to know that dreams don’t have to stay just dreams. “The challenges keep coming every day, so you have to stay strong, keep working and stay positive,” McMillian said.
Macmillan tells us that the secret behind its success is its hardworking staff.
We’re told there are plans to move the store to a new location in Georgetown, a facility that will double the size of the current one to accommodate additional production.
