Business Spotlight: Buckaroo Bling
Jelena Louie couldn't find classy turquoise jewelry she liked and could afford, so she decided to start making her own. She started Buckaroo Bling for this very reason. “I had what you'd call a champagne taste on a beer budget: I loved Native American turquoise designs but I couldn't afford them, and the cheap imported imitations you'd see in regular stores were just... well, too cheap looking for my taste.” Jelena says on her website.
Buckaroo Bling creates classy turquoise, leather fringe jewelry and boot accessories for sassy cowgirls and cowgirls at heart. All of her pieces are American made from American sourced materials and crafted by hand start to finish. They are based in Kalispell, Montana. Jelena’s designs use quality Kingman turquoise (Arizona mined) or Campitos turquoise (Sonora, Mexico mined). A portion of Buckaroo Bling revenue each month also goes to support horse rescue in the Flathead Valley and dog rescue on the national level.
Jelena is very meticulous in sourcing materials for her products, and apart from one-of-a-kind designs, all other pieces are made with domestically sourced materials (exception - Mexican turquoise). She also makes it a point to use domestically sourced packaging. All products made at Buckaroo Bling are certified Made In Montana by the State of Montana, and apart from retail, they also sell products wholesale through Faire and Abound. Many boutiques and gift stores in Montana, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia carry Jelena’s designs, and this year she will be putting more effort to place her products into boutiques in other parts of the country and in Canada. In addition to collections and one-of-a-kind pieces found on the website, she also occasionally takes custom orders, including creating custom designs worn by Miss Rodeo Montana 2019, Kayla Seaman, and Miss Teen Rodeo Montana 2020/21, Cody Carson.
Jelena and her husband currently live in the countryside, just west of Kalispell, Montana with their "pocket" field Irish Setter. As they’re currently renting our home, they don't have any other animals, but plan to get a miniature horse, a couple of milk goats, one or two more dogs, and maybe even a mini cow once they have built their own house. “There's no such thing as ‘a typical day’ in my life as a business owner.” she shared. “I juggle my business, day job, and family obligations, which makes each and every day different depending on which of the three areas takes priority on a particular day.” After cooking dinner and attending to other family needs happen in the evening, Jelena tackles anything that needs to be done for the business, usually after her husband and the pet have turned in for the night.
Jelena Louie, owner of Buckaroo Bling
On days when she is not working her day job, Jelena normally starts the day with responding to emails and attending to other office tasks, which she says “helps her "wake up" for the more interesting part of the day” which includes sketching new designs, making samples, replenishing stock on the website and two wholesale platforms she sells on, as well as designing and scheduling social media posts and ads. As a solopreneur, she is responsible for all the tasks in her business from design and production to marketing and content creation.
When describing her business, Jelena says that, “Our passion for quality and style means that we provide you with handcrafted jewelry and accessories in American sourced materials and bold colors that make even the simplest outfit pop.” You can shop all Buckaroo Bling pieces on their website or follow along with their journey and deals on their instagram page.
