By Jason Arndt
Editor
Flippin’ Fabulous LLC features a plethora of handcrafted items made by more than 100 vendors, including 16 with reserved space, at its brick-and-mortar store in Burlington.
Owned by Jessica Smith, of Wind Lake, the business began in 2016 after Smith decided to leave the insurance agency to pursue a creative creature focused on home decor and decorating.
In 2016, she rented out a small space in an antique mall in Waterford, where Smith created handmade wooden signs from repurposed wood, particularly pallets.
“I started to learn the process of refinishing furniture, and my pieces moved quickly and I was addicted,” Smith wrote on her website. “My business was growing fast so I decided to add a second booth to the antique mall.”
Six years later, in 2022, Smith found herself without a home after the Waterford Antique Mall’s closure.
Once she received the news, Smith looked for other locations and eventually discovered a downtown Waukesha storefront.
Voted as the 2023 New Business of the Year by the City of Waukesha Chamber of Commerce, based on her website, Flippin’ Fabulous changed locations once more when Smith wanted to expand her footprint.
“I started looking in Waukesha because a lot of my customer base that I grew up from my brick and mortar out there wanted me to stay,” she said. “But, I was having a really difficult time finding space available at a reasonable price, especially in this economy, for the square footage that I wanted.”
When she couldn’t find any viable options in Waukesha County, including Pewaukee and Delafield, she looked in several Racine County communities.
“Initially, I found a property in Union Grove, but it was booked and then I was scrolling Facebook and came across a listing for this property,” said Smith, adding she found the property along Pine Street as an ideal venue based on square footage and parking spaces to accommodate maker’s markets and food trucks she plans on bringing in.
She sought input from other business owners, including friends who operated another downtown Burlington establishment, before officially committing to the community.
“I also have friends who are business owners down the road and I know they are doing well and speak very highly of Burlington,” Smith said.
Flippin’ Fabulous, 448 S. Pine St., consists of other offerings, including bath and body products, glassware, accessories for women, and jewelry produced by vendors in both Burlington and beyond.
Since Flippin’ Fabulous opened last month, Smith has seen favorable feedback from customers and the business community, including Experience Burlington.
“The response from the community has been amazing,” she said. “We had an amazing turnout for our grand opening. Experience Burlington has been especially helpful in showing me the ropes.”
Smith said she is content with the space provided at the new property and does not plan on expanding or moving any time soon.
“I hope to stay in Burlington for a while, hopefully until I retire,” she said. “Ideally, I would like to be able to hire employees. Expansion-wise, I really don’t want to expand because I love this building and think it is a great size.”
In addition to hopes of hiring employees, Smith said she will begin booking more food trucks for events at the venue, including maker’s markets.
Smith will also include class and workshop offerings once she fully settles into the community and property.
For more information, including hours of operation, visit Flippin’ Fabulous on Facebook or at flippinfabulousllc.com.
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