By Hayley Williams

Now Las Vegas has always been a tourist hotspot for gambling, partying and dancing the night away. Which can be a great time for some but not for all. Some people want to travel and embrace the new surroundings by hanging out with the locals. They want a calmer atmosphere and experience for their trip. And Las Vegas has that environment, though it’s not talked about enough but we’re here to change that.

While doing my nightly routine of doomscrolling on TikTok I came across a cute jewelry shop. The shop is called Joyous Smiles, it’s Black woman owned and they are based in Las Vegas. I was intrigued by their shop and decided to reach out. I wanted to help them with their business and highlight the community of small businesses that Las Vegas has to offer. Now they are currently online but have hopes of opening up a brick and mortar shop in the future. Hopefully they can achieve this goal but based on Las Vegas’s supportive community of small business I have no doubt that they will. Joyous Smiles is owned by Isha and helped by her family. Isha is a 47 year old veteran that loves her family, art, and crafting. She is originally from North Carolina but her work sent her to
Las Vegas and that’s where she stayed and put down roots. When asked why she started the business Isha stated that her love for art and crafting led her down this path. Isha loves to
create and wants to share her creations, and what better way than starting a small business. Her family helps out with running the business portion of the shop while Isha is responsible for creating the products. Isha states that her main goal with her work and business is to create pieces that bring happiness and joy to her customers; hence the name Joyous Smiles. As a veteran and a Black woman in America, Isha has had her share of trials and tribulations but she refuses to let that stop her. Joyous Smiles is her fighting back and helping others in need. While scrolling through the shop’s social media pages and website, I noticed that they focused on showing their pieces in a cute, fun and whimsical light. It works for them because their pieces are cute, fun and full of whimsy. Now the brand’s main focus is jewelry but they also sell keychains, AirPod holders, pens, bookmarks and air fresheners. When I asked Isha about that she explained that though she “loves making jewelry, I want to eventually expand to a lifestyle brand and this is just a start.”, with a name like that how could you not. Moving on, Isha stated that her favorite pieces are the ones she makes. That she couldn’t just pick one as each piece she makes is made with love and care. Isha takes pride in her work and every piece means something to her. When asked about her favorite part of owning her business, Isha circled back to her previous answer. Isha hopes that her passion and dedication is felt by her customers through her work. Her main goal is to spread joy and she feels ecstatic knowing that each order is doing just that.

Going into the actual products, Isha shared that beads are the star of the show. Though she doesn’t use it in all her products, Isha stated that it’s her favorite to use. With matching colors, creating patterns and using various sizes, it can be a meticulous task but she enjoys it none the less. If you check out Joyous Smiles online you’d see all of the pieces are full of color, life and magic. As someone who loves niche and all things whimsy, the Bee Earrings (pictured up above) are what captured my eye. Using the beads to create a pattern that matches the bee was clever and cute. Definitely eye catching and it led me to look at the rest of the shop. I asked Isha about her inspirations for her work and she responded that “It comes from life or from me just messing around.” Isha explained that when she’s creating she gets into a flow state and lets loose. She jokes that “Some of the pieces are great and some we don’t talk about.” While looking through the shop’s website, I came across lots of holiday themed pieces and a Joyous Smiles Box. Isha enthusiastically spoke about wanting her products to be used as gifts and that holiday themed pieces would be perfect for that. Joyous Smiles has something for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and even Halloween. And for the Joyous Smiles Box, Isha exclaimed that she “Wanted something that would surprise and bring joy to my customers.” She says that she wanted to create a box filled with special items that weren’t on the shop’s website. So the customer can have something that’s one of a kind, just like they are. When wrapping up the interview, I asked about her decision to start Joyous Smiles in Las Vegas. Isha stated that she had grown to love Vegas and it’s where her family and life is. To her Las Vegas is home and she wants her business to give that feeling too. Embracing that response, I asked about her experience with the small business community here in Las Vegas. Isha explained how being online has helped her reach people and businesses across the country, something that she is grateful for. With the other small businesses, Isha talked about wanting to be a vendor for the local fairs, festivals and events that have small businesses. She wants to meet other small business owners and build community with them. Joyous Smiles is a joyous brand that is built around love, dedication and spreading joy. If you
love jewelry or niche miscellaneous items then definitely check out Joyous Smiles . You can find Joyous Smiles linked here and on all social media platforms @joyoussmileshop. You will have fun browsing the shop’s website and even more fun waiting for your order to arrive, and then hopefully one day you’ll be visiting the shop in person on your next trip to Las Vegas.