Olivia Jones is the owner, manager and in-store staff of Shower Blooms, which sells natural skin-care products online and through a store at 1917 Central St. In addition to the busy life of an entrepreneur, Jones is a mother and grandmother and works five days a week as a lab technician.
An Evanston native, Jones attended Lincoln Elementary School, Haven Middle School and Evanston Township High School, graduating in 2003.
Jones said she started making natural soaps to help treat her daughter’s skin problems. She expanded into scrubs and body butters, and then began giving her homemade products to friends and relatives as gifts.
At her family’s urging, Jones launched her business online in 2020. A suite in the Ravenswood arts district in Chicago came next in 2021 and then, in 2022, she moved her store to her hometown.
Shower Blooms is celebrating its first anniversary on Central Street this month. “I was eager to have my store located in my hometown,” Jones said. “The high foot traffic and attractive rents on Central Street made it an easy decision to move to Evanston.”
To build interest, Jones is educating consumers on the benefits of natural skin-care products and the importance of taking care of your skin. She is also networking with other entrepreneurs to share and exchange business ideas.
“As an entrepreneur, it is important to be motivated and have faith in yourself,” she said. “You need to stay positive, as all businesses have their ups and downs.”
Jones’ family has supported her throughout the development and launch of Shower Blooms. Her mother is an entrepreneur who inspires her. Her aunt helped to design the store and to bring Jones’ vision to life. Her sister, who has assisted with marketing, designed the Shower Blooms website. Her daughter creates promotional content on social media: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Shower Blooms carries a full line of skin-care products, including natural soaps, body scrubs and body butters. Jones makes all the products by hand. To ensure the freshest products, Jones makes many of the scrubs and body butters to order.
Moms might enjoy a Mother’s Day Earth Box, with eucalyptus and lavender-scented soaps and body scrubs. Eucalyptus helps to relieve exhaustion and has a rejuvenating scent, Jones said. She recommends lavender for relaxing and better sleep, especially for on-the-go mothers.
Shower Blooms also offers products for men, including soaps, scrubs and beard-care products. A gift package for dads is being readied for Father’s Day.
Groups can create imaginative soaps and scrubs at parties Jones customizes for kids and adults. “Sip and Scrub,” a collaboration with nearby DeSalvio’s Pizza, was the theme of a recent event.
Shower Blooms is open 3 to 6 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.