By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Katie Thompson has faced a few misconceptions about her new permanent jewelry business, Linkt.
Some confused it for an implant under the skin or a form of branding. Others thought the locally owned business was part of a multi-level marketing company.
“They thought it was kind of like a dermal,” Thompson, 37, said. “They’ve thought, basically, I’m burning you. You know, like branding you almost.”
Linkt is none of the above. Instead, the pop-up jewelry business welds small bracelets together without a clasp. Thompson helps fit you for bracelets or anklets for comfort, and then welds it together with a few small sparks to give you a piece of jewelry that doesn’t come off. The process takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
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Thompson’s jewelry is all gold-filled and personally tested to make sure they are high-quality and long-lasting.
You can find Linkt at various local markets, such as this past Sunday when she hosted a busy booth at the handmade market at Prairie Street Brewing Co.
“I don’t necessarily want a storefront,” Thompson said. “I really like having the ability to pop in places. I would love to get into the wedding market.”
The idea for her business came to Thompson when she was visiting her father in Florida in June and saw a vendor doing permanent jewelry.
“I was visiting my dad down in Florida with my kids and we ran into a cute little boutique, and there was a girl doing it there,” Thompson said. “When I got home I thought ‘Oh this would be cool to find for a party,’ and couldn’t really find anything in my price range and what I was looking for.”
So she decided to go into the business herself.
Thompson, a Harlem High School graduate, is a reading specialist for the Harlem School District and always found herself doing small side-gigs during the summer.
“I teach full-time, so I have summers off and just kind of always a little side-gig with teaching,” Thompson said. “This was totally new for me.”
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She began to teach herself how to weld the jewelry by watching training videos and practicing on everyone and everything in her house.
“It was kind of self-taught,” Thompson said. “I started practicing on my son’s stuffed-animal Spiderman leg.”
The name Linkt is word play on her initials, KT. She started off doing pop-ups at her favorite stores.
“It’s just the shops that I like and then word of mouth,” Thompson said. “It’s all kind of organic.”
Her favorite part of the business is her clients and the small interactions she shares with them.
“Everyone’s just always so friendly,” Thompson said. “It’s just a good 10 to 15 minutes to get to know someone.”
How to book Linkt
Those interested in booking Linkt or finding her pop-ups can find more information on her Instagram page @linktjewelry.
This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent