Wondermint Goods founder brings color back to accessories!
In a society pushing for uniformity, Brookhaven resident Alicia Stemper is bringing individuality to fashion. And she’s doing it through jewelry.
Stemper is the creator of Wondermint Goods, an Atlanta-based jewelry brand that specializes in handmade, lightweight acrylic jewelry. Founded in 2019, Wondermint’s mission is to put the creativity and lightheartedness back into fashion.
“We at Wondermint Goods really like to push the limits and try to add some color into our accessories again,” Stemper says.
Growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, Stemper was an imaginative child, and she spent time rock and gem hunting with her grandfather, who also made jewelry—a skill that was passed down to Stemper. “I’ve always been fascinated with jewelry making, and I’ve always made jewelry for some kind of hobby, even throughout my career,” she says.
After swapping her advertising career for a job as a full-time mom, Stemper turned to woodworking as an outlet for her creativity. Eventually, she started playing around with acrylic, using the laser machine she had used to make nursery signs to revolutionize her longtime hobby.
“I fell in love with it and totally shifted my hobby jewelry business to making acrylic jewelry,” she says. “I created Wondermint Goods and made it my niche and my mission.”
Stemper pivoted from woodworking and took on a new target market: Atlanta moms looking for elevated, themed earrings. From holidays and sports games to customizable school events, Wondermint Goods has jewelry for every occasion. As a mom herself, Stemper understands what her customer base is looking for.
“I visualize where I am and then what I would want to be wearing in that situation,” she says.
Each piece of jewelry, which is tarnish- resistant and hypoallergenic, goes through a thorough process of designing, cutting and assembling. Stemper meticulously adds the finishing touches by hand.
Stemper says Wondermint Goods is a “fun” and “colorful” jewelry brand, which she believes the world needs more of.
“What you’re wearing is an outward expression of what you feel inside,” she says. “It comes out in so many other outward ways: the way you treat others, the way you walk, the way you smile and just interact with others. There are so many benefits to both you individually and as a society when you just feel good about what you’re wearing.”
This message is catching on as Wondermint expands, and Stemper’s jewelry is now in roughly 80 stores across the country. She strives to keep growing.
“It’s really fun for me, now that I’ve grown so much in Atlanta, to walk around and then see someone wearing my earrings,” she says. “And I’m like, ‘I don’t even know that person; this is wild.’”
Throughout her company’s growth, Stemper has continued to keep that “kid-like sense of wonder” that initially inspired her, a theme at the core of both her childhood and her brand.
“It was always just about looking all around you for the wonder,” Stemper says. “And just slowing down to enjoy life’s little details.”
WONDERMINT GOODS
wondermintgoods.com
@wondermint.goods
STORY: Katie Hughes
