Jaclyn Semmelink – The Emporium – Making small business dreams come true

Growing up in a small town and having big dreams, business owner Jaclyn Semmelink has achieved them. Semmelink is the owner of the local vendor boutique The Emporium located in Warner Robins. She got her start in the local retail field when she was 19 years old.

“I opened a retail store while I was going to college,” said Semmelink. “It was a great experience; I learned a lot. But when I turned 21, I closed the store because I was presented a new job opportunity that I could not pass up. I traveled the United States as a corporate event planner for facial aesthetics. I would be in three different states in one week and sometimes I would be in two states within a day a part. I would go from New York to Cincinnati to Orlando and it was really exciting, but it came to a point where I was drained. And I was ready to find my home ground.”

Semmelink said she visited a lot of places she would have loved to live, but family was more important to her and she wanted to be close to them. In 2008, she made her way to Warner Robins. She became the manager and still serves as manager today of the Richmond Apartments, Mini-Storages and Offices, as well as the Windsor Place shopping center.

“After I moved to Warner Robins and got settled with my new job, I noticed that there wasn’t a lot of ‘mom and pop’ shops in the area. Where I am from, which is Cordele, that’s what most of the town is made up of. And even the surrounding towns have a lot of local shops. So, I got to thinking and remembering how I enjoyed my boutique that I opened at 19 years old. Well, then in 2012, a vacant suite became available at the shopping center I manage and the idea of The Emporium came to life.”

The Emporium first opened in November of 2012. Semmelink said her goal was to provide a fun retail environment that catered to men, women and children of all ages, as well as providing one general storefront for many locals to sell their products.

“Since opening, we’ve provided at least 40 local families with a supplemental income,” said Semmelink. “That’s like cramming 40 awesome small businesses under one roof. How it works is they provide the product, we market and sell it. We are proud to say that some of them have grown so much with us that they have since branched off and opened their own storefronts. And that to me is such an exciting feeling. Plus, it has started a trend here in Warner Robins of other local genres of businesses opening up storefronts.”

“Another thing that excites me with our success is that we have new vendors just about every year,” said Semmelink. “Our vendors offer everything from clothing to shoes to homemade jewelry. We also have spa products, home décor and vinyl and stitch monogramming. It’s 4,500 square feet of all local products and they are all one of a kind.”

The Emporium is located at 1291 S. Houston Lake Road in Warner Robins. Business hours are Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. To keep up with new arrivals and sales, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

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