By Erica Remboske
Correspondent
Knowing the path you want to follow for your career may come naturally for some, but for Jessica Gebauer ‘11, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and painting, it may not have been.
Gebauer was a transfer student from the Savannah College of Art and Design, where she was a jewelry and metal smithing major. She came to the College hoping to further her education and learn more about fine arts.
“I always really loved school, and I love just being able to be creative,” said Gebauer, who always loved to make things.
The alumna said she believes that trying new things can allow one to push boundaries, and become more creative and knowledgeable.
“These things are what really helped me in my business today because that’s something you can’t stop learning,” said Gebauer.
Gebauer is the owner and founder of Krysset, an artisan boutique and market located in Yardley Borough, Pennsylvania — just 15 minutes away from the College. The shop offers handmade items, such as candles, snacks and jewelry, from many different small businesses. Three-quarters of the businesses Krysset sources its products from are women-owned, according to Gebauer.
Krysset also has an online e-commerce store that allows customers to shop for handcrafted home decorations, savory and sweet snacks, greeting cards and jewelry. There are over 150 makers that contribute to the online store, and all of them define themselves as small businesses.
Marketing was one of the skills that Gebauer wishes she had learned during her time at the College, as she believes this was missing from her skills. “If someone who is a jewelry designer, or maybe they want to open a textile company, or even become a graphic designer, a lot of the time they’re missing that component.”
Her transition into a career in business and retail came after she became a director of education at a company that taught people how to market jewelry designers’ work.
Before opening Krysset in September 2021, Gebauer started a different small business — a gift box shop that sold themed boxes. She was always doing work from her basement and making social media content, but she wanted to do something more. At that point, she decided she was done being a maker and wanted to become a business owner.
That is when the idea of Krysset becoming an actual store came up.
“I really felt like I was feeling this pull to the downtown,” said Gebauer. “Retail and stuff like that in downtown were struggling, but I also saw it as an opportunity because there really wasn’t anything there and I really, really wanted to see something like Krysset in Yardley.”
As a result of Gebauer’s accomplishments, Krysset was featured in Suburban Life Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine and other local publications.
