Her tiny jewelry shop’s viral popularity shows how powerful social media is, but Mia Gezik says the heart, mind, and muscle behind the success of Good Stock comes from her work experience and family background.
Good Stock is a permanent-jewelry and charm-bar experience packed into a 250-square-foot cottage in Kennebunk, Maine. Gezik opened the brick-and-mortar store on June 15 after doing permanent-jewelry pop-ups around the state, where she lives with her husband and daughter.
In mid-July, Gezik showed up to work for a solo shift and noticed on her smartphone that she had gained an unusual number of Instagram followers. Then she saw a line forming outside the shop—a line that grew to 60-plus people, Gezik started to hear from family and friends that photos and videos of Good Stock were going viral.
Gezik, who says her marketing budget to that point was “zero dollars,” had to download TikTok to see what was happening. The trending videos were by people who had come to the store in previous days and were posting about the decor and experience. After all, a cute cottage decked out with disco balls and rocking with Beach Boys music makes for great content.
Since then, Gezik has expanded her staff from two to 10. When Good Stock opened, she also offered fun hats with custom patches, but she’s had to put that on hold to keep up with demand for the permanent bracelets and charm bar, and she expects to hire more employees.
“Obviously, my mind is blown. It’s exceeded my very expectation for the store,” Gezik says. “We’re doing 120 transactions a day, and we’re only open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This has been crazy, but I love it so much.”
Although business owners cannot guarantee social media success or media coverage, Gezik had put in the work to make sure Good Stock would thrive. She comes from an entrepreneurial and hands-on family—her father is a welder, and her grandfather manufactured light bars for police vehicles. She also collected charms, so she had a literal good stock of them before she opened the shop.
Her career has included jobs in catering, event planning, and graphic design, so she knows how to throw a party and make sure everyone involved has what they need. Gezik began holding permanent-jewelry pop-up events last year after learning about the trend.
She’d intended to have one pop-up a month, mostly so the new mom could get out of the house. But she did more than 40 events all over Maine between June and December, so she knew she had the foundation for a strong business.
Gezik’s sister-in-law heard about the Kennebunk cottage available to rent, and Gezik says she felt like the small retail space was a manageable risk. She designed the store’s interior, worked with Amelia Crannell of Timber & Tide Designs for the cute platters that hold charms for people as they create their own jewelry, and prepped her welding equipment for more permanent-bracelet-seeking tourists.
Then the onslaught began. “Thankfully, I thrive on chaos,” she says.
Gezik plans to grow Good Stock beyond this viral moment, possibly adding an outdoor area for clients to pick up their jewelry and just hang out. She is also working with local businesses on collaborations, including designing the gold label for a fundraising beer.
As Good Stock develops, Gezik is filled with gratitude for the store’s success and hopes the people who wait in line are happy with their jewelry. More importantly, she hopes they keep coming back.
“Everyone can come in and pick a charm to remember their vacation. We’re helping people celebrate their birthdays. We’ve had people come in on their honeymoon,” Gezik says. “It’s important to us that we’re a part of their stories and their special days.”
Top: Mia Gezik in her Kennebunk, Maine, shop (photos courtesy of Good Stock and Heather Nyquist/photographer)
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