Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

In a small town, such as Monmouth, when it comes to going on shopping sprees, options are limited. However, the list is slowly growing, as new locations have begun popping up. On April 8, a petite boutique named Dynamite Designs had its grand opening on the corner of Monmouth Avenue and Main Street.

Offering a plethora of different items and unique jewelry, the store sells almost everything at a range of $4 to $8. Under these prices lies several different items to browse through. While they do primarily sell jewelry, they also have other products. Things such as vintage or knitted hats are sold, as well as a few items of clothing and a few colorful pillows. They have handmade cards on sale as well.

Items that begin getting more expensive are the ones created by Jo Meza, the silversmith who designs her jewelry using real gemstones. She’s the owner of the store, and this is her third location; the others are in Salem and Albany.

While they do offer a range of different products, they also provide different services and events. They are planning to occasionally host paint nights, which will typically occur on Friday nights. They will also host VIP parties that are special invitation only. At these parties, they’ll help prepare you for any event you have coming up.

“If you want to go out on the town, you can come in here and we can help dress you up.” Meza commented on how they use their jewelry and other items to add to your look. They’ll also do your makeup for you, or help pick out your outfits. “You can bring in your own clothes, or you can purchase clothes here.”

On top of their regular items sold, they also sell jewelry which is marked with an animal tag, and the proceeds go towards a project called Global Possibilities. All of these products were brought in by a woman named Adelia, a veterinary student at Oregon State University who travels around the world to continue her project of helping locations that take in rescue animals and teaching them proper care.

While jewelry can oftentimes get expensive, Beza noted that she recognizes that students oftentimes can’t afford these high prices.

“We’re just here to help people out,” she added. “We know college students don’t have a lot of funding. With just $15 you can come in and get a couple pieces of jewelry, or some low-cost gifts.”

As of now, their hours are not permanent. However, currently, you can stop in anytime Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to come take a look at what the location has to offer.

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis