Ribbon Cutting for New Owners at Fraction Apparel & Home
The Wells County Chamber of Commerce staff and Ambassadors welcomed Kristy and Rachel Bardsley, new owners of Fraction Apparel & Home, with a Ribbon Cutting and Business Before Hours celebration. Fraction Apparel & Home is located at 124 West Market Street in Bluffton.
Rachel Bardsley worked for the previous owner of Fractions for a year. When the opportunity for the business to be sold, it was a natural decision. The first day Rachel started working for Fractions her enthusiasm for the business became a passion. “I was so excited to be working here and when I went home and told my parents, my dad told me I would own Fractions someday,” explained Rachel. “How right he was!”
Rachel’s mother, Kristy, also had a job transition and decided to be a business partner with her daughter. “We are trusting that God is guiding us, and everything was leading us to Fraction’s,” said Kristy. “My husband told me for 24 years that I should own my own business and here we are.”
As business partners, Rachel and Kristy, focus on their strengths in the business. “My focus is to bring current, trendy, quality styles in clothing with low prices so people can have a beautiful wardrobe on a budget,” stated Rachel. “We will carry jewelry, accessories, and name-brand purses you won’t pay full retail for and are in excellent condition.”
Fraction Apparel & Home will also carry a variety of furniture and décor. “My focus is to find current styles or quality pieces of furniture,” said Kristy. “We are not opposed to antiques or older styles; however, we want it to be a quality made piece that is timeless versus old furniture people are not sure what to do with. We are seeking furniture that is more updated so people can put in their homes to look beautiful and not pay full retail.”
The quality furniture Fraction Apparel & Home will carry are sofas, tables, bookcases, bedroom sets, and unique pieces. Kristy said, “our goal is to find pieces that you may not find anywhere else. We currently have a cypress table, other cool items that will catch attention and ones that people would love to put in their home.”
Promoting Fraction Apparel & Home is a strong goal for Kristy and Rachel. “We love the business model the previous owner set up and we want to see this business grow,” said Kristy. “We want to promote this business more than before and are excited to bring people in from the surrounding areas and help attract people to our downtown. What is happening in our downtown is amazing and we want to help grow and be a part of revitalization.”
The items in the store are on consignment. Kristy explains that they accept new consigners any time for the furniture and home décor and is based on owner approval. “Rachel and I will look it over and approve the item,” explained Kristy. “We will be honest if we can accept it or not. Our goal is for the consigner to make money with a quality item.”
Clothing and accessories are accepted once a month. “We are getting a lot of new consigners for clothing, and that is a blessing, but we may get to a point where we have to slow down accepting new clothing due to the volume,” said Rachel. “Every consigner is set up with an account and we do take seasonal clothing.”
Born and raised in Wells County, Kristy and Rachel are excited to be a part of the Bluffton community in a retail business. “We are ready to serve the community and have people visit our store,” concluded Kristy. “We love meeting people face-to-face and welcome you to see what we have to offer.”
Pictured in the photo left to right:
Erin Prible, Executive Director, Wells County Chamber of Commerce
Sarah MacNeill, Wells County Public Library, Chamber Board Member
Steve Stauffer, Market Street Development
Doug Fear, Edward Jones, Chamber Ambassador
Nancy Swoveland, Fraction Apparel & Home
Angie Topp, American Mortgage, Chamber Special Events
Rachel Bardsley, Fraction Apparel & Home
Shari Tomac, Farmers Insurance
Keith Muhlenkamp, First Merchants Bank, Chamber Ambassador
Lisa Frauhiger, Forrest Carvings
Kristy Bardsley, Fraction Apparel & Home
Ryan Frauhiger, Forrest Carvings
Jan Herring, Environmental Solutions
Pastor Chris Starn, Living Faith Missionary
Angie Decker, Best Days Travel
Erica Lehman, Coldwell Banker-Holloway, Chamber Ambassador
Kevin Pritchard, Ruoff Mortgage, Chamber Ambassador
Gina Hon, First Merchants Bank, Chamber Special Events
Mayor John Whicker