Our Stories

I am own Bello Boopie, and I produce "Cards that don't Suck." While we have been in business since 1967 - I am the third owner - , the business transformed from Formal Wedding Invitations and Fine Stationery to Funny Cards in 2019. I have been a vendor at Riverside Arts Market (the market under the bridge in Jacksonville) since 2019. In 2021, I won the inaugural Riverside Arts Market Maker of the Year for my help in mentoring artist and assisting the market staff during the pandemic closure. I current sit on RAM's Vendor Advisory Committee and am also a guest panelist for a local arts and culture organization where I teach new businesses enter the wholesale arena. I started as vendor at Coconut Barrel on February 1, 2019. I was shocked I got in, and even more shocked when I started succeeding! My cards push the boundaries, and I always have said, "I am a business person first, artist second." Later in 2019, I was equally as shocked when I was asked to be Coconut Barrel's social media manager accounts. My background was never in social media. After a year of running it, I figured it was no longer a temporary position, so I started taking classes, talking to influencers, and watching other social media managers. Once in a while you can find me coming out of retirement to manage Coconut Barrel's special pop-up arts markets.