Braum's An Affair Of The Heart Allows Vendors To Display Their Heritage

Sunday was the final day of The Affair of the Heart, which features vendors of all backgrounds.

News On 6’s Eden Jones got to know two business owners who showcase their heritage in their work. 

Shelly Smith owns a small jewelry business called Cherokee Rose, and this is her first year as a vendor at the Affair of the Heart. She says she’s been making jewelry since she was a young girl, but started the business 2 years ago

“Because I love pretty things, I like blingy things,” she said.

Shelly transforms everyday items like keys and spoons into masterpieces.

“I like to make things, I crochet, I make floor arrangements and wreaths, but jewelry is my favorite,” she said.

Nyika Walker is also selling jewelry at the show. She started her business this March because being a mom to 3 kids under the age of 3 and trying to work wasn’t cutting it.

“The regular 9 to 5 and all the things just didn’t mesh where we were at in the stage of life,” she said.

She’s from the Bahamas and would make jewelry and clutches while home after college to make some money. Now…. It's a rediscovered passion. Nyika says she sees her heritage in every thing she makes.

“I like to incorporate a little bit of home into everything I do because it's my inspiration, it's where I learned a lot of the things that I know,” she said.

As an American-Indian, Shelly also tries to reflect her background in her work

“I try to be conscious of that and find some things that I think go along with the heritage,” she said.

And while it might be easy to get lost in the crowd of vendors, both Nyika and Shelly believe their work is unique.

“I’ve never seen anything like it, and a lot of people come by and comment on the fact that they don’t see it anywhere else,” Smith said. 

“My own artistic style and creativity will always help me stand out, and I think that's what makes me stand out even in a crowd full of 500-plus makers,” said Walker.

An Affair of the Heart will be in Oklahoma City in February and back in Tulsa in July.