Edmond jewelry designer’s passion for hiring workers with disabilities = business success

EDMOND, Okla. - If you ask Emily Nelson and Kacie Lowe why they love working at Feed Me Gems in Edmond,  the coworkers and best friends will shout ‘Hannah!”

Their boss Hannah Barnthouse, a jewelry designer and business owner, hires a diverse team with and without disabilities to welcome customers to her upscale accessory shop.

“We’re all besties,” she said about her youngest employees who have Down Syndrome. “That is the magic -- getting to spend time with all my friends.”

Everybody is surrounded by sparkly creations, girly glitz and glamour courtesy of Barnthouse.

Nelson and Lowe wear the gems they sell and are dressed in the latest fashions.

“The company dress code is dopamine dress, which means wear the boots, sparkly eyeliner or all the jewels and polka-dot toes if it brings you joy,”  Barnthouse explained.

She met Nelson and Lowe at the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma where she worked for seven years before launching her business in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

The gem designer called her first sparkly creations “hair candy” because customers wear them in their hair. This fact led to her company name Hair Candy by Han, LLC, which does business as Feed Me Gems. Han is short for Hannah.

This fact led to her company name Hair Candy by Han, LLC, which does business as Feed Me Gems. Han is short for Hannah.

“When the business took off, it was a huge blessing, but I was handmaking each and every item,” Barnthouse said. “Then everybody wanted earrings to match.”

She began to design all types of jewelry, headbands and other popular items to meet the demand.

“I had one baby on the ground and another one on the way. I was working full-time (at Down Syndrome Association). You only have so much fuel in your tank.

“Stepping away from the (Down Syndrome) community was not something I could easily do,” she said. “I cried when I told my boss, ‘I feel like I’m supposed to do this right now but leaving is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.’”

“No. No. No. Here’s the vision,” Sarah Soell, Down Syndrome Association executive director, reassured Barnthouse. “You’re going to hire our self-advocates, and we’re going to work together forever.”

Eventually, that is exactly what happened.

Barnthouse’s business remained online until she opened the store in June 2023.

She continues to ship elegant gems and accessories worldwide to customers including influencer Paris Hilton and Meghan Dressel, wife of Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel.

She also collaborates with the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services Transition Program and the OU National Center for Disability Education and Training to hire DRS clients and or potentially eligible students with disabilities.

Feed Me Gems facilitates work-based learning experiences with DRS providing funding for wages during the training of new employees.

“Show us how you fluff the merchandise,” Barnthouse prompts Nelson and Lowe who expertly straighten jewelry on glass shelves in the show room.

“I like working here because it’s so much fun,” Nelson said picking up earrings with sparkling strands of  multi-colored jewels. “I’m going to buy these earrings for my sister’s birthday.”

“Kacie, what would you do when a customer comes in and says,” I need something blue?’” Barnthouse asks.  

“Well, there’s these ones that look like rainbows,” Lowe replies with a smile holding up a waterfall of bright blue sparkles.

“You got it, girl!” Barnhouse said proudly.

“The storefront is the heart,” she explained. “You come in and experience the community. You’re greeted with a smile. The girls are always on the floor. You automatically feel the way that you’re supposed to feel. You feel the kindness. You feel like you belong.”

Feed Me Gems is located at 3224 S Broadway #124 in Edmond. For more information, visit https://feedmegems.com/, email help@feedme gems.com or phone (405) 906-3750.

DRS and NCDET are recruiting new businesses to expand work-based learning opportunities, including job shadowing, and paid and non-paid internships. For more information, contact DRS Transition Coordinator Renee Sansom Briscoe at 405-212-7789 or rsansom@okdrs.gov.

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