Siblings bring back childlike nostalgia in Whimsical Finds Shop

Junior public relations and advertising major Justin Fisher and his sister, Chapman alumna Jacqueline Fisher, sat down with The Panther to discuss their Etsy store Whimsical Finds Shop, where childhood incandescence is found in the form of jewelry and accessories. Photos courtesy of Justin Fisher

Chapman siblings Justin and Jacqueline Fisher sure know how to rekindle the memories of their childhood. Whether it's by dressing up as Aladdin and Jasmine, visiting Disneyland at any possible moment or reminiscing on memories of going to local toy stores, this duo has found a way to perfectly encapsulate their childhood sentimentality that so many adults lose touch with. 

"(We have) always loved nostalgic imagery, old movies and Disney," Jacqueline Fisher said. "During our childhood, we would play dress up, and I loved going to my local toy store to get children's jewelry. I loved how imaginative the jewelry was."

Justin Fisher, a junior public relations and advertising major, and Jacqueline Fisher, who graduated from Chapman in 2021 with a degree in screenwriting, told The Panther that they aspired to spread the delight that they embrace when re-living the feelings of being a child. Thus, in 2017 the San Diego natives created their Etsy store Whimsical Finds Shop, which already has almost 2,000 sales and is growing in revenue every year. 

Justin Fisher, a junior public relations and advertising major, and Jacqueline Fisher, who graduated from Chapman in 2021 with a degree in screenwriting, created their Etsy store Whimsical Finds Shop, which already has almost 2,000 sales and is growing in revenue each and every year.

Their products range from anything from a candy choker necklace, eco-friendly bracelets to snowflake sterling silver earrings, along with all being hypoallergenic. While the process of making the pieces is time-consuming, with each being made-to-order, Jacqueline Fisher said that putting her imagination to work inspires her to create even more. 

"You just get lost in making and creating and adding new products," she said. "So it is really a daily job in that you're always adding to the store, responding to customer inquiries and monitoring our social media channels."

Despite their relationship now including being business partners and siblings, Justin Fisher said the shop has made their bond even stronger. With Jacqueline Fisher serving as the jewelry designer for the site and Justin Fisher developing public relations, marketing and photography content, their daily FaceTime calls are what keep them on track to success both professionally and personally. 

"We've always been so close," Justin Fisher said. "(Whimsical Finds Shop) just feels like another aspect of my day-to-day activities. There's always constant communication and she's very open when I'm texting her. So there's never any issues with regards to invasion of space and now we've just been so close and there's never been issues."

Jacqueline Fisher said that selecting the name Whimsical Finds Shop was one of the easiest decisions when starting this business because their goal was to always extend their love of happy remembrances in the form of vibrant accessories. 

"(The name) embodies all the feelings and emotions we were trying to convey with our products," she said. "We value inspiring others to be creative as part of our mission, so we want people to feel happy, free and whimsical when they wear our designs."

When it comes to deciding what products to launch on the site, Jacqueline Fisher said they base it on the seasons and upcoming holidays, but also the aesthetic appeal and hidden meaning of the piece. 

"The product, the message behind the product or the colors (must be compelling) to match the overall theme of our store," she said. "I think right now because we've been doing this for about five years, we're so in sync that we know what works for the store."

Another aspect of their products is that each piece has a deeper meaning or memory from their childhood — with the fan-favorite Gummy Bear Pins reminding Justin Fisher of how they used to be his favorite treat, the Mouse Inspired Lollipop Earrings connecting back to the siblings' trips to Disneyland and the stickers they sell resemble their pet tortoise, Timothy. Even the material of the products ties into a shared moment of them being together. 

"There's polymer clay items and my brother and I used to love — and still do love — making polymer clay figures," Jacqueline Fisher said. "My brother made me a little genie from Aladdin out of polymer clay. So even materials that we grew up using that we're now selling."

All of the hard work creating each piece and responding to customer service questions promptly certainly has paid off for Jacqueline Fisher and Justin Fisher, with their Etsy site flooded with positive reviews and over 500 people favoriting their website. 

"There's always a different comment about the quality of the store that they liked, whether it was the fast shipping, the packaging, the product was fit to the correct size and the seller was always in communication," Justin Fisher said. "I just like seeing how we're aiming to please as many people as we can."

As for the future, both Justin Fisher and Jacqueline Fisher hope to continue to grow their customer outreach through the Whimsical Find Shop's Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, along with emphasizing that there is no problem with letting your inner child shine.

"I think we all grow up so fast that we want to become adults," Justin Fisher said. "But by the time we're adults, we reflect on our childhood and we want to relive those memories. I do that with Lego. I'm a Lego collector. So tapping back into that joy of opening a Lego set has really been a big part of my life, and still can be. When people shop from our store, they should know that they can still wear childlike jewelry and accessories. There's no age gap. There's no boundaries."

Use code "WHIMSY" for 10% off your next purchase on Whimsical Finds Shop's website.