By: Rianna Turner Photos: Makeup Junkie Bags
It’s an image many of us know well: the mess-of-a-makeup bag. The inside cloth is stained with old loose powder, and eyeshadow colors you no longer recognize. You had to buy a bigger one, because your old one is much too small, but now it takes minutes to find the right product. Every time you reach in the bag, which seems to have been affected by an undetectable extension charm, you find an eyeliner that you haven’t needed in months, and honestly, forgot existed.
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This is what motivated Meredith Jurica to start Makeup Junkie Bags in 2016. Makeup Junkie Bags specializes in creating makeup bags that are cute and functional — the bags are washable, with water resistant interior and a medial zipper, complete with a tassel, that allows access to all materials. However, Jurica initially began making the bags only for herself, and didn’t anticipate for her project to become a business.
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“I was simply frustrated with how the cosmetic bags on the market were not functional to house modern-day cosmetics that we see,” Jurica said. “I also wanted something that would lay flat, so I didn’t have to dig a lot or worry about it dumping over. People kept asking me where I got it. When I told them I made it for myself, they asked me to make them some, and it just kind of spread like wildfire from there. If someone would have told me that 18 months later, it would be a nationally branded product in over 1300 stores, I would have just laughed.”
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Jurica and her business are currently located in the North Houston area, but she grew up in the Coastal Bend. She recounted all of the support local family and friends provided when her business was launched two years ago.
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“I think those of us who are from the area know the treasure that [the Coastal Bend] can be,” Jurica said. “I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from my hometown when I started the business in my kitchen. Everybody I had known, whether it be people from the church I grew up in or people I went to school with, or anybody really who had crossed my path, they were all purchasing my bags just to support me, which is a big reason why it took off so quickly. I’m very proud to be from a community that rallies behind their own like that.”
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Jurica has taken heed from those who supported her early on, and has involved Makeup Junkie Bags in various give-back campaigns. She also emphasized how important it is for her to be employing fellow Texans. A small business can be a grueling operation, but Jurica is motivated by providing stable jobs for people in her area. Makeup Junkie Bags has also expanded the product line to include “Mommy Junkie Bags” and “Man Junk Bags,” and Jurica insinuates that there is more to look forward to, in the future.
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“We are adding to our staff heavily and it’s amazing to watch it grow from a one-woman show into this awesome group of individuals who work hard and love what they do,” Jurica said. “I’ve got some other exciting things going on, too, but I can’t talk about those just yet.”
