INSIGHT

long after, Jackson made the difficult decision to step away from the show. “I usually say I credit him with changing the trajectory of my life. He made me really rethink wanting to be on TV. I loved being on TV, but your schedule is not your own, you’re at the mercy of your producers and the people who run the show. I knew I didn’t want to be gone full-time when he was a baby.”

Jackson also knew— although she cherished her time with her littles ones—she needed a creative outlet outside her home. Even though the Hilltown Township native says neither she nor her two sisters (Rachel and Chrissie; Jessica is in the middle) were the type to roll up their sleeves and get crafty when they were growing up (“No creative bones in their body,” she says of her siblings with a laugh), she had found her niche in adulthood. At the tail end of 2014 she began hosting workshops for those who also wanted to get their craft on: think macramé, floral design, weaving, calligraphy and the like. At first, she borrowed space inside a local thrift shop, but grew tired of lugging all of her materials back and forth.

So, in June of 2015, The Craftery, as she dubbed her burgeoning enterprise, opened a brickand-mortar location inside The Square, a restored factory in Dublin, Bucks County. The workshops, Jackson says, expanded, and were popular from the start. “Ladies Nights” were a crowd pleaser (and not as ubiquitous then as they are now). Initially, Jackson led all the workshops herself; what she didn’t know how to do, she learned. “It was a lot of trial and error,” she says. Eventually she started bringing in other local experts and makers to share the load, which led to a turning point for The Craftery: Jackson wanted to replicate and expand upon other pop-up markets she’d visited, markets featuring carefully curated creators with high-quality, unique goods. The first market was held inside The Craftery space and featured about 12 local vendors. “It was such a leap of faith for them because I’d never done anything like this before, but they trusted my vision,” Jackson says. “I really wanted to bring attention to these really talented people.”

In doing so, she stumbled upon another passion: creating beautiful community spaces and experiences. She was involved as a designer in the revitalization of The Square, which now boasts offices, a gym, a salon, a dance studio, retail space, a winery and more. Jackson expanded her own footprint there with the opening of Makers: Vintage + Handmade in November of 2019. It’s a place where some of the artisans, crafters and collectors Jackson has become acquainted with can sell their wares. Great idea; bad timing. The store was closed for several months while the COVID-19 pandemic raged, but Jackson says they found ways to stay afloat. “We did flash sales and Instagram sales. We came out on the other side, and the community was super supportive.”

Fast-forward to November of 2020, and another new Jackson project was taking off at The Shops at The Square, although this one was more of a tag-team effort. Jackson and her husband, Kevin, opened Wheat & Vine Provisions, a small-batch specialty food store. “We just love food. We’re big foodies,” says Jackson. “Whenever we travel, we look for specialty food stores, and this was another case of where we didn’t see anything like what we wanted in Bucks County.” The offerings include charcuterie boxes, cheeses, drink mixes, hot sauces and sweets. “We try every product before it comes in the store,” Jackson says. “That’s a perk of the job, to sample everything.” The family part of this family business goes deeper than Jessica and Kevin; their daughter, Campbell, also works at the store, as does Jessica’s sister, Chrissie.

Jackson says a second location for Wheat & Vine is a possibility down the road. She’s currently busy planning the rest of the 2023 schedule for The Craftery Market, which has now grown to some 80 vendors and aims to promote a family-friendly, community vibe with live music and food while highlighting unique locales. Over the past few years, it’s popped up all over Bucks County and beyond. The next market is at the Bishop Estate Vineyard & Winery in Perkasie on June 17.

Looking back on the path she chose—the path that did not lead to a medical career, or a lengthy tenure in front of TV cameras—Jackson says she has no regrets. “I have a strong faith. I’m a big believer in God orchestrating things. It all makes sense. It feels like with each step, I took the next opportunity that came out of the step before.” thecrafterypa.com

The dirty martini never goes out of style, but it’s still subject to some modifications.

BY DAISY WILLIS