About Us
Pieces of Jayde began over a decade ago when founder Jayde McAloon began vending her handmade jewelry at artisan markets, Renaissance Festivals and art fairs across the country. She eventually left her full-time teaching job to pursue her passion: art and metaphysical magic.
In March of 2021, Jayde took the profits from a good holiday show and opened the first iteration of the shoppe in a tiny space at 15th & Broadway in Chesterton, Indiana. The little shop quickly became a favourite space for many, and soon it was bursting at the seams.
One year later, we moved to our current space on the east side of town, with much more room to expand. We feature handmade art from nearly a dozen local makers and artists, and our product lines favour small-batch and women-owned companies with items you won't find elsewhere.
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Pieces of Jayde supports the rights and wellbeing of our community. We are a proud Ally of the LGBTQ+ community not just during Pride month, but all year long!
We welcome all types of folks to our shoppe and hope you will find it to be your happy place, too.
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Our Story
Our Founder
Founder Jayde McAloon has an eclectic background, having grown up in the Chicago suburbs and then in the very rural Ozarks on a series of 600+ acre farms. Her mother was a dog trainer and certified animal nut--they always had at least a half-dozen dogs at one time. Jayde's favourite memories of the Ozarks years were climbing on her horse in the morning to look for the Civil War gold a neighbor told her had been hidden in the hollows.
Jayde earned her BA in English and Journalism from
Texas A&M University, and spent many years in book
publishing and as a freelance copywriter and graphic
artist before going back to National Louis University to
get her Masters degree in Teaching. During her
teaching years, Jayde worked as a flight director for a
NASA-based educational facility as well as owned a
science franchise performing stage shows and
teaching classes, camps and teacher trainings for STEM
education.
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In addition to the shoppe, Jayde also owns and operates Chesterton Ghost Tours, and loves prowling old cemeteries and helping people who have paranormal problems. Jayde is also an ordained minister in the Unitarian Church, and as such can perform wedding ceremonies as well as Naming Ceremonies and End-of-Life rituals.
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Jayde is the proud mama of four boys (men, really) and lives
in Chesterton with her husband Mike, her biggest cheerleader,
who makes many of the displays you see in the shoppe.
They have two dogs, Hazel and Glory, and the magickal Galileo,
a sphynx cat, plus a fun mischief of pet rats, Jayde's favourite
familiars.
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Be sure to visit Galileo, or "Leo," as he's known, at the shoppe!