The Rural We: Lorie McMullin
“Everyone should have a little sparkle and bling in life” is Lorie McMullin’s philosophy and mission. The New Milford resident is the creator of The Bling Stop, a shop that travels to fairs and festivals and offers blinged-up accessories for everyone. For over 10 years, McMullin has applied face paint, contemporary henna, paint and glitter tattoos to children and adults, and sold her own embellished earrings, caps, purses and other items. Her booth is like a magnet, she says. If you happen by at some fair, you’ll see that it radiates her joy of being creative and sharing it with people.
I grew up in a farm town in Minnesota, but always felt out of place in a small-town setting. I got into dance and puppeteering at a young age and learned that I loved working with children. In high school, a guidance counselor encouraged me to enter the Miss Teen Minnesota Pageant, because the prize was a college scholarship. I won, and got into the University of Minnesota, where I studied broadcast and then worked in local TV stations in Minneapolis. I was a model on the side, and taught dance for the park and recreation department. Then I met my husband, and we decided to move to Connecticut, where he is from.
New England has a very rich feeling of creativity — it’s so evident at the fairs and festivals. When my two sons got old enough to go places with me, I hooked up with a kids gymnasium and rekindled my dance program. It was a huge hit: we marched in parades and had recitals. I opened my own studio and continued to do that until I had a knee injury. The dance studio had to stop, but I could not just stop being creative and working with kids. So the festival idea came into my head and I decided to reinvent myself.
When I saw other face painters at festivals, they always had lines of people. You could feel the joy and see the happiness on kids’ faces. I wanted to be part of that. Everyone in my family is an artist, and it turned out that I too can paint and draw. So I did the face painting and introduced temporary tattoos.
That was about 11 years ago. Doing the fairs enabled me to take care of my elderly mother, and on weekends I did shows, bringing my sons with me. It all just fell into place. I have met so many interesting people who are into the arts and crafts. And the kids’ faces just light up when they see their painted faces in the mirror. It makes the parents happy, too. And it’s not just for kids; adults also love the contemporary tattoos and face painting. I’m able to bring joy to all ages.
Bringing bling to the public is a vocation rather than an avocation. I continue to do it almost every weekend. I never tire of it; every festival is different.
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