Each week, WJCT's Rebecca Farmer highlights one of the creators participating in Jacksonville's One Spark Festival.
Local business owner Emily Moody’s creation is the BLOOM Design Hostel.
Moody is the co-owner of the former Riverside business Anomaly. After an expansion, she opened Underbelly, located at “The Elbow” in Downtown Jacksonville, where she sees local musicians regularly traveling through the city who are always asking for a place to stay. There are others she meets who come into town with no budget to stay at a pricey downtown hotel.
Moody had the idea to open a hostel in Downtown Jacksonville, and One Spark has given her the opportunity to showcase different rooms and share her ideas with the public. She wants BLOOM to be a place where guests feel like they know everyone.
The elements that make up BLOOM are what make it unique. She visits various thrift stores and goes through trash to find furniture she can use for the hostel. She sands the pieces of furniture down, strips them and repaints them in the color scheme of the hostel.
Moody’s also adding a personal touch, making everything by hand or from scratch or having it brought in by people who are working locally in Jacksonville. For example, she wants to ask her friends that make soap, shampoo and other toiletries to make something for her local hostel.
Moody will be presenting her creation at One Spark. She will be in Downtown Jacksonville April 17-21, 2013 on the sixth floor of the SunTrust Tower.
Check out One Spark website for information on how to get involved and vote for your favorite creator.
