Jordan Jackson established Birch & Pen in Northwoods Mall in North Charleston, South Carolina, at the age of 19, becoming the town’s youngest store owner. Now 24, he puts together pop-up markets where his brand and other small local businesses are featured.
Since discovering his styling abilities and how to generate money from them, the young entrepreneur has relished running his own business and being “a young boss.”
Jackson revealed that his fashion journey began after middle school in Baltimore before he and his mother relocated to the Lowcountry to be closer to relatives. He had to wear uniforms every day in Baltimore.
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He told WCSC, “So I wore uniforms for three years straight and I guess like after I stopped wearing uniforms I got like this spark for fashion, I guess that was my outlet.”
Jackson first began selling clothes through his online store 21 ACE, where his fashion and design skills gained widespread recognition among his family and friends. Soon, he had a massive following, including big-time YouTube personalities like Kellie Sweet, brandongottfans, and minibarbie 12 from the show The Rap Game, who wanted Jackson to style them.
His mother, Keisha, helped him develop his business. For his achievements at the Northwoods Mall, Jackson was recognized and honored, but within a year he decided to close the retail location, stressing that this closure marks a new beginning rather than an end for an innovative concept.
The young entrepreneur told ABC News 4, “I was here to show you guys that it’s possible to follow your dreams. So definitely be sure and live your life unapologetically each and every day. This is not the end; this is only the beginning.”
Jackson has now partnered with other businesses to open several pop-up markets in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
With his love of design, he arranges appealing lifestyle marketplaces that feature his brand’s apparel, home decor, and cuisine, as well as other local products.
