It’s about mindset and it’s about belief.
Those are the answers to the questions everyone asks when they realize what an incredible accomplishment it is to survive each day as a single mother of six children who owns and operates three businesses in the city of Wheeling. But that’s what Jessica Clark-McDowell gets done every day.
Every. Single. Day.
Market Café. Ziklag. Framed.
Food service. Clothing/retail. Photography.
And Mom. Don’t dare forget the duties of motherhood.
Jessica doesn’t count her thousands of steps each day while managing her plethora of responsibilities, but when she finally gets moments to herself, her thoughts sometimes are shared with the world. For example, this very afternoon Clark-McDowell posted on Facebook the following:
Some days I wake up feeling empowered. Other days I wake up feeling completely defeated. It’s all about balance I guess.
And yesterday?
I believe one of my superpowers is that I have the ability to see life where others see loss.
And thanks to her words of wisdom she shares online often, she’s gained thousands of social media followers and her customer bases – with all three operations – are as solid as can be.
How? Why? Well, Clark-McDowell explains simply, and humbly, “Because I’m blessed He has a plan for me.”
Please explain your theory about doing business in Wheeling.
I don’t know that I actually have a theory about it. I know I do have a passion for Centre Market.
When I was younger, I lived in Charleston, S.C., and they had a market there that was very similar to what ours’ is today, but it was the happening place. People would go there all day, every day. It was an attraction and a destination. Artists were there weaving baskets and making necklaces right on the sidewalk. It was the place to go to find a piece of Charleston to take home with you.
When I moved back, I would look at our market and wonder why we didn’t do more with it. Why wasn’t it where people wanted to be? Why weren’t there more shops? Why weren’t artists standing on the corner displaying their work? Why weren’t the businesses open on evenings and weekends? Why weren’t there any souvenir shops?
We have this beautiful destination spot that tourists would love to travel to, but we make it nearly impossible for them to come spend their money. So, I did what I could and I opened Ziklag. I allowed artists to sell their merchandise in my store and I started making Wheeling and West Virginia merchandise for those who traveled here and wanted to find something to take home with them.
I then opened the coffee shop and expanded our hours so that people from out of town found a reason to travel here. I just continue to do what I can to grow and bring change, and I love watching all of the new shops moving in and the area changing and expanding and becoming all that it can be.
If you survived a plane crash by swimming to a nearby abandoned island, how would you signal for help?
Oh boy. Well, the fact that I am able to swim to survive is a huge accomplishment because I have a deathly fear of deep water! So, I know I only survived that part by the grace of God. But, once I’m past that point, it should be smooth sailing.
I was raised poor. I had to fight to survive nearly every day of my life as a child. We grew up with a woodburner that I had to keep going when we had no money to keep it going. So, I would have no issues starting a fire from whatever I can find on the land and keeping it going because I had to do that every day as a kid or I got beat.
You figure things out real fast when you’re more afraid of the consequences if you don’t.
What is the most important lesson you hope to teach your children?
To be real. We’re all human. We all need to own our humanity.
To not hide who they really are. Just be themselves. Life is too short to spend pretending and hiding. We all make mistakes and, when we do, we simply need to own them and apologize and be accountable then move on and do better.
We can never connect with others or enjoy our life if we’re too afraid to be real and vulnerable.
You share a lot of your trials and tribulations on Facebook. Why?
I believe God gives us tests because they are what becomes our testimony. I feel like I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’m constantly growing and adapting and changing. If I can spare someone going the long way around and save them from unnecessary hurt and pain, then why wouldn’t I do that?
I feel that it’s important to be open and honest and vulnerable. Life is hard. We all need each other. We need people we can relate to and talk to and learn from. Life somehow feels better or easier or less lonely if we know others have gone through it and survived. I feel people typically put on a front on social media and I just don’t ever want to give the illusion that life is always happy or perfect because it’s not. And this false idea is what leads others to depression or suicide.
They think something is wrong with them or their life because it doesn’t work like that for them. In a world that has become so fake and staged, I believe people desperately need something real. And, I know I personally need to be real. I get pressured all the time to be shoved into this box or that box and it can feel so suffocating. Business owners get a lot of pressure from every side.
So, when I feel like that, I remind myself to just stay true to me, and that way, whatever happens as a result of that, I can live with.
Which Market Café menu item do you eat most often, and why?
Well, most of our recipes are ones I personally created. I’ve struggled with health issues over the years and I’ve learned the importance of eating clean, healthy foods. Yet, I could never find anywhere that served these foods or, if I did, I was eating alone because nobody wanted to eat there with me because they didn’t like the food.
There was a period of time when all I could eat or drink were smoothies so every one of our smoothie recipes came from me trying to fit as many healthy ingredients as I could into a blender and it still taste good enough to get it down. One of the reasons I even own the cafe’ is because I wanted to offer people a place where they could get healthy food on the go, and they could go with their friends.
