Meet the Men Behind J. Parker: Our Story, Unfiltered

Hey y’all — Nick here. Since a lot of you have been curious about who’s behind J. Parker, I wanted to tell the story the way we’d tell it sitting around my kitchen table with a cup of coffee. No polish, no marketing speak — just the truth of who we are, where we come from, and how this whole adventure started.

I grew up in Kentucky, spent about twenty years in Arkansas, and moved to Florida in 2017. Johnny grew up in Puerto Rico and didn’t speak a word of English until he moved to the States at 14. He lived in Michigan for a bit, then New York City for years, working in luxury retail — under the Kering luxury umbrella— before deciding he needed to get out of the COVID mess and start fresh. So he moved to Fort Lauderdale in 2021.

We met a month later. And for me? It was love at first sight. I made the first move — absolutely pursued him — because when you know, you know. He was smitten too, but don’t expect him to admit it. He likes to keep that cool, Puerto Rican composure going. We moved in together in August 2022 and have pretty much been inseparable ever since.

And I mean inseparable. My family teases us constantly — if I run up to the gas station just to put air in a tire, Johnny’s coming with me. We grocery shop together, run errands together, thrift together. We just naturally do life side by side.

Thrifting is one of our favorite things. Almost everything we wear is thrifted. And with Johnny’s design eye, he can take a two-dollar shirt and a three-dollar pair of pants and style them like we just stepped out of Vogue. I don’t know how he does it — he just sees things.

In February 2025, we moved to the Dallas area — Lavon, Texas, to be exact — to be closer to family. My sister’s here, my daughters are here, and I’ve got two grandkids: Beau, who’s eight, and Lily, who’s about 18 months. Being close to them means everything to us.

Before J. Parker, I was making wreaths. My condo looked like a craft store on Black Friday — ribbon, mesh, flowers, hot glue… everywhere. My daughter gently suggested I try something smaller. I bought beads and cheap cord, started learning how to make jewelry, and it just clicked. One night, after we had moved in together, Johnny watched me making a bracelet and said, “Can you teach me how to do that?”

I showed him the basics, and in classic Johnny fashion, he took it and ran with it.
His design sense, his eye for color and balance, his luxury retail background — all of it showed up immediately.

My first market was January 2023. I made $319. I felt like I’d just climbed Everest. That was the moment we both realized, “Okay… this might be something.”

These days, we run everything together — but we stay in our lanes:

He’s the artist.
I’m the strategist.
He designs every piece.
I handle the business, sales, and tech.
He does photos and videos.
I do social, Shopify, marketing, and all the behind-the-scenes machinery.

We share one major value: every customer matters.
Both of us come from backgrounds built on customer service. He learned it in luxury retail; I learned it in 35 years of B2B sales. We understand people. We respect people. And when someone buys from us — whether it’s one bracelet or ten — we want them to feel cared for, not just “processed.”

Our personalities are completely opposite, which probably keeps us sane.

I’m Type A, a little OCD, everything in its place.
He’s laid back, the shirt goes wherever it lands, running late is a lifestyle.
I pick up after him constantly — and, honestly, I’d miss it if he ever stopped.

He’s calm and steady. He thinks clearly, manages emotions, and helps me slow down when my mind is racing. I’m the dreamer, the one thinking ten steps ahead and imagining possibilities he hasn’t even heard about yet. Together, we balance each other.

Behind the scenes, life is simple:
We watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, not NASCAR — let’s make that clear.
True crime most nights.
I need an hour with my morning coffee before I speak to anyone.
He jumps straight out of bed and into the shower like he’s reporting for duty.

Our love languages?
Mine is physical touch and words of affirmation — put your hand on my back or tell me I’m doing a good job, and I’m good.
His is acts of service — and gifts. If I wash the laundry or bring home a small surprise, that’s how he hears “I love you.”

Faith is woven into everything we do. We’re Christians. We love Jesus. We’ve both been hurt by the church, but our faith remains central to our relationship and our business. Integrity matters to us — doing what’s right even when nobody’s watching.

Five years from now, I believe J. Parker will be a national brand. Not because we want to be famous, but because we care deeply about what we create and the people who choose to wear it.

When you buy from us, I want you to feel seen — like your purchase matters, like you can trust us, like what we made for you will last.

And for us, success isn’t just financial. It’s freedom.
Time together.
Travel.
Family.
A life lived honestly and with purpose.

If you’ve bought from us, shared our posts, followed our journey, or even just read this far — thank you. Truly.

We’re grateful you’re here. We’re just getting started.

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