The first item that I saw from Mercywell Market was the Future Husband Prayer Block | Bow Tie for Future Husband. I thought that it was so beautiful and I wished I had seen something like that when I was single. I started following Mercywell Market on Facebook and on Instagram. The items in the shop are unique and speak of the wonderfulness of the Catholic faith. When you see the items, you will feel that God is Essential. Essential is one of the t-shirt lines of Mercywell Market.
I am so pleased to have met Taryn Lockwood, the owner of Mercywell Market and ask her about her business. You'll enjoy reading about how her business started and other aspects of her business.
How did you get started with Mercywell Market?
I’ve always loved anything and everything creative, and I love using my creative talents to inspire others in their faith. I also felt called to bring a fresh and relatable perspective to the Catholic gifts space. I happened to come across information on entering the marketplace with print-on-demand apparel sold on Etsy. My mother worked in the promotional products industry for years, so it was all just really familiar and felt like a natural next step to follow where the Lord was calling me in business. So I opened an Etsy shop to test the waters in February of 2020 right before COVID really hit the US. In the fall, I started to get more strategic and am excited to see my business grow and evolve.
Is there a story behind the name of your business?
Yes! In 2019, in a very intense valley, I had a new layer of understanding of Divine Mercy revealed to me. I’ve had a special place in my heart for The Divine Mercy, so I knew I wanted to include that in the name of my business. I think I was laying in bed one night and thought about the woman at the well from Scripture. The Holy Spirit nudged me to Mercywell. The Lord’s mercy can be found in the highest mountains and the deepest valleys and it is a well that never runs dry. He knows our wounds and scars, our biggest joys, our deepest fears, and even our worst sins. Yet he loves us still, and perfectly.
How do you choose the items to put on your online store?
Through prayer! It is first and foremost a ministry for the Gospel, but I started out designing shirts and creating custom designs for my customers. I love a good comfy t-shirt, and I love that we can use them to evangelize without saying a word or use it as a conversation starter. St. Francis of Assisi says “preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
I draw a lot of inspiration from the liturgy in Mass, my Magnificat, and music. I especially love creating with the Holy Spirit and different Saints and asking for His/their intercession.
I also add items to my store based on things I’ve had or wanted that help me on my own spiritual journey and am always watching and listening to what others are saying. When I see a need that I feel I can fill, I’ll jump on it!
What are your favorite items? I think it’s a tie between the future husband prayer block and my line of Essential t-shirts.
Are you surprised by the top sellers?
The Monstrance shirt in the Essential line is my best seller. I was a little surprised by the specific variation - I honestly thought when I first launched them that the Essential Crucifix or Essential Eucharist would be the best seller. They are following right behind, but the Monstrance consistently outperforms the others.
Why do you think they are top sellers?
I think it just goes to show how truly essential Jesus being truly present in the Eucharist is to what we believe as Catholics. I think many of us, myself included, have taken for granted how often we get to receive Him in Mass, or get to spend time with Him in Adoration for counsel, strength, consolation, prayer, relationship...all the things. When the doors to the Church were locked last year and we couldn’t go to Mass, all I wanted to do was to go to Adoration and I couldn’t even do that. I created these shirts in the thick of the lockdown when adjusting to virtual Mass was honestly really challenging for me. I am so thankful we have the technology to still be spiritually fed from live stream Mass, but each week we couldn’t go in person, I just wanted to sit with Jesus. The word “essential” was redefined for me, and I’m happy to see others feel the same way and hunger for the Lord…which also explains why these have been gifted to several priests! They are THE most essential workers right now. Death is certain, even in a world without a pandemic. But a world without the Sacraments – I don’t even want to think about that! Pray, pray, pray for priests!
Did you and your sister-in-law design Future Husband Prayer Block | Bow Tie for Future Husband? I think it's wonderful that you pray. I read that each one is blessed before shipping. Who blesses them?
My sister-in-law, Katie Hartfiel, began my inspiration, but I designed it. Her own love story has been so eye-opening to the power of prayer for your spouse. She wrote a book Woman in Love and in it she shares her own experience of praying and journaling for her future husband and teaches others how to do the same, which includes digging into purity and chastity in a really beautiful way.
I also heard a story several years ago on the radio about a mother of a bride who handed her new son-in-law a bow tie at the reception that she had prayed over for years for God to form and provide the perfect husband to sanctify her daughter. I just loved that idea, and instantly started thinking of how I could turn the bow tie into a tangible reminder to pray for a young man that is already walking the Earth! In fact, for Christmas that year, I gave my three nieces a bow tie to pray over. But I felt like it needed something special to mount or display.
I’ve seen a couple of beautiful products that captured the general idea, but I wanted something more discrete and more interior of heart, if you will, with simple prayer prompts I could change based on a certain petition or request. I tend to get distracted easily in prayer, so I wanted something tangible, bite-sized, intentional, and focused.
There are so many different layers to this piece. Even though I’m hopeful my daughters will marry and have families of their own, I’m reminded to pray for openness and guidance from the Holy Spirit to recognize if God is calling them to Religious or Consecrated Life. In that case, I think the bow tie would serve as a poignant reminder of the beautiful journey to the most perfect Groom we could ever ask for. I am also reminded to pray for my own husband. Lastly, when I was single, I wish I had something to constantly remind me to be my future husband’s biggest prayer warrior. So, for those women who are discerning marriage, or wondering if they’ll ever find true love, I pray this gives them hope through turning to Jesus in prayer and waiting.
I pray over each block as I’m making them and write a prayer on the block before it is painted. Once they are finished, I bring them to our church and have one of the priests or deacons bless them before they are shipped. I want the Lord’s blessings and protection for not only the future husband but also the ones praying for him.
Visit Mercywell Market at www.mercywellmarket.com.
You can follow Taryn Lockwood on
Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mercywellmarket/ or on
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/MercywellMarket.
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