A display of Fortuna June’s geometric and colorful earring designs in Haas’s workspace. Credit: Allison Haas
While the COVID-19 pandemic has provided many people with time to indulge in their hobbies and explore new ones, some people have been lucky enough to turn those hobbies into businesses.
Allison Haas, a 2001 Ohio State alumna and creator of jewelry brand Fortuna June, launched her Etsy business in the summer of 2020, but the original plan goes back to 2019.
“I had been beading as a hobby pretty seriously for a few months at that point but was itching to take it to the next level,” Haas said in an email. “While the pandemic created chaos elsewhere in my life, being able to focus on launching this brand that was so personal to me was really what helped me get through most of 2020.”
Haas said Fortuna June was built around mental health advocacy with its name holding a deeper personal meaning — Fortuna was the middle name of her great-grandmother, Mary Haas.
“At 47, she was committed to an institution for the last four decades of her life as a result of mental illness,” Haas said.
As a child, Haas said she heard various tales of her late great-grandmother, and although she never got the chance to know the details, she was always itching to learn more. After an extensive summer of research, Haas said she gained access to her great-grandmother’s medical records, which indicated her first symptoms were shown in June 1929, hence the brand’s name, Fortuna June.
“I think the more we normalize these conversations and share resources, the easier it will be for others to seek help when they need it,” Haas said.
Fortuna June has a wide variety of designs available, many of which are colorful and geometric. Haas said her designs are largely inspired by everyday things, from staircase railings to clouds in the sky. The most rewarding part of the creative process, she said, is seeing the joy her customers get from her products.
On top of providing a safe virtual space for those with mental struggles, Haas said Fortuna June donates a portion of its sales to various mental health organizations each month.
“I love that Allison has used her business in this way, and I think it sets a great example for others in the small business community,” Erin Fehrenbach, a regular customer of Fortuna June and the owner of small business Young and Wild Balloon Co., said in an email. “I think that having a business puts you in a unique position to have your voice heard by a larger population of people.”
In addition to mental health awareness, Haas said she is motivated to celebrate women through her work with Fortuna June and also aims to empower female entrepreneurs.
Fehrenbach said she is an avid supporter of women-operated businesses and has been cheering Haas on since discovering Fortuna June in the fall of 2020.
“It’s imperative to tell women’s stories and give voice to those who otherwise may have been muted by the times in which they live,” Haas said. “The more we celebrate these women and their accomplishments, their wins, their losses, the more we can build that shared history for future generations to be inspired by.”
Haas said she is currently working on creating a signature collection that will be available year-round, incorporating rotating collections that vary with each season. She aims to have the process completed by the end of the year.
