Meet Jamie Horton | Owner, Boards are my Jam

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jamie Horton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I have always had a passion for hospitality and for making people feel welcomed, invited, and known. I would do this with small dinner parties, my own family, or larger parties. There was no gathering too small to make it special. So, as I began making boards for my own family and friends, people began reaching out to me to make boards for them. While at the time I wasn’t thinking this would be a business, I had one friend who asked me to do a board for a party for her family. From there, I started sharing this possibility of a business with friends and was surprised by how many people were eager to have boards at their parties, too. Now looking back, I can’t believe it has been three years of Boards are my Jam! It was a whirlwind of a start, quickly putting together branding, websites, order forms, etc. But wow- now we have done weddings, classes for over 100 people, countless baby showers, birthday parties, auction parties and the list goes on. We are truly grateful for all of the support from all of our amazing clients through the years.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Charcuterie is an art and not a science. Boards are my Jam became a creative outlet for me as a mother of 3 littles (at one time 3 kids under 2). Our business is set apart by our love of a theme and making things both delicious and beautiful. We love to incorporate a host’s theme from circuses, monograms, holidays, and even getting three dimensional for a theme. We also offer a lot of variety. It is important that clients have something delicious to offer all of their guests, and we always make sure that there is something for everyone on the board. Our classes are some of the most fun moments of this business. We laugh, learn, and have a GOUDA time together. It is an absolute blast to be able to share tips and tricks for how to make their own boards. Then they walk away feeling confident as they host their next gathering! 

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Houston is an amazing city! I would probably do a mix of play and relaxation since, as a mom, we need a little of both! I would probably start with massages at Trellis, followed by a delicious lunch. My new favorite spot is Annabelle Brasserie! After that, we could do a little shopping at my favorite local spots: IRIS, PepperLou, Berings, Swoon, and Golden Thread! I love running, so we could run around Memorial Park. Then we could join our husbands and kiddos for swimming at one of our beautiful parks. I can’t let a friend leave Houston without going to Taste of Texas for dinner. I actually was a hostess there in high school, and that restaurant holds some of my fondest celebratory moments as a child and as an adult. I sure hope they stay for Sunday because I would want to bring them to our church, Grace Presbyterian, where we are active members serving and many of our days are with our precious church community. All in all, Houston is so much fun!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

None of this is possible without God. He has been so good to our family, and I am grateful that He opened doors and made a path for this all to become what it has.  We are called to live life in community, to welcome others and to love others well. I think this business has been an outlet to showcase the importance of living life with one another, and if there is good cheese there, then even better! 

Without a doubt I would like to dedicate this shoutout to my amazing husband. He not only encouraged me in the early days, but runs deliveries, helps with event set up, and makes sure kids are to and from things when I am teaching classes. While having your own business is a lot of work that people never see, he has been right there with me every step of the way.

I also have to shout out Meredith, Emily, and Ann who were my very first board orders. I still remember my squeal when they placed their orders, and the rest is history. Thank you!

I can’t shoutout without thanking my hype girls and closest girlfriends, my closest life-long friend, Jacquelyn, my dear friends Jaclyn and Ali who let me run ideas by them and helped push me, especially at the beginning. I believe every woman is as good as the group of women behind her- cheering, encouraging, and hyping her up!

Really and truly, the clients who are ordering boards, the shops like IRIS, SWOON, and PepperLou with whom I collaborate and the fun that we all get to have along the way has made this what it is, and I am so grateful.

Website: Www.boardaremyjam.com

Instagram: @boardsaremyjam

Other: Order form: https://form.jotform.com/222763445132149