KENNEBUNK, Maine — A new business in Kennebunk has been flooded with customers ever since a video of the store went viral on TikTok.
Good Stock Charm Bar, which held its grand opening on June 15, is a "charm bar" and permanent jewelry shop that specializes in custom designs.
But just three weeks after its opening day, crowds of new customers filled the store.
Owner Mia Gizek said she was stunned when she found out a viral video was the catalyst for the business boom.
"I thought that my Instagram was attacked by robots because I started getting new followers," Gizek said.
The line outside the store gets shorter every so often, but it never ends. Customers continue to filter into the store all the way until closing time.
"I was very surprised," customer Chris Lawrence said while standing in line. "I said, 'We [are] waiting in this.'"
Chris, like his sister who told him about the store, loves jewelry. He and his family traveled from Ohio to vacation in Maine, and they couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what all the hype was about.
Jewelry in the little cottage is good at pulling whole families in who don't mind waiting to get a closer look.
Caroline Buigas and her loved ones stopped in from Boston. She said they visit Maine each year and could not resist the temptation to stop in and check out the store.
"I love jewelry so much, especially when you can customize it," she said.
Buigas picked out pieces for her custom hand-welded necklace, choosing a sailboat wheel, heart, and strawberry charm to bling out her new piece. The charms and the chain are new additions to the jewelry she plans to keep forever.
Buigas is newly engaged and added the custom necklace to her jewelry collection.
"The main charm on this is a wheel from a sailboat," Buigas said. "It's my middle piece on the necklace, and I think it kind of symbolizes a guiding sense in my life."
Customers from all over like Buigas and Lawrence are getting the chance to experience the phenomenon in person.
"We sold out that first weekend," Gizek said. "After that viral video, I couldn't get charms in fast enough. We ran out of charms. We ran out of chains."
Gizek is still adjusting to her store's new-found popularity, hoping her custom items become every customer's favorite jewelry piece. But she also wants customers to take a little more than just charms and chains home with them.
I want people to remember their experience here," Gizek said. "I want them to remember how they felt, and how fun it was, and how nostalgic it was to pick out the charms."
Buigas said when she thinks of her visit to Maine, she'll remember the time she spent with those closest to her and the love she felt from the ladies who weld the Good Stock pieces.
"This is definitely an added experience to all of that," Buigas said.
Gizek said she'll be hiring more people to keep up with the steady traffic.