JERMYN, Pa. — There are a lot of reasons why Janan Loomis wants her handmade jewelry, skincare, and bath products to sell at her shop, SugarBabies, in Jermyn.
Profit is nowhere near the top of the list.
"It gives me a purpose. And it gives me light in a lot of my darkness," said Loomis. "She's here with me. It's an honor to carry it on in her memory."
Both Loomis' son and daughter had juvenile diabetes.
Leah was diagnosed at age 3. Shortly after, she started selling her own handmade jewelry and crafts. She would donate all of the money to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the hopes of finding a cure for her and her brother.
"She was looking at Medic Alert bracelets that had pearls on them, and they were so expensive that I said, 'Let's just make our own.' So we ended up making our own, and that's actually how it started. She would choose the pearls or whatever she wanted on them and started making them and teaching me her style," said Loomis.
Leah was killed in a tragic boating accident on Newton Lake nearly five years ago when she was 17.
Her mother is now continuing what her daughter started and keeping the business alive.
"To find a cure and make her dreams come true," explained Loomis.
The mother-daughter pair used to sell their designs at craft shows and online.
Now, Loomis has her own shop inside RiverView Winery.
A dollar from every purchase goes to the same foundation her daughter raised money for when she was a kid.
"I would hope she'd say she's proud of me. And I'm still very proud of her also."
Loomis thinks her daughter, who would have been 22, would be excited to drink wine at the "Galentine's Day" event her mom is hosting Wednesday night.
"Her girlfriends turning 21, that's a celebration she didn't get to have. So, I think she'd be really happy."
The event starts Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at RiverView Winery. There'll be food, wine, and if you do some shopping, you'll be supporting Leah's dream of finding a cure for juvenile diabetes.
RiverView Winery is located at 410 Washington Avenue in Jermyn.
Head to WNEP's Youtube page for more videos.