Vendor Spotlight: Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile

Handmade With Purpose, Inspired by Faith and the Beauty of Home

Some businesses begin with a product idea, while others begin with a quiet stirring in the heart. For Lana, founder of Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile, the journey began during a conversation with a friend about a business that was giving back to its community. Sitting on her friend’s back porch, Lana felt God prompting her to create something with that same heart posture. She did not yet know what the business would become, but she began to pray, listen, and take the first steps of obedience. What initially started as a soap company gradually grew into Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile, a handmade business inspired by creativity, faith, family, and the simple beauty found in everyday life.

Today, Lana lives on a little bit of land in Texas with her husband, Johnathan, their two young adult daughters, and their two beloved fur babies, Buck the dog and Kiki the cat. Her surroundings have become an ongoing source of inspiration for her work. The trees, sunsets, deer, turkey, hummingbirds, other birds, and even the little jackrabbits that give the business its name all remind her of the beauty and creativity found in God’s creation. Her love for handmade items and desire to learn new things have also led her to develop new skills and continually explore different forms of creativity. Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile’s current collection includes handmade soaps, rolled beeswax candles, beeswax sachets, crocheted creations, stickers, and other thoughtful gifts and accessories.

A Business Born From a God-Given Stirring

Lana’s entrepreneurial journey did not begin with a detailed business plan or a clear picture of what the future would hold. It began with a conversation and a feeling that she was supposed to do something. As her friend shared about a business she had discovered, Lana felt something stir within her. She recognized that she wanted to build something that carried a similar spirit of generosity and purpose.

Instead of rushing to figure everything out, she began to pray. Little by little, the pieces started to come together. The business that eventually became Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile developed organically as Lana continued learning, creating, and discovering where her gifts and interests could lead.

That willingness to begin before having every detail figured out is part of what makes her story so encouraging. Sometimes God gives us the first step without showing us the entire path. For Lana, saying yes to that first step eventually opened the door to a business filled with creativity, family involvement, and opportunities to encourage others.

Creating From the Beauty Around Her

One of the most beautiful parts of Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile is the way Lana’s surroundings influence what she creates. Living on land in Texas gives her a front-row view of the little details that can easily be overlooked. A sunset, the movement of wildlife, a hummingbird visiting the property, the scent of something beautiful, or even the personality of her dog Buck can become a source of inspiration.

Her products reflect that same appreciation for simple, meaningful things. The shop features handmade bath and body products, including goat milk soaps, along with hand-rolled beeswax candles and beeswax sachets. The collection also includes crocheted creations made by one of Lana’s daughters, as well as stickers, clothing, hair bows, socks, and other unique finds.

For Lana, creating is not simply about producing another item to place in a shop. It is an opportunity to use the skills she has learned and the creativity God has given her to make something that might bring a little light, practicality, fun, or comfort to another person’s day. She hopes that the things she and her daughter create will bless the people who purchase them or receive them as gifts.

Prayer Squares Created to Comfort and Encourage

Among the meaningful creations from Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile are prayer squares, which came from Lana’s desire to make something tangible that people could hold during prayer.

The idea is simple yet deeply personal. Each prayer square contains a printed prayer tucked inside, and each prayer has been prayed over the prayer square after it was made. A small wooden cross is also included, giving the recipient something tangible to hold onto during prayer.

For Lana, the prayer squares represent more than a handmade item. They were created from a desire to provide something meaningful, practical, and comforting during moments of prayer. There is something special about having a physical reminder to hold while bringing worries, hopes, gratitude, and requests before God.

She has been especially encouraged by seeing how these little prayer squares have resonated with others. What began as an idea from her own desire for something tangible during prayer has become a meaningful way to encourage other people in their own prayer lives.

Grounded in the Fountain of Life

One Scripture has been part of Jackrabbit Acres Mercantile from its earliest stages: Psalm 36:8–9.

“They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light, we see light.”

For Lana, these verses serve as a reminder to continually check her perspective and return her focus to Christ. Life can move through seasons of difficulty, celebration, uncertainty, growth, and change, but the foundation remains the same. Her best life is one that is grounded in Christ.

That truth also shapes the way she approaches entrepreneurship. Rather than allowing business circumstances to determine her peace or sense of purpose, she is learning to return again and again to the One who is the true source of life.

The verse reminds her that circumstances do not have the final word. God does. When the business is growing, when things are moving slowly, when plans change, or when she is waiting for something to come together, her perspective is strengthened by remembering where her true source is found.

Learning to Surrender in the Waiting

One of the clearest ways Lana has experienced God’s faithfulness has been through seasons of waiting and watching.

Entrepreneurship often comes with the temptation to control every detail. There are plans to make, decisions to consider, products to create, goals to pursue, and outcomes to hope for. Yet Lana has discovered that some of the most meaningful outcomes have come after she surrendered the things she was trying to control or worrying about.

She describes the process as one of waiting, learning, and sometimes even healing. The answers do not always come as quickly as she would like, but with time she can look back and see how God was working through the details.

Sometimes the outcome is deeper and more meaningful than what she originally imagined. Other times, God brings about something that may never have happened in the same way if she had remained in control.

That has become an important part of her journey: learning that waiting is not wasted time. It can be a place where God develops patience, changes perspective, teaches trust, and prepares something greater than what could have been accomplished through striving alone.