By Sarah Fertsch
Shop windows across South Jersey are getting a colorful makeover, thanks to one local artist who has turned ordinary windows into whimsical works of art.
From cheeseburgers dressed as pumpkins to pizza-inspired paintings and festive winter scenes, Mays Landing resident Jess Broskey is making businesses stand out, one brushstroke at a time.
Through her art business, Lucky 13, Broskey combines her lifelong love of creativity with a passion for supporting local businesses and bringing people together through art.
And while her colorful window paintings have recently been turning heads throughout Atlantic County, her artistic journey began long before she picked up a paintbrush to decorate a storefront.
“I always gravitated towards art,” Broskey said. After studying art in high school, she pursued art education in college before switching her focus to art therapy. Over the years, she has taught classes at several Atlantic County art studios and hosted painting parties for children and adults.
But her venture into window painting happened almost by accident.
While working as a personal trainer, Broskey decided one winter to try decorating the windows of her gym. She created a seasonal scene with a fitness-inspired twist, incorporating weight plates as Christmas ornaments.
She shared a photograph of her work, which caught the attention of the owner of Eat Clean, a local meal preparation business where Broskey also worked.
What started as a creative experiment quickly grew through word of mouth.
After decorating Eat Clean’s windows for several seasons, Broskey began receiving requests from neighboring businesses. A nearby flower shop commissioned her to create seasonal floral displays, followed by Tony Beef locations and Manco & Manco in Somers Point.
Her growing portfolio also includes Anytime Fitness, where her first winter window painting sparked the idea.
Each project presents an opportunity to transform a business’s personality into an eye-catching design.
For Tony Beef, Broskey painted pumpkin-themed cheeseburgers for October. At Manco & Manco, she carefully recreated the pizzeria’s signature spiral arrangement of toppings. Her designs for Eat Clean incorporate seasonal fruits and vegetables, while her floral displays reflect the flowers featured at the shop.
Rather than arriving with a predetermined design, Broskey works closely with business owners to create artwork that reflects their products, personalities and seasonal promotions.
“I try to connect with them to promote their business,” she said. “It’s like an advertisement for them.”
And those colorful advertisements are making a difference. According to Broskey, the owners of the flower shop have reported an increase in customers, including people who said they had never noticed the business before its windows were painted.
Eat Clean has experienced similar attention, with the paintings helping draw awareness to a business that operates differently from a traditional restaurant.
Behind the brush
While the finished designs may appear effortless, window painting requires patience, preparation and a surprising amount of science.
Weather conditions can make or break a project. Humidity, rainfall and freezing temperatures all affect how paint adheres to glass and how quickly each layer dries.
Broskey prefers working on the outside of windows, which allows her to complete projects without needing access to the interior of a business.
Most projects take between two and four days, depending on the complexity of the design, weather conditions and her schedule working another job.
Over time, Broskey has learned new techniques through experimentation and online communities of window artists.
Bringing art to the party
Although window painting has become an increasingly visible part of Lucky 13, Broskey’s business also offers mobile painting parties for nearly any occasion.
From children’s birthday celebrations and bachelorette parties to adult gatherings and community events, she brings the art studio directly to her customers.
She supplies the paint, brushes, aprons and other materials, allowing participants to focus on creating something special.
Her parties aren’t limited to traditional canvas painting. She has also hosted wood painting activities and customized projects based on participants’ interests, including a unicorn-themed celebration.
Each event begins with a conversation about the host’s vision, followed by careful preparation and setup. “I bring it all,” she said. “I show up, and then we make a mess, and then I clean it all up and leave.”
For Broskey, however, the most rewarding part isn’t the finished painting. It’s watching people discover their own creativity. She encourages participants to embrace their individual artistic styles rather than worry about reproducing her sample exactly.
“Your brushstroke is your own fingerprint,” she tells her students. “Everything’s gonna be different.”
A lucky number and a bigger dream
Even the name Lucky 13 carries a deeply personal meaning.
Both of Broskey’s children were born on the 13th. Her grandfather, with whom she shared a close relationship, and her grandmother also celebrated birthdays on the 13th. To complete the coincidence, her first date with her husband happened on the 13th, too.
With so many meaningful moments tied to the same number, Lucky 13 seemed like the perfect name for her creative venture.
Looking ahead, Broskey dreams of opening her own art studio, where she could host creative parties, offer workshops and showcase the work of other local artists.
As both an artist and a personal trainer, Broskey hopes to find new ways to combine physical movement with creative expression.
She’s already experimenting with that concept through an upcoming event at Anytime Fitness in Galloway on Friday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.m.
The $35 event will begin with a workout before participants create their own holiday doormats, blending fitness and festive creativity.
Broskey hopes the experience will offer a glimpse of what her future studio could become: a space where people can move, create and connect.
“There’s something different about your body and the energy created in movement and in art,” she said.
And as her colorful creations continue popping up across South Jersey, Broskey is proving that sometimes all it takes to brighten a neighborhood is a little imagination and a paintbrush.
For more information about Lucky 13 Creations, check out their Instagram and Facebook page under the same name.
Sarah Fertsch of Egg Harbor Township holds a Bachelors of Arts in Public Relations. She is a locally renowned poet, storyteller, and dog lover.
