11A treasure trove of bling set in the backdrop of the yawning prairie about a mile outside Ness City, the Funky Zebra has prompted interest from customers throughout the country.

Marketing primarily on Facebook and through word-of-mouth, Hoss said she has been "shocked" at the response she has received.

"I originally thought I didn't want to invest the time in Facebook, but I just did it and ... wow," she said. "I put the page up and within a day, I had several hundred people,"

Today, the Funky Zebra page has more than 1,800 followers.

"I guess I can thank my good friends, because I started out with four people, and they told their friends. Some of them have a lot of friends," she said with a laugh.

Those friends serve as advertisers for Hoss, who said she regularly receives calls from individuals who have purchased purses from her. They often ask her to send her a stack of her business cards because people on the street want to know where they purchased their purse.

"It's just crazy, which is good for me," she said.

The networking capability of Facebook also helps Hoss know what items are popular, as she receives instant feedback and requests from her Facebook friends. She will search for items as people ask for them and then post pictures, allowing customers to choose from what she posts online.

Peeking in on the Funky Zebra's Facebook page is like following a group of friends at a shopping mall. They converse about the colorful items, ask Hoss questions and express delight about finding just what they were looking for.

Hoss orders a variety of products from Western to funky animal prints and is sometimes "shocked" by items that appeal to people.

"Someone gave me the advice, order half what you love and half what you don't like at all," she said.

She hand-designs some of her jewelry and children's items and also fills requests for specialty items from her customers on Facebook. In addition, Hoss offers purses, clothing, flip flops, accessories for teenage and young girls, baby items, luggage, lunch boxes, watches, cell phone cases, hats, scarves, hip baby shoes, tutus, barrettes and more.

Keeping items affordable is important to Hoss, who said a majority of her rings cost $10, and most necklaces are less than $20.

Hoss and her husband have five children and also own an oil field business, Bojack Roustabout. Although she continually is on the go, with her artistic bent and background in interior design, she finds her new business as a way to get back into the design field.

When asked what she enjoys most about her new business, Hoss quickly said, "the people."

"I feel like I have great friends, although I wouldn't know some of them if they passed me on the street. But I talk to them through e-mails a few times a week."

As the business grows, Hoss said she doesn't have a desire to move her store to town.

"Right now, I ship out of here," she said. "I don't have rent, don't have employees to hire and no overhead."

With her husband's oilfield roustabout business close by, she often has men stopping in to buy gifts for their wives. Some of the men seem more comfortable shopping near an oilfield company instead of going to town to shop, Hoss observed.

Hoss' advice for others who might wish to open a business in their homes is summed up in one word, "Facebook."

Her business plan didn't include laying in a big supply of inventory, but rather only one table full of merchandise.

"I started with one table that sat by that window, and people would come out and look at the one table," she said about Funky Zebra. "That's how it started."