CLEVELAND — A northeast Ohio mom is making it her mission to keep her daughters memory alive and help save other women’s lives through her line of self-defense products.
The keychains Tiffany Jones designs pack a punch.
“You have to be prepared to use this if someone’s in your immediate space being a creeper,” she said. “You can’t be nice to creepy guys because that’s how you’ll end up in their basement.”
Each keychain can be customized with various items, like a switchblade key.
“Which is very incognito,” Jones said. “You can flip it open and no one knows it’s a switchblade.”
They are all for her business, Tough Cookie, which she founded at the end of 2020. She said it’s an idea that popped into her head when she couldn’t sleep.
“You can be tough and cute at the same time,” Jones said.
Through these pieces, she’s hoping to provide some peace of mind to women out on their own.
Jones said her daughter Ashley’s fatal car crash in 2018 at age 18 was a wake-up call for her to find her passion.
“Her tattoo said, ‘Strength is gained through the madness we survive,’ so I got it on my arm,” she said.
“She’s like my guardian angel,” Jones said. “Never leaving my side.”
Jones wrote a children’s book, The Adventures of Ash Bash, to honor her honor student.
“She was very kind; she wasn’t quick to anger,” Jones said. “She loved everyone (and) everyone loved her. So I’m trying to basically walk in her footsteps now that she’s not here.”
And help other women walk safely as well.
“Basically, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about is protecting yourself,” she said. “You can’t wait on anyone else to protect you.”
Jones said she hopes to hold self-defense classes starting this summer and is looking for people who want to help.
Tough Cookie Self Defense items can be found on Instagram, and they’re also sold at The Corner in the Van Aken Market Hall in Shaker Heights.
