Kristin Malone is on the show today and we chat about her creative journey from hobby, to brick and mortar, and to expanding locations. Her shop Home Malone is located in New Orleans and features local and southern artists. We also chat about the importance of customer communication and why finding your unique perspective as an artist is important.
About Kristin:
Home Malone began in 2011 as a need to get back to creativity. It grew from refinishing furniture at night and during the weekends in a carport and slowly graduated to selling rustic wood signs with hand painted creole tomatoes. oysters and other New Orleans influenced items. As demand and passion grew for the small business, Kristin quit her near decade long industrial sales career in Jan 2014 to pursue Home Malone full time. Her wholesale and customer base grew as she participated in countless outdoor art markets and painted custom house caricatures for locals. In 2015, she added paint parties to her portfolio as she worked together with local businesses to help bring customers in after hours. In July 2016, she hosted a paint party at a charming clothing store that was in a New Orleans home on the streetcar line. Many customer requested for another event, and upon following up, it was then she found out the current store was relocating to another part of town. The idea of owning a retail store came to life and the lease was signed in September. While working side by side with artist for years, she has a passion for handmade products and the space was curated with goods that weren't just designed in the Deep South, but were also being produced. Home Malone retail opened its doors November 19th, 2016 with the idea of a studio/workshop space that was supplemented with some retail. But the response from locals was resounding and retail became the main focus.
6 weeks after opening, Kristin was exhausted! But only to find out she was pregnant with her first child. 2017 was a year of learning and growth on both family and business levels as she welcomed her son while learning to step back from work and allow others to take the lead on her "first baby" Home Malone. As she hit her stride with utilizing social media, launching the retail online store, and hiring more, 2018 opened many more doors for opportunity. The staff grew from 2 to 8, nearly 60 additional artists were added to the curation, the Mid City store expanded to it's upstairs space, her consignment space on the Northshore expanded to carry more items to ease the demand nearly 60 miles away, she launched over 20 new items to her wholesale catalog and and signed a lease for a second location on New Orleans' prime shopping area on Magazine Street.
As Home Malone grows, so does the support for locals. There's been a shift of attention to quality over quantity and consumers wanting to know where and how their merchandise is being made. While running a small business with steady growth may seem daunting, working with the best customers and makers in the world makes it's less of work and more of a dream. A dream Kristin hopes to not wake up from for some time.
Connect with Kristin:
Website | Instagram | Facebook
To get 50% off your first year with Honeybook, go to positivelycreative.net/honeybook!
About The Positively Creative Podcast:
The Positively Creative Podcast was created by Dorothy Collier, artist of Dorothy Art, for creative entrepreneurs. When Dorothy started having a positive outlook on every aspect of her life, including her art career, the creativity and opportunities started overflowing! Join her as she chats with other small business owners, discussing the ins and outs of how to run a creative business and how they make it in their respective fields.
To learn more about The Positively Creative Podcast, visit our website or head over to our Patreon page! You can also find Dorothy on Instagram at @positivelycreativepodcast and @dorothyart!
022 - Kristen & Lindsey Archer of Arch'd on Working with Family, Creating Products in Batches & Assembly Lines, & Having Day Jobs That Help Your Creativity Thrive for Your Creative Career
021 - Katherine Corden on Growing her Painting Hobby as a Side Hustle with a Full Time Career, Saying Yes to What She Wants, Painting Commissions, & Batching Work to Prioritize Her Time
020 - Pro Panel Q&A: Maker Booths on applying to craft fairs, how to set up your booth, to selling at festivals with Signet Sealed, Texstyle, Ella Jude, & Falling Into Place
019 - Amanda Torres of The Curious Coconut on Paleo & Auto Immune Protocol Cooking, the Launch of Her First Cookbook, & Marketing Through Pinterest, Facebook, & Instagram, & Monetizing a Blog
018 - Erin Austen Abbott of Amelia on Owning and Curating for Her Gift Shop Amelia, Writing Her New Book, How to Make It, Being a Contributor to Design*Sponge, & More
017 - Abby Phillips of Memphis Fashion Design Network on Creating Memphis Fashion Week, Building a Collaborative Design Studio, & Education Courses for Designers
016 - Amanda Campbell of Amanda Louise Interiors on Targeting her Ideal Client through Email Marketing & Blogging, Creating Styled Spaces for her Customers, & Collaborating with Artists
015 - Stacie Bloomfield of Gingiber on Licensing Illustrations, Growing Wholesale, & Pivoting in Your Business
014 - Meredith Piper Art on Having a Studio Retail Space with High Foot Traffic, Creating a Signature Art Form of Encased Weavings, & Painting Live at Events
013 - Emily Jeffords on Painting Collections, Getting Buyers to Connect with her Art via Instagram, and Only Doing the Creative Work she Enjoys
012 - Mary Claire White of Falling Into Place on Opening a Retail Store, Visioning What You Want for Your Business, Branding a Candle Line, and Etsy Wholesale
011 - Kelly Parker Smith & Caroline Hull of Creative Biz Rebellion Podcast on Starting a Podcast, the Etsy Action Plan, The Mompreneur Hustle, and More
010 - Sarah Baumann of Signet Sealed on Starting a Creative Business in College, Art Shows & Pop Ups, and Encouraging Community as a Rising Tide Society Leader
009 - Mini Episode with Dorothy - Work During an Emergency
008 - Caitlin Horton of Horton Brand Strategy on How to Take a Strategic Approach to Design and Marketing for Your Business
007 - Liana Kangas on Comic & Magazine Illustration and Breaking Into New Creative Communities
006 - Hillary Butler Fine Art on Hosting Art Workshops, How to Balance New Mama Life and Her Art Career & More
005 - Valerie McKeehan of Lily and Val on Licensing Artwork, Working with a Spouse, and Opening a Brick & Mortar Shop
004 - Kat Gordon of Muddy’s Bake Shop on Building Community in Your Business & More
003 - Kristen Ley of Thimblepress on Building a Brand Through Hard Work & Faith, Managing a Team, & How New Products Form In House and Through Collaborations
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