Transcript - Valerie Mayén
Joshua Williams: Retail Revolution is a special, limited podcast created specifically for "Retailing and Service Design," a unique course that is part of the Fashion Management graduate program at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Each episode features in depth conversations with guest experts in omnichannel retelling, with myriad perspectives: technology, consumer engagement, data analytics, merchandising, and more. We pay special attention to the short- and long- term challenges and implications of COVID-19 and potential opportunities to rethink retail's future. Retail Revolution is produced by Joshua Williams and hosted by Christopher Lacy, both are Assistant Professors in the School of Fashion at Parsons.
Christopher Lacy: I am your host, Christopher Lacy, and welcome to another episode of Retail Revolution podcast. Please be sure to subscribe to Retail Revolution podcast on your preferred streaming platform; you can find us on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. You can also access the Retail Revolution podcast, blog, transcripts, and previous episodes at RetailRevolutionPodcast.com.
Okay, listeners today we have designer, entrepreneur, actress, and Project Runway alum, the head "dress baker" herself, Valerie Mayén.
How are you? Valerie?
Valerie Mayén: Good. How are you doing?
Christopher Lacy: I'm awesome. Super excited to have you on the show today!
Valerie Mayén: Yeah, I'm excited to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
Christopher Lacy: It's a pleasure.
So, Valerie, you've had such a cool career; there's so much about you that I think you could talk about right now. So, give us the lowdown.
Valerie Mayén: Sure. Yeah. I got into fashion kind of in a happenstance kind of way. I went to school for illustration and graphic design.
I grew up in Texas, but I've really believed when I was just a wee 17 years old that I had to make it to the big city, like Mary Tyler Moore to really do something with my life and my career. So, I applied to every art school I could think of that was as far away from Texas as possible. And, I landed in Philadelphia and I went to the University of the Arts for a few years, and then I kind of bounced around a bit and I landed in Cleveland, Ohio. And I got my BFA in 2005. and I had never really pursued fashion because I didn't know how to sew. I'd never used a sewing machine. Machine's always kind of scared me and I just didn't feel like I knew enough.
But I was bartending at a restaurant in little Italy here in Cleveland, and a lot of my clients would ask me about what I was wearing. And they were like, Oh, I love the way you styled that. Or I love this top you're wearing. At one point, this woman asked me if I could make her a dress. I think she assumed that I knew something about fashion based on the way I was dressed.
And I told her I couldn’t, and I think I just got tired of saying no to people, that I decided I would teach myself how to sew. So I did. And you know, about 10 or 12 years later, here we are.
Christopher Lacy: That's pretty awesome. I love it was more of, yeah, I just don't want people to ask me something and I don't know how to do it, is how that occurred.
Also. I have to tell you, I didn't know that you were from Texas, ‘cause I am also from Texas.
Valerie Mayén: No way. What part?
Christopher Lacy: Dallas.
Valerie Mayén: Oh yeah, I'm from Corpus.
Christopher Lacy: What?
Valerie Mayén: Salinas, you know?
Christopher Lacy: Yes. So, wait, here's, what's funny. You and I both had the same desire, which was, we have to get out of Texas, but you went northeast, and I went to the west.
Valerie Mayén: I lived in California for a half a minute.
Christopher Lacy: Yeah, pretty much me too. No, no, I was there for school, but I have to say I did not love California as much as I thought I would.
Valerie Mayén: I know. I think I loved it when I was younger. I don't love it as much now. No.
Christopher Lacy: No.
Valerie Mayén: If I could pick the weather, I would.
Christopher Lacy: Exactly. Right?
Valerie Mayén: Hmhm.
Christopher Lacy: You started as a fashion designer by happenstance and I'm going to fast forward to who you are now, because I actually think what you're doing now is so phenomenal and needs to be talked about. You currently, you have your own business. You started 10 years ago, which is called Yellowcake.
Valerie Mayén: Correct.
Christopher Lacy: Can you tell us a bit about Yellowcake?
Sure, when I first started Yellowcake I was a few years out of college and I was freelancing as an illustrator and I had just started learning how to sew, but I couldn't figure out how to use my sewing skills to actually live off of and make a career out of it. And I was really conflicted. You know, I come from a very, very heavy conservative Latin American family. And in Latin American culture, you either become a doctor, or a lawyer, or you live with your parents 'til you get married; you don't become a fashion designer and that's frivolous and shallow. So, I was really conflicted that I didn't know how I could still feel like I was contributing to the world as a fashion designer. And so finally I just decided what if I created a brand that was moving the needle in the fashion industry in a positive way.
You know, I knew a lot about fast fashion and how it's really bad for the planet. And it utilizes a lot of unethical labor and a lot of people that are in the fast fashion industry, as employees or as labor workers, they're not treated fairly or paid fairly. and they're often in very unsafe and unethical standards.
And so I decided, you know, what, if I could create a brand that goes against that; that pays a fair living wage, that employs our neighbors, that makes products that lasts, that promotes less consumption, but better quality. And I just figured, that for me would feel like I was really contributing.
And also, aas a company, we support a lot of other initiatives. We really exist to support our community in ways that maybe the fast fashion industry doesn't. We volunteer with homeless shelters. We donate often to initiatives that alleviate hunger and poverty. We work with organizations like Dress for Success and rape crisis centers and domestic abuse shelters. We try really hard to hire women and men who are in minority groups, or who are single mothers, who are disabled, so that we can provide jobs to people that can find them otherwise. And we felt like with that mantra, with that business culture, it was akin to supporting the underdog and really always fighting for the underdog.
Valerie Mayén: And to me, Yellowcake is kind of the underdog of all sweets. It's the forgotten favorite, it's the dessert that's often overlooked, but it's just as valuable, it's just as classic. And, we want to promote that in a way that, that is unique.
Christopher Lacy: There couldn't be more of a unique way then to compare, you've taken fashion community and dessert and put it together beautifully. Right?
Many people who want to start a company as a designer. And we're looking at brands that are out there right now, we have a lot happening in our world around sustainability and around community. What made you so focused on community?
Part of me wants to lean into your Latin upbringing as your connectivity to community. But why was it so important for you to really get into community? Cause you've been doing things even on a local level in Cleveland during COVID.
Valerie Mayén: Yeah. You know, I think that a lot of fast fashion brands or the fashion industry as a whole has really done a lot of damage to our world in general. And I think that as much as I love magazines and I love high fashion, it often comes with this connotation or this attitude of like, I don't give a shit. Can I say shit on this podcast? I don't even know.
Christopher Lacy: Totally, you absolutely can.
Valerie Mayén: So, you know, I think it's just this whole attitude of not caring, or not like being so high above the stratosphere of the everyday person that it's A) unattainable; B) unapproachable; and C) it's self serving; and that just didn't sit well with me. And I knew that I couldn't create a business model on a basis of that genre, or that feeling, or that mantra. I needed to create a business model, that was more honest; that that gave more than it took. And that was more of a business that stood for change and for positivity, as opposed to, you can't sit with us and you can't afford me. Granted, I know that our products are higher priced than typical fashion products that you can buy at target or H&M. But that's mainly because we use American labor and American labor is going to be a different price structure than overseas labor any day of the week.
Christopher Lacy: When a brand is being transparent about what they do and the why behind they do it, there's really not that much price resistance, right?
Valerie Mayén: Every now and again, we'll get a little bit of pushback from some people that are newer to our business or company or new to slow fashion in general. But I think a lot of our clients that understand the slow fashion movement and understand the story behind our brand and why were priced the way we were priced and why we do what we do, a lot of them are really loyal. I mean, we have some clients that I can tell you without a doubt; I could bet my life on it that they will always be first in line to buy whatever we make, whenever something is new. Whenever we make a variation or an update, when something goes on sale, regardless, they're always there 100% of the time to support. And it's just because they love our products, and they love the way they fit, and they love the way that they look in them. But they also love the principles that we stand for.
Christopher Lacy: Now, you mentioned, you wanted to change the business model and that's really important because I feel like I've been on so many panels, and listen to so many zoom conferences, and been to so many conferences where the discussion is we need to change the business model. I want to get a better understanding, as a designer, how challenging was it for you to be sustainable, transparent, affordable, plus profitable, and people believe in it?
Valerie Mayén: Oh yeah, to be honest, we really started hitting our stride over the last three years. The first seven years, I wasn't really doing the best job at keeping tabs on our growth and our profit, because I didn't know any better, you know, I didn't go to business school. So, I didn't know what valuation and competitive matrix and I don't know, red and black, meant. I really didn't know any of that. I was single, no kids, un-married, all I had to worry about was my rent and my makeup products, you know. So yeah, it definitely took some time and I think it was kind of more of like a slow burn and, a good friend of mine told me years ago when I first started my business, find something that you love. Do it well. And do it in the same place for at least 20 years. And that's how you'll gain success. And, I've been in Cleveland for almost 17 years now, but I've only been, Yellowcake shop, or running my business for about 10 plus years now. Like maybe closer to 11 years now. I'm finally starting to really see growth that we've never seen before, because I think we've really earned and gained trust with people here that believe in us. And we've really put in the legwork to understand our client and to try to start gaining a wider reach.
Christopher Lacy: And when you talk about understanding the client, have you noticed a change from when you first started this project and started your business, to how the client is now? Who that person is, how they're engaging with your brand? Has there been a change over the last 10 plus years?
Valerie Mayén: I think there has and there hasn't. I think my client has grown up with me. So when I started the brand, I was, let's see, I'll be 39 this summer. And I was about, I think 28 when I first started. So yeah, it was 28, unmarried, no kids living on my own, living the life and I noticed that of my clients join me at the beginning, they've also all gotten new careers, gotten a promotion, changed their jobs, bought a house, started a family, got married, what have you. My clients had definitely grown up with me and I feel like there's definitely mission change in that way, as far as the aesthetics that we are now producing.
But, if anything, I think our clientele base has grown in terms of the demographic and in terms of our geographic reach. So, it's been interesting, I think as slow fashion, it's kind of like anything that's new. I mean, organic food was an anomaly several years ago, probably in the early 2000s. And now you can find it everywhere. You can find that at Aldis, you can find it at Costco. And I think as slow fashion becomes more widely accepted and prevalent, it should hopefully become a little bit easier for us to gain clientele and to gain understanding. But there's also the flip side of that, is also going to be brands that are claiming sustainability, or claiming ethically made when they really aren't. And that's something that the consumer has to look out for.
Christopher Lacy: I appreciate you bringing that up. People understanding slow fashion. I've always said one of the core reasons we have such a hard time with that is because we are eradicating the middle class. Right? And so you have groups of people that they don't have the disposable income that they used to, where it was okay to spend $200 maybe on a top, or $150 or $95 on jeans. Now you have a group of people, a whole economy of people where their earnings have not increased with how much everything else is.
And so for them to keep up or to just simply clo the their family on the incomes they make, they turn to fast fashion. Right? Cause that's, that's, what's believed in. It's because...
Valerie Mayén: Right.
Christopher Lacy: ...we've created this scenario. And I'm hoping that we can kind of get beyond that and really understand how we need to change how people are able to earn an income so that they can actually take the time to understand why slow fashion is important for the long term.
Valerie Mayén: Yeah. Yeah. And I totally understand that. I wasn't making a lot of money myself when I first started my business or even before I started my business. And I was definitely in the fast fashion trap and under their spell for sure. I mean, I can't tell you how much money I have spent at Forever 21 or H&M in my twenties. And, it's, it's really sad, you know, because I don't think I own any of those items anymore. But, as far as my Yellowcake items, or the items that I buy from sustainable brands, I take care of them better because I invested more money into them and because they're more special to me.
I think for people that are in the middle class or people that are unable to justify the expense of a slow fashion garment or buying from a slow fashion company, there's several really great options to try to shift your lifestyle, to convert or to accommodate more slow fashion consumption or slow fashion living.
Just like with anything it takes time, if you want to try to lose some weight, or if you're trying to eat healthy, you can't do it cold turkey overnight. You have to take baby steps and try, try a little bit each week, try something small that's within your capacity.
With slow fashion, I'd recommend starting with thrifting. Thrifting is a great way to get into the slow fashion mentality and lifestyle. Thrifting is probably one of the easiest ways and if you're not comfortable going to like Goodwill or Value World or Salvation Army, you can always try Plato's Closet or Buffalo Exchange or any other resell shops. There's plenty that are even local to most cities. In Chicago and here in Cleveland, we also have Avalon Exchange, but that's a local company. So, those are really great ways to get started.
Another great way is to host a clothing swap. Once Corona is behind us and it's safe to do it, I'd recommend hosting a clothing swap, or you could even host a socially distant clothing swap as long as you provide disposable gloves and people have masks, and maybe you have tables that are at least 6 to 10 feet apart. And, let people come in in small groups. You could definitely host that if you're in an outdoor or larger space.
That's a great way to pare down your current closet and then find new options or new-to-you options, from people that are participating.
The average American woman throws away 81% of her clothing each year and only uses 47% of whatever she has currently in her closet. We don't really use even half of what we have in our closets currently, you know?
Christopher Lacy: Yeah.
Valerie Mayén: So, thrifting and buying secondhand is a great way to start. If you want to buy from a handmade or local slow fashion designer, I would recommend trying to seek out their sale rack, especially right now during Corona, or during this pandemic, I should say, a lot of small designers, myself included, we have a lot of items on sale, because even though people are shopping online a lot, we also understand that people are shopping mostly for essentials, but people still want to look cute and feel comfortable and support local and do what they can. So, shop the sale rack from your local designer.
Another thing you can do is, we have a payment plan option. So, if there's an item that you really love, but you can't afford it outright, you can do a payment plan option. So, say there's a jacket that we that you really love and it's $200 and you can't afford that on a Friday, you can split it up into two, three or four payments and pay that over two, three or four months, no extra charge, no added interest. And I know that a lot of websites are incorporating Klarna or AfterPay. And that's also a way that you can contribute to a slow fashion lifestyle.
The general concept is that, if you buy five rompers at H&M, for 30 bucks a piece, right, that's 150 bucks for five jumpsuits. And those jumpsuits might serve you well for a summer, maybe even a year, but they're going to break down. They're going to have holes in them. They're going to pop some seams. And then what are you going to do? Are you going to pay money to have them fixed? Or, are you going to trash them and buy new H&M garments a year later? So, another way you can get into the slow fashion lifestyles instead of throwing those pieces away, take a sewing class, watch a YouTube video, learn how to mend your garments so that you don't throw them away.
Or, if you are going to chuck them, look into local textile recycling plants in your area or donation bins. The donation bins are not as recommended just because they end up in landfills sometimes. But that's another way that anyone can get into the slow fashion lifestyle.
Now with that same mathematic applied, like you're spending $150 on five jumpsuits that maybe will last you a year, maybe two years, if you treat it really well; we have a tunic that is $144. On sale right now I think it's like 97. But if you invest that $150 in a really well-made piece from a local designer, most designers will have a special guarantee on their products. And if they're like us, we offer free repairs on all of our products for life. You're investing in a product that is sewn really well, comes with a local designer, so you can contact them if there's an issue. And it will last you a lot longer than those five jumpsuits that you've spent $150 on, and basically the cost benefit analysis is greater when you shop small and local and handmade.
Christopher Lacy: I have to say, I think, you know, you are a perfect example of a beautiful case study that can be done on what I do think is the future customer, which is yes, product is important, but what about all the services that go along with that? And, when you mentioned the ability to bring something back in and being repaired for life, it goes to the fact that you're saying our product is our product and you paid for it for a reason. So, not only do we love the product we originally made for you, but we can repair that. And then you'll also get new things we have coming out and we're supporting the community within that same sphere.
I think your company is a beautiful example of what true sustainability is about, right? Because it's sustainable from an environmental perspective, but you're also sustaining a community of people, and the fashion industry, we love to separate the two, as if sustainability is only about the environment, but not about anything else. And you've really taken thought in making sure Yellowcake represents the full cycle.
Valerie Mayén: Right. We've even taken it a step further. And we actually took a note from Hackwith Design. They're a Minnesota based slow fashion company and they really have a great system down. And their business model is pretty top notch.
They started doing this program called sustainable shop and we call ours the YC reshop. Basically what they do-- they've been in business as long as we have, if not longer--but, they have enough clients that have been buying from them since the beginning of their conception, that they're allowing their clients now to bring back any old garments that they have, that they've made. And they can quote unquote, resell it back to the brand. And then the brand will give them a voucher or store credit for new product. Then they turn around and they sell that product, that was given from their former clients, they'll resell that use product back to the public at a discounted price. So, if you want to buy Hackwith, but you can't afford their current new product rates, you can buy from their sustainable shop at the discounted lower used rate.
And so I thought that was kind of a brilliant idea. And we started doing that just before the lockdown and we kind of had to put it on pause because we haven't been, facilitating or soliciting people or clients to come and drop off their used garments in our store lately. But, but in a few months, we'll probably start that up again and we want to get a really good website and system built for it. We have a lot of fans and followers that love our product and love our business, but they just haven't pulled the trigger yet because they can't afford it. Or, maybe they've been out of a job because of the current pandemic. And so this is a great way for us to be able to provide something for them that they can't afford. And it's keeping fashion circular, it's keeping it in the family, so to speak, and then it's not being sent to a Goodwill or thrift store or donation bin or the trash.
Christopher Lacy: That is really fantastic.
As we've talked about all of this, in my head, being a leader all of my career, hearing what you're saying, you have these amazing leadership skills that clearly developed over time. Right? Things occur, things happen. And so you develop a new skill. What was a significant setback for you that when you turn around and look at it now, It ended up being the most meaningful setup for your life.
I'm so intrigued to know that from you, because you've done so much.
Valerie Mayén: Yeah. So, basically you're asking what, if any, setbacks in my career that really kind of put me on the path that I was meant to take?
Christopher Lacy: Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Valerie Mayén: I would say, I was going to stay in California; no, actually before that, I applied for college for illustration; I was also applying to schools for vocal performance. I was really into like opera and music and singing and choir when I was in high school. And I really couldn't decide if I wanted to be a painter, an illustrator, or if I wanted to be a musician or local performer. And I applied to several schools and I actually got into Berkeley in California. But I got my acceptance to Berkeley for vocal performance after I got my acceptance to University of the Arts illustration and I'd already signed my paperwork, I had already started the matriculation papers. And, my boyfriend at the time was going to drive me to Philadelphia. My parents didn't want me to go. And they said, you know, if you can get it paid for on your own then sure. And so I did, I got a scholarship and I was going to leave and my boyfriend and I were going to drive and get a place together. And then I got my paperwork to Berkeley and I was really conflicted.
And then my boyfriend and I broke up like the day before I supposed to leave. And so I didn't have a ride and I didn't have anyone to share an apartment with. And I was really like concerned. And I was like, I guess I'm going to have to stay in Texas. I'm just going to have to live here forever and never see the world or, you know, live my dream out.
And, my dad is a really nice guy, but you know, he's also really gruff and he's like stern and he's a typical at the mill, you know? And he came home from work and he saw me crying in the kitchen and he said, what's, what's wrong? And I said, it doesn't matter. It's fine, you wouldn't understand. You know? And then he said, just tell me. And so I told him, and he said, your mom and I will drive you and we'll help you with your apartment. And I just like ran to my dad and I started sobbing, because like I knew how much he was against it. And I really think that for me, that was like one of the first times that I knew that I was on the path to doing something special. And I think if my father hadn't given in and helped me out that way. I don't know where I'd be right now and, you know, I really, I really don't.
And I would say, after I graduated college, I was really on the fence about what to do with my career. I was working five jobs, donating plasma, bartending, working retail, doing whatever I could to get by. And finally I was working for this family as a nanny and it was a good job for awhile. And then I decided to quit because it was a little too much. I was having to like groom the dogs, and tutor the kids and pick up from school and clean the house. It was like a lot. I was their like nanny, cleaning lady, seamstress, everything. So, I quit. The job I had lined up, fell through and I was out of work for about six months and that's really when Yellowcake started. I wasn't sewing at the time, I was just doing my illustration thing. And I had been out of work for so long I didn't know what to do. And the guy I was dating at the time was a photographer; it was actually just whenever Etsy had started. Etsy had just become a thing. And he said, Hey, why don't we take some photos of you and these clothes that you're making. And we put them on Etsy and see what happens. And so we did. And the first three months that I was on Etsy, I didn't sell a single thing. I think I sold one dress. And at the rate I sold it. I think I was making 50 cents an hour. So I started thinking harder. And I actually read this book by Manolo Blahnik.
And Manolo Blahnik was actually in theater, and he was a costume designer and he worked backstage and did props. And his mentor actually told him that he should find the one thing that he loves and become the master of that one thing. And he became the master of shoes. And as we all know, Manolo Blahniks they're famous worldwide. And so I, I decided, okay, well, I'm in Cleveland, Ohio. What do we use most in Cleveland? Right? It's the Tundra of the Midwest. And I knew that women don't like to spend a lot of money on dresses. They like to wear a dress for one time or one event, and they like to buy a new one, but a coat is something that's more utility.
A woman will spend more money on a coat, then a dress or blouse or a pair of pants, because they can justify the expense cause they know they'll wear it more often. So ,I decided I would make coats and I made four styles and my boyfriend photographed me in them and I put them on Etsy. And within a month I had 30 orders at 400 bucks a pop.
Christopher Lacy: Wow.
Valerie Mayén: And to me that that said something. And so, you know, if I hadn't had that step back with my job, if I hadn't had that slow go of the dresses selling the way they did, I probably wouldn't have dug deeper. I probably wouldn't have really thought about what I wanted to do and why. And, and yeah, I think that really led me to where I am now.
Christopher Lacy: That's fantastic. I would love to hear your point of view on navigating this space as a female, Latina, entrepreneur from Texas and getting respect in the fashion industry, doing what you do, that you have passion about. Was it challenging for you?
Valerie Mayén: As a Latina or as a female or as both?
Christopher Lacy: Both.
Valerie Mayén: Oh, sure. I guess I've just been such a hard worker, or I guess that sounds pretentious, but I wouldn't call myself a workaholic, I just enjoy working. And I enjoy it because I like what I do and I have fun with it, and that's exciting to me to, to grow and find new things and learn about my business.
But I think I learned that from my dad. I don't know. I can't say for certain, if I've ever experienced any real discrimination because I'm a woman or because I'm Latina. I am light-skinned for looking at, so I think I can pass as white. And I think that also, maybe either helped or hurt me. I'm not really sure. And I don't have a thick accent. So, I think if anyone was to discriminate against me, they wouldn't know unless... I'm pretty out about myself being Latina, on my page and when I do business pitches, cause I'm proud of it.
Christopher Lacy: Right.
Valerie Mayén: I think I've been fortunate, my dad worked really hard to build his business. You know, he immigrated to Texas from Guatamala , and my mom and my dad got married very young. My mom was 15. My dad was 19. And, we were dirt poor until I was maybe like 15 or 16, and that's when my dad's business started taking off. And I learned my work ethic from him, but because I left Texas and because I learned what I did from him, they never gave me a handout. They wanted me to earn what I had on my own, and I was really grateful for that.
So, I'm not sure if I ever had any challenges because of being a woman or being Latina. But I do think that if I were male, and if I wasn't a Latin American, I might have more connections. I might have, maybe more credibility in the business world.
There were a few times when I had a storefront that I had to deal with some local, political people, that were involved in the neighborhood development, that were a little aggressive or, or brash with me. But I will say, I think maybe my Latina, like my Latin nature to haggle and barter and be scrappy really helped me.
Christopher Lacy: I love that you said that because , for you it is about embracing exactly who you were; I love that you embraced your roots and your family, and that you're proud of it. And you didn't feel the need to assimilate. You didn't feel the need to be anything else. You literally did what you did on your terms, based on the foundation you had from your family. And, and for me, that's a beautiful story because I go back to that myself...
Valerie Mayén: Yeah.
Christopher Lacy: ...as I navigate the space as well.
Valerie Mayén: Sure. Yeah. I think for me personally, I felt like it set me apart and it gave me this extra like, don't fuck with me, I'm Latina, you know, I didn't want to do that. Listen, but I did like feeling like my dad, you know, my dad was a very shrewd businessman and if, you know, the electrician was trying to screw him over with the price that he knew wasn't the right price, he would call him out on it. You know, if he, if he knew that he had to keep something under a certain budget because the client needed it, he would do what he could to work with his vendors to get that. My dad's a very generous guy. Like he's so generous and he's so giving and kind, but he's also a hard ass. And I think I learned that from him. Like, how do you combine the two? You know, you don't want to be a jerk. You don't want to be total asshole, I guess, but you know, you want to be, you want to be cautious with your business. You want to be smart and you want to be lean, but you also want to be kind and gracious where you need to be. And so I think I'm hoping that that's the kind of boss I've become and that's the kind of business owner I've become. And I've learned a lot of that from my dad.
Christopher Lacy: Well, it sounds like you definitely have for sure. So Valerie, how can our listeners get in touch or stay in touch with what's happening with you and your business and what you're doing in the community?
Valerie Mayén: Sure. So, a lot of what we do, we post on social media or our website. Our website is yellowcakeshop.com. It's just like it sounds, it's the American version of shop, not the British version. So it's yellowcake, just like the dessert and S H O P.com And we usually have a lot of updates there, but also, Instagram and Facebook. Those are the two platforms that we communicate with our followers and our clients the most. On Instagram, we are simply yellowcakeshop. And then on Facebook as well; it's yellowcakeshop, I think backslash "CLE" like C L E for Cleveland.
So yeah, we have to have a lot of sales going on right now because before Corona hit, we were ramping up our inventory for all of our retail events and all of our big trade shows and then they were all canceled. Luckily, we were able to get by with mask making and that has been a huge, huge savior for our business and also to our team members, and our sewers, to provide work for them. And at one point we even had like 35 sewers working with us, making masks. So, yeah, it's been really cool. I mean, to date, we've made about 30,000 masks for the community, for homeless shelters, for hospitals, for essential employees, for the general public and, that was something we didn't plan on doing and it just really, it really happened kind of naturally and quickly.
Christopher Lacy: Fantastic. Valerie, I have enjoyed this conversation so much. Keep up doing what you're doing. It's amazing to hear what you've been able to accomplish and what you continue to do.
So thank you so much and we hope to talk to you again in the future.
Valerie Mayén: Yeah, sounds good. I really enjoyed it. This is probably one of my favorite podcast interviews that I've ever done.
Christopher Lacy: Yay! Thank you.
Valerie Mayén: Thanks for having me Chris.
Christopher Lacy: Take care.
Joshua Williams: Thank you for listening to this episode of Retail Revolution. A very special thank you to everyone who has helped make this podcast possible, our guests, our students and fellow faculty at Parsons School of Design, especially in such an extraordinary and unprecedented time. Our theme music was composed by Spencer Powell.
Be well and stay tuned for our next episode.
