We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nikki Riojas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nikki below.

Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I started Made in Corpus Christi, LLC in 2019 with $500 and an idea. There was a need for someone to rally around the incredibly talented small business community, and start focusing on the potential of this sleepy little beach city. It didn’t take long before word started getting out about the endeavor. Through strong social channels, media attention, and beautifully tailored branding, Made in Corpus Christi came out of the gate ready to take our community to a whole new level.

During the pandemic, we made strategic decisions to work with organizations that helped fund those adversely affected by the shutdowns and retail downturn, and as a result our business grew at a record pace. In order to keep that momentum going through Covid and after, we created Made in Texas Co. to promote and sell products throughout the entire state. We now work with over 50 small Texas businesses; design, create, and sell our own items to over 100 retailers; and have created a pop-up storefront that allows us to bring the best of Texas products to events, conferences across the Lone Star State.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am the owner of Made in Corpus Christi and Made in Texas Co., local and regional brands that uplift designers, makers, and creatives throughout the state of Texas I’m not a stranger to the world of small business, having built three successful ventures over the past 20 years.

In 2017, I founded the Women’s Entrepreneur Society of Corpus Christi, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the mission of women-owned businesses in the Coastal Bend. I am also a marketing consultant for Small Business Development Centers in South Texas, and a member of the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce and the American Advertising Federation–Corpus Christi. My team and I received the Dream Big Woman-Owned Business Achievement Award by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2021, and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s District Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award in 2022, which I am very proud of.

“I am a firm believer in collective talent. We can all learn from, collaborate with, and become better from the people we chose to bring into our lives. Connection drives creativity, and I love to see it flourish when women come together to share experiences, ask questions, and celebrate success with one another.”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When the pandemic begin in March 2020, we provided our customers with as many opportunities as we could to not only shop with our business, but to have a clear understanding of who they were helping with every purchase. We created a section on our website that showcased each artist, maker, and designer we hire for our products, and used our social media influence to tag, share, and speak about each local business who played a part in the items we were selling.

To help entice customers to purchase through our website, we offered free shipping on all orders and free curbside pickup options. We participated in and hosted virtual events alongside other small businesses in the community to raise awareness and sales throughout 2020 and into 2021. We partnered with non-profits to raise funds for their organization while also creating limited edition designs to help local makers and creatives with every order they fulfilled.

While the storefront was closed, we were unable to have our small staff working in the shop, but due to the work generated from e-commerce sales, we kept both employees on payroll throughout the pandemic.

As the year progressed and we reopened the storefront, we continued to see the rewards from the partnerships we had fostered. We saw a dramatic increase in the number of customers purchasing online and in-store, which allowed us to hire two more employees to close out 2020 and another in 2021.

Our brand has never solely been about making money for ourselves. We are here to build lasting relationships with our customer base, small business owners, and the creative community to make the Coastal Bend a place we are all proud of.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Over the last two years, we have built a strong relationship with our local tourism organization. When the hospitality industry halted due to Covid restrictions, we partnered with Visit Corpus Christi to provide emergency funding for those adversely affected by the pandemic. We hired a local artist to create a design with the phrase “We Ride This Wave Together” and partnered with venders to produce a line of products all carrying that message. 50% of the merchandise profits were donated directly to the charitable foundation managing the campaign. In the first month alone, the community showed their support by purchasing over $10,000 in product. We continue to sell merchandise for this program and donate 25% of all profits to the organization for emergency needs that may need funding.

The pandemic has posed challenges for not only small businesses, but also local non-profits. In 2020, I created a program to assist a local organization in need of assistance over the holidays. We partnered with the Salvation Army of the Coastal Bend to create the “Holiday Hope” campaign–including a limited edition Corpus Christi holiday graphic created by local designer. Much like the VCC Cares campaign above, 50% of the proceeds from ornament, magnet, sticker, apparel and holiday card sales were donated directly to the Salvation Army. Nearly $900 in the course of three weeks was gifted to the organization as a result of the campaign.

At the onset of the pandemic, I created a website called SupportCorpusChristi.com allowing local businesses to share information on who was open, offering curbside services, had online ordering, and other details for those who wanted to support local establishments. Within one day we had over 200 form submissions and the site was shared widely across the city.

We partner with the Coastal Bend Pride Center and donate custom design work for all of the t-shirts they sell to generate revenue for their organization. We hosted the first Corpus Christi Out Professionals Networking Event at our retail location and strongly support our LGBTQIA+ community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.madeincorpuschristi.com and www.madeintxco.com
• Instagram: @madeincorpuschristi and @madeintxco
• Facebook: @madeincorpuschristi and @madeintxco
• Linkedin: @nikkiriojas

Image Credits
Kylie Justus & Lillian Jean Photography