Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamie Ruiz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jamie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

The namesake of my business is my brother, Matthew James. While I was a law student, Matt succumbed to his years-long battle with opiate addiction. For years, I wanted to bring his addiction to light. I brainstormed ways in which I could make a positive impact on people’s lives by telling Matt’s story. I thought about what brought me relief during Matt’s addiction – self-care. While in law school, and on a limited budget, I started handcrafting sugar scrubs to gift my internship supervisors, friends, and family; when I had the time, I indulged myself. The gifts always received rave reviews. After encouragement from a friend who’s sibling also suffered from addiction, I started selling my sugar scrubs. It was then that Matthew James Heart & Home was born. I realized that self-care was an important part of my story, my recovery process, and that it could do the same for others. At first, I donated a portion of the proceeds from the business to a scholarship fund at my local high school for students who had overcome adversity. As my business grew, I founded a non-profit foundation, The Matthew J. Ruiz Memorial Foundation. The Foundation makes grants to causes near and dear to our heart like charities focused on eradicating the stigma associated with addiction and domestic and wild animal relief – Matt loved our cat, Prince and all animals he came into contact with. Our ability to give back to our local community, in particularly the recovery community, brings purpose to all that we do. Matt’s legacy is a driving force in our mission.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am Jamie, the creator and founder behind Matthew James Heart & Home. I started handcrafting small batch skincare as a law student; sugar scrubs were my currency and therapy. The ability to create allowed me to put my mental health front of mind, making something that made me glow on the inside and outside. It most importantly allowed me to channel positive thinking while my brother, Matthew (“Matt”) James, struggled with addiction.

Ultimately, Matt succumbed to his addiction on Christmas Eve, 2014. While my family and  I grieved, I brainstormed ways I could commemorate Matthew’s memory. I realized how important self-care was during my brother’s struggles with addiction and recovery. Matthew James Heart & Home (“MJHH”) combines my passion for self-care and my advocacy for people like Matt who never had the ability to love themselves enough and put self-care first. MJHH is a self-care brand stocked with products that puts your self-care first, reminding us to form a strong connection between our body and mind. MJHH signature sugar and salt scrubs are the foundation for healthy skin. Our spa products are sourced with sustainability in mind and we feature vegan and reusable items keeping waste to a minimum. This is not just skincare, it’s a movement for a better tomorrow.

In keeping true to our brand’s mission, I established the Matthew J. Ruiz Memorial Foundation helping families on Long Island + beyond who are affected by the opioid and drug epidemic. MJHH is a proud supporter of the work the Foundation continues to do. We know that Matty is so proud that we can make a small difference to those who are suffering from addiction.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

What differentiates Matthew James Heart & Home from other skincare or self-care brands is our story. The root of our business is cause and not profit driven. Our customers, whether they have been touched by addiction or not, connect with our company because we’re made up of real people with real stories. We use our life experience to give back to our local community. That identification with people and not a “thing” or “corporation” is what attracts our customers and makes them loyal to our brand, a brand they can relate to and believe in.

I would be lying if I said that social media has not played a big role in fostering the communication we have with our customers. Instagram helped expose us to our local and national clientele and in person events at local boutiques has allowed our customers to create a personal connection with our brand. We continue to utilize Instagram and other social media channels to keep in touch with our customers, update them about new products, and share events and happenings.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

We currently use the Matthew James Heart & Home website and Etsy for sales. Etsy was an excellent platform to jumpstart our business on the web because it is super user friendly. It allowed us to take our in-person business online, offer shipping, and get exposure to our target customers. We are currently navigating how to pinpoint our ideal market using online marketing tools and Etsy ads, which has been a work in progress.

As our business grew, we realized that our customers were looking for us specifically and that a custom website leading customers directly to our products was necessary. While our website is in its infancy, we are optimistic that it will boost sales. We are working towards being competitive in the retail market as a whole outside of the Etsy world. To face that challenge, we are navigating a variety of marketing campaign tactics via text message, email, etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.matthewjameshearthome.com
• Instagram: matthewjameshearthome
• Facebook: matthewjameshearthome
• TikTok: matthewjameshearthome