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

Mallory, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Once the idea popped in my head, I hit the ground running. My brain was on fire. I researching everything from top to bottom of the industry. I watched hour long YouTube videos. I spent a ridiculous amount of time on TikTok listening to other women share how they did it (did you know you can learn practically anything on TikTok? fun fact!) Within 60 days I launched my online store. Sounds simple. Let me break it down…
I started with creating three overarching goals to help me focus on what I wanted my store to be. 1) Give back – I want to make sure I give back and serve my community in a meaningful way. I donate a portion of every single sale to a local non profit called Count The Kicks. This nonprofit helped save my sons life and it is important to me to include them in my mission. 2) Find my niche – I knew after covid I was sick of seeing so much black and white and needed some color in my life. I decided I would make my store full of color and fun things. Clothes you can’t find everywhere. Something a little “extra.” 3) No stressing allowed. I want to acknowledge here my privilege of my family not relying on my income and it is because of this I refused to allow any stress into my life with the store. If it is creating any additional stress, I will step back. I will prioritize my family first. I will use the store as an outlet to be myself, feel empowered, creative, and have more fun.
One of the most important signs I spent time on before launching my store was learning how to create social media content. I researched algorithms, which platforms work best, etc. Fortunately, I enjoy creating content so this as so much fun for me. My social media began to grow and so did my store. I used every dollar profited and rolled it into more inventory. I got to a point where I outgrew my home office and wanted to expand to a warehouse. It was at that time that I found the smallest, cutest, most awkward little storefront you’ve ever seen and I ran with it. One year after opening my online store, I opened the storefront.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I went to school to be a therapist. I have my Masters in Social Work and worked as a therapist for years before becoming a stay at home mom. That was about the time covid hit. My kids were 1 and 3 and it was HARD. One of my kids is neurodiverse and parenting has been very challenging. I know I was needed at home and working a full time job seemed practically impossible but I missed working and having a life of my own. It was at that time I knew I needed to get creative and start my own business of some kind. I spent about a year and a half brainstorming, talking to business owners, getting inspired… before landing on creating a store. While I’ve never considered myself a fashionista, I have a love for art, community, and fun. I thought if I could learn how to start an online store then I could run everything from home, have the flexibility in my schedule to be present and available when my children need me, all while having the outlet I craved. I’m the epitome of a mom and pop shop. I open during school hours and leave to pick my kids up from school. I sometimes bring my dog with me. I don’t have solid hours. I come and go as I want. I have one employee that works on Saturdays so I can be with my family. I focus on my three goals and let the store take it’s course. My goal isn’t to be a millionaire. My goal is to be happy. Make others happy. And be a good role model for my kids. And right now, I think I’m doing that!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Hands down – social media. Most business people I know hate social media. But if you hate it, find someone who doesn’t and hire them. It’s an absolute must when starting your business. You need to learn how to scale and you probably can’t compete with Target, Walmart, and other huge companies so you have to define your own path. You have to “niche down.” This means find what sets you apart. For me, I provide a colorful aesthetic. Things that are funny and witty. I have a friend who owns a store and her niche is neutrals. She mostly has a soft palette of clothing that is on trend but low key. You have to find a way to be remembered and stand out. For me, I focus on my target market in social media. Mine is the millennials. With that, I like to pair music to my reels that they would know. Destiny child, Britney Spears… you know the drill. Catch their attention by being relatable. I share about my life. I share I’m closing my store early because my son has a valentines day party at school. People seem to love that about my store. It makes them want to support me.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

It was only one month after launching my online store in 2022 and I was focusing heavily on TikTok. I was connecting with likeminded brands, influencers, etc. I spent a lot of time on there. I somehow connected with a girl named Julia who was on a Bravo show called Winter House a year prior. She sent me a DM and offered to model and shoutout some of my clothes. I couldn’t believe it. I think I had like only 500 followers at that time. Like why would she do this for me? Bonus, she’s a professional model. I remember thinking like, wow, she is so thoughtful. She THOUGHT to do it. So kind. So of course I sent her whatever she wanted and she made the cutest little videos and photos and allowed me to use them on my social media. It was a boost of confidence for me and I think people took me more seriously.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.popandnod.com
• Instagram: @popandnod
• Facebook: @popandnod
• Other: TIKTOK: @Malwearscolor