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

Melissa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I came up the with the idea for Miane’s Shoppe while I was working in corporate America. Finding clothes that looked good was easy, but wearing business attire was not always the most comfortable. It was a challenge to find nice outfits that I could wear all day long and still feel as comfortable and confident as I was when I walked out the door that morning. My friends had the same issues. Anytime I found something I looked great in and also could wear comfortably all day long, I shared it with my friends and co-workers. This eventually lead to my non work attire too. Being a new mom and wanting to be comfortable and also stylish was a must. My need to feel comfortable in everyday clothing became a passion and I wanted to share these great feeling clothes and accessories with others so I started Miane’s Shoppe. That was nearly 5 years ago. Since then Mianes Shopped has evolved beyond comfortable work attire. We are obsessed with finding the softest and best quality materials. We love to hear our customer rave about how soft our clothing is or how their outfit works great for the office a day running errands. Every outfit needs accessories too, so we continue to grow our accessory line with light weight and comfortable jewelry.

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.

Hello Friend! My name is Missy. I started Miane’s Shoppe in 2018 to make it easy for people to find comfy clothing to fall in love with.

I am an average mom who likes to be comfortable in the clothes she is wearing. I love soft fabrics, fun prints or sayings that let me express myself without saying a word.

After working an office job for 15 years, I decided to do what I enjoy and share my clothing passion with other women. I try to find unique, sometimes stylish items that you’re not going to find other places. I try to find the best quality and price available. I want the clothes to be comfortable. When you put it on the first thing you say is “omg this is soft!” or “wow this fits great”. I love getting an item into someone’s hand and them absolutely loving it.

I am obsessed with my kid which is why I have mom tee’s with funny and often sarcastic phrases available. Nothing like a little humor to help you get through motherhood…or life in general. One of our best sellers are our adult weekday pens with colorful wording on them.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I had a very bad day in the office and in the middle of my day I was done. I emailed my boss so I would not chicken out and turned in my two week notice. I had talked about starting my own business and just like that I had 2 weeks to formulate my vision and finalize the business plan. The shortest and most stressful two weeks of my life, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. I used my very last 2 paychecks and vacation time I got paid out to buy my initial inventory. My last day was a Friday and the very next day we were doing a photo shoot so we could open the website. The website launched a week later. I guess I can thank my former employer for “investing” in my business when I quit, Any business planner will tell you this is not the correct way too start. But sometimes you just need to believe in yourself and take the leap.

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

Having comfy clothes and making people laugh. We often have graphic Tess that have funny or sarcastic sayings on them. Our customers often tells us they love how soft and comfortable our fabrics are or how many compliments they get on our funny or inspirational tees. Some of our best sellers are very sarcastic and funny says that people can relate to and laugh about. We strongly believe “Make them laugh and they will remember you”.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mianesshoppe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mianes.shoppe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MianesShoppe