Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Hernandez.
Hi Stefanie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Happy Mama Designs was born in November of 2014. I had created small wooden Lego boxes and hand painted ornaments for a church bazaar. Our Lego kits quickly sold out and the following year, more were made and sold. During this time my son was diagnosed with Autism and I took a break from crafting. In 2019, my father gifted me with a commercial heat press and I started making t-shirts for friends and family. When the pandemic hit, we ended up working/teaching from home and I would craft in the late evenings. The world was a scary place and kids were missing birthdays, holidays, milestones. One night I came up with an idea to create a birthday in a box and started to deliver boxes with helium balloons all around the city. Between March and August, I created over 50 birthday boxes for kids and adults! Working from home gave me the opportunity to grow my business and my online sales increased. At the time, Happy Mama was selling custom shirts, cups, tooth fairy bags and accessories. In October of 2020, my cousin and I had our first pop-up market event. A year later, we have attended over 30 markets, created a following, and have since, launched multiple collections. I have spent time developing new inventory and curating products that my customers would love. My ultimate goal is to open a small storefront that will showcase goods from local artists and creators around San Antonio.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Finding the right market is always a struggle. There have been market coordinators who are just here to make a profit but then there are some amazing coordinators who really care about helping your small businesses thrive. We have been blessed to find a group of amazing women who believe in our business and have helped guide us to become successful. Supplies have also been a challenge, especially with the shipping issues we have today. Sometimes we bite off more than we can chew because we hate saying no. Space is also always a challenge, just ask about the inside of my craft room, aka kitchen dining room.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a marketing associate at Avision Team, a division of Forward Solutions. We represent world-class manufacturers, and work with distributors across the U.S., providing ultimate success for manufacturers and distributors. I create company presentations, creative collateral and share analytics from our websites and socials with our leadership team. My biggest brag was designing our company’s current logo and business cards with the help of a local graphic designer, JustDrewCreative.
Avision has grown from multiple individual consulting firms into the national company we are today. Our philosophy is “We can and we will.” I look forward to the continuous growth of our company (48 states) along with the beneficial training provided by our marketing directors.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I get nervous before each event I attend, no matter how prepared I am. Happy Mama Designs recently started to host markets at an amazing local bar, Tony’s Siesta. It was a giant step out of my comfort zone, but I had an amazing support team that encouraged me to take this leap. We are set to host 5 more markets between now and August, which helped launch the Instagram handle, Happy Mama Markets. I use this platform to showcase our creative vendors and share Pop-Up market tips. Hosting a curated market allows me to reach out to local small businesses and learn from them and advise new businesses that are starting up. We have created a safe network while working alongside San Antonio’s brilliant artists.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://happymamadesigns.square.site/
- Instagram: @happymamadesigns
- Facebook: @happymamadesigns | @happymamamarkets
Image Credits
Christina (Xtinafi Photography | @xtinafi)
