Why We're Celebrating

I am so guilty of hurrying. 

Most of the time we breeze past significant milestones. It’s onto the next idea. The next experience. The next win.

I am so excited about what’s next that I forget where I’m currently standing was, at one point, a wild “what’s next,” too. We accomplish so much that we never truly stop to recognize.

So this December, before we move onto new years, resolutions, and the next generation of big, hairy ideas, I want to do one of the hardest tricks in the book: pause. I want to give me, and more importantly my team, a large pat on the back. Because this year we showed up in a wild and wonderful ways. 

Below are 3 big things we’re celebrating from 2023 at Mayker. I hope you enjoying peeking behind the curtain of our design business and seeing parts of our journey. But more important, I hope you pause, too. Never forget: We’re all deserving of a little celebration—and yes, I’m talking about you too.

A DECADE OF DESIGN

This year, we turned the anniversary corner and celebrated 10 years of business—something only 30% of small businesses do.

I can say now, with complete confidence, that I knew near nothing about business when we started. I was wildly naive, but floored by the conviction of a good idea. Our first warehouse was my garage. Our first furniture piece was a farm table. Our first delivery person was, heaven help us, me.

Needless to say, we did not come out of the gates swinging.

But I think that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it? When you start at the bottom, the ground floor of ideas, and have to truly muscle it all the way up, you can look back at a history so storied and wild, and appreciate how much can be accomplished over time. 

Now, 10 years later, with perhaps a touch more wisdom and design sensibility, our company is still here. And the frontier of the next 10 years looks as glorious as the wild west. Vast, dangerous, and full of possibility for those who have a little gumption.

If you’re thinking about starting something, don’t let your lack of education, means, or connections deter you. Be furiously curious. Use your truly fresh lens as an advantage. Anyone can do things the way they’ve been done before. What we need is people who ache to do things differently.

NEW BRANDING

As most good aesthetics do, the Mayker look has evolved over time. We had a brief (and embarrassing) foray into the land of shabby chic (this is when I made the mistake of creating what I thought the audience wanted rather than what I was passionate about), then we made a hard pivot to modern.

But modern was too strong and sharp for us. While I love things that are progressive and forward-looking, I cherish things that are storied and nuanced. I love looks that stand the test of time, but have just enough personality and eccentricity to make you sit up a little straighter and be surprised. I love experiences that make people say, “I haven’t seen that before,” or “I wasn’t expecting that.” 

Our prior branding was too timebound and limiting. It spoke to a narrow portion of who we were and who our clientele was. We needed to visually articulate who we truly were.

Why spend so much time on this? From an outward perspective, I think branding is critical because it offers the first impression and conveys the caliber of your company. Do you show up to your big presentation in sweats or a suit? It’s not the only thing that matters—but it still matters. From an internal perspective, and perhaps most important, it clarifies who you are striving to be. It brings you closer to your brand’s aspiration and gives you more confidence to set foot in the arena. We are a “small business,” sure. But we’re not small.

We started to redesign our brand in December of 2022. And when I say Janet of Lettersouth was a beacon of patience, I would be understating the truth.

Our vision board was all over the place. Our brand manager, Danielle, and I spent countless hours going back and forth. We kept honing in and in and in—eliminating what we were drawn to but, which ultimately, was just an attractive trend. Most of our design inspiration came from fashion houses. I spent some time in Italy this summer and remember walking up and down the streets of Venice taking pictures of the storefronts of the designer shops. I flipped through dozens of Italian magazines, studying typefaces. I was on a journey to discover what captured my attention and my trust. 

Ultimately, our branding came largely from a French font foundry, which should have been no surprise. The Europeans are design pioneers and they build looks that last a lifetime. 

After 9 months at the drawing board, we finally finished our brand package and deployed it slowly. And it has felt like the most honest version of Mayker in years.

I’ve always hated branded merch because it’s bric-à-brac. A landfill of unnecessary throwaways, dispatched in bulk. But now, of course, I want to imprint our logo on everything from candles to coffee cups. T-shirts to tote bags. Nothing is beyond my printer’s reach. 

And that is how it should be. Your branding should make you proud and beaming, eager and able to show up confidently in the world. 

FLAGSHIP SHOP

Last but not least, this year we opened our flagship interiors shop in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood. We opened the shop not because of the dazzling reputation of retail storefronts but because we wanted to create a point of in-person connection. 

So much of our business happens at select landmark times in people’s lives (buying a house, having a wedding, designing a nursery). We don’t have the opportunity to interact with people daily or consistently. Having a space changes that. We can be there when you need a candle or a set of throw pillows. You can pop in with your morning latte from Barista and grab a coffee table book or vase. Sit down for a while. Chat with us about that living room design you’re trying to work out. Browse some rug samples. Ask us about wallpaper.

So many things about technology and business advancements these days takes us away from true connections with people. And while I love tools that make me more efficient, more accurate, and more creative, I think it’s just as important to acknowledge where we can nurture our relationships more—hear each other's stories and connect.

Our shop isn’t our biggest revenue generator, and I don’t imagine it will ever come close. But I love it because it brings us closer to our community—and that’s invaluable.