MEET THE BRAND
Well hello there! Caitlyn here, the Founder of the Malt + Stone brand. If you are reading this, you either have come along this journey with us since the very first earring release in July of 2019, or you might have joined us when we did our 25 days of Christmas giveaways, or you might just be joining us. Either way, you are welcome here and fiercely loved by all of us at Malt + Stone. And, when I say all, I mean the women behind this business, the customers, the creators we collaborate with and so many more.
The Malt + Stone brand started in a little one bedroom apartment in Daly City, CA where I (Caitlyn) lived with my fiancé for about a year. I had just graduated from college, landed a corporate job in marketing for a very well known tax firm. If you have ever met me or know a type A, Enneagram 1, Virgo Leo Cusp and an extreme busy body, then you know I must have had something up my sleeve...
Well, I sure did. But I didn't really understand what. Once I was settled into my 7-4 job, I found my mind wondering, my hands free and my creative juices flowing. Now, let me just preface this a bit for you. I have always been into fashion, ever since my mother took me thrift or second hand shopping because I was always so tiny and couldn't fit into what the mainstream brands were selling, nor did I think it was fashionable on my figure. So, as the years went by, my love for creating my own fashion looks flourished into what you now see here in this store, handpicked or designed by me. But, back to having too much time on my hands...
I decided to dive into my massive craft box and make a pair of earrings, that turned into a small collection of earrings that I was just making for myself. Now, back then there was no clay involved, it was just pearls, buttons, yarn, and random little items. My fiancé came over one day and said "you should start an earring business" and it was a light bulb moment and I said "say no more."
Well I jumped right in. I hired a High School friend to design a website for me, I curated a bunch of these handmade earrings, did a quick photoshoot, figured out how much to sell them for, created the name and launched my own little online jewelry store. I was so nervous and worried that no one would like what I created and the true imposter syndrome came out in full force even though there was no need. Right when I launched the Shopify sale sound went off and then again, and again and again and I had at least 35 sales in a matter of 3 hours. I was astonished.
From that moment on, I decided I was going to roll with this business I created and see what would happen. I set my hopes and dreams pretty low until the Pandemic Thanksgiving of 2020 where I did a buy one get one free earring. This was the craziest sale I had ever done and it nearly killed me (in all the best ways). I never really realized how much of an impact an earring could make until so many of you kept coming back every month for every earring collection I had ever made. But then it dawned on me when I was putting on the pair of earrings that my now husband gifted me the day of our wedding. A single pair of earrings has the impact on a women's day as much as a single cup of coffee might have.
An earring completes a look, it brings out your best features and attracts the eyes of many. As women our faces are our selling point they are our best features and we take pride and most of the time we spend a lot of money investing into our skin, our teeth, our hair and whatever it may be so that we feel and look our best. Our earrings just solidify and give that final touch to your unique vibe.
We are beyond thrilled to have you here supporting us! We can't wait to keep bringing you new earrings, but also fashion, home decor, items for your little fur child and so much more. Stick around for more blog posts too, we have a lot in store for the Malt + Stone Collection, and it has only just begun.
Cheers,
Caitlyn Cuadra - Founder and Creator