Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Clayton.
Melissa, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started Tiny Tags after the birth of my son when I was not able to find the perfect necklace to commemorate his birth. I wanted his name on the necklace but I wanted it to be simple & timeless. Tiny Tags started as a hobby that quickly grew into a business when my mom friends saw the necklace I made and wanted one. As business picked up I decided I wanted to move to laser engraving (versus hand stamping) and create fine jewelry that would last a lifetime. We revamped our entire collection – added 14k gold in yellow, white and rose and our customers loved it!
Today Tiny Tags is 100% an online store and all our jewelry is made in Massachusetts. We have grown very organically through social media especially Instagram. Plus, we have gained an amazing celebrity following including the one and only Meryl Streep! Our jewelry is simple, classic and meant to be worn everyday. Moms adore their children and Tiny Tags has found this beautiful way of keeping our children close to us even when they are not.
Has it been a smooth road?
My biggest struggle was when everyone told me I had to make jewelry for brides, graduates and even Dads. When I did this, my head was always spinning and I couldn’t keep up. When I finally decided I had to be authentic to me and create jewelry for the customers that I cared about which was moms – it became so much easier.
As a mom, I love chatting with new moms, grandmas, or dads looking for the perfect gift. This is where my heart is and what I care about so it just works. Children are these amazing gifts and I love designing jewelry that celebrates them!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Tiny Tags story. Tell us more about the business.
Tiny Tags is this warm, fuzzy, loving business where we get to create gorgeous jewelry to celebrate children. Our most popular pieces are our tags with a child’s name engraved on the front and their birthday or birth times on the back. We also have pieces that can hold up to 10 names which grandma’s just love because they love showing off all their grandchildren!
What sets us apart is our process…
Our jewelry is laser engraved – a laser beam hits the metal to engrave the child’s name and/or birthday. The metal is never touched so the final product is smooth, fine and just beautiful. Most other companies use a metal bit to engrave names so it is rough and jagged. Over 14 artisans are involved in every single Tiny Tags and we guarantee all of our jewelry for life including the chains.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As an online store we have to make our jewelry faster due to the expectation of our customer. Amazon has created a 24 hour shopping experience and that is how people show now. Even though our jewelry takes time and people understand that if they are looking for a gift and then need it in 24 hours – we have a hard time with that!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tinytags.com
- Phone: 4018354543
- Email: melissa@tinytags.com
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