About MADE for you

MADE for you was founded in 2018 during a detoured commute home.

At the time, I was working for a global non-profit as their Fair-Trade product/store manager as well as a jewelry, handbag, and clothing designer. Partnering with these small, global businesses that were established around human rights issues was a passion of mine since reading "Banker to the Poor" in 2007. The concepts of microlending, building social business, and the Bridges approach had been the driving force of my work in communities since that time and allowed me to see an area of my community through this lens as I drove this detoured route home that day.

I live in Rowan County located in North Carolina. I moved to Salisbury in 1999 and, beginning in 2003, Rowan County was not immune to the national trend that moved manufacturing outside of the country and left us with a devastating loss of manufacturing jobs. The textile industry vanished, leaving thousands of workers without work and many families began what is now a third-generation fight for economic survival. Having lived in Rowan County all this time, I saw how it changed and eroded the community firsthand.

Sitting in my car that day, I reflected on this partnership that had allowed me to partner with various international income-generating projects designing products that we then gave a larger market stateside to sell to which increased their local revenue. The community benefits were undeniable, and it was incredible to witness the power of economic stability’s overall effects on common issues that each community faces. I felt so grateful because this opportunity had given me some amazing tools that helped me see solutions I didn't before and the desire to see my own community benefit from these tactics became too great to ignore.

With 15 years of working in community and human services as well as this newer in-the-field experience of partnering and designing with non-profits that had a global reach, I saw a need for the same work I had been doing globally to be done in my own community. This also allowed me the opportunity as a maker to create products that are ethically sourced, designed to be affordable and accessible to all, and feel just like they were "MADE for you". My hope is to continue to grow the product side of my buisness to employ those in insability who have had a hard time accessing employment opportunities and to give them a job history and recommendation to move ahead with their future stories.

I believe that every community has within it the solutions and persons needed to resolve every issue it faces. It is my hope that I can continue to facilitate opportunities for community members to gather around the table to solve the issues they face and improve the quality of life for all living within.

MADE for you partners with local community organizations and non-profits, collaborating alongside those living in economic instability to bring education and creative entrepreneurship. We believe that communities can strengthen themselves and rehabilitate broken places.