Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista and Tony Romero.
Hi Krista and Tony, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I (Krista) have always loved art in all its forms. I love creating. I love that creativity is never static. You are always growing and changing as an artist and I think it’s a beautiful gift. I grew up trying every available art class/experience I could! We didn’t have youtube back then like it is now (I know I just made myself old here) to be able to learn anything and everything! I went with my mom and grandma to ceramic painting classes, my dad let me paint on my wall over and over again. My grandpa would bring me stacks of styrofoam plates from work so I could create pictures with beans! For quite a while, I was obsessed with pyrography (I might be getting back into that haha)Later on I took jewelry making, pottery, and photography classes. Photography struck me as such a beautiful art form and I still enjoy taking pictures. Tony grew up like your typical 80’s kid! Always outside looking for adventure or trouble depending on who you talk to, ha! Rollerblading, camping, hanging with friends, taking things apart so he could put them back together. Tony was a motorcycle mechanic when we met and then became a garage door technician, where he puts his mechanical genius and people skills to great use! One day a customer of his showed him a lathe that was broken and told Tony he could have it! Tony fixed it up and started creating beautiful bowls and cups. So now we have two creative people making all sorts of cool stuff and running out of room to put it! I was working night shifts at Walmart at the time and it was getting harder and harder to spend time together as a family. So we took a leap, I quit my job and we started to doing events on weekends to sell our crafts! It was soooo fun! We found a community that we loved and customers that were so amazing. We started with tumblers and wood bowls. About this time, we got a 3d printer for our girls whom we homeschool. We thought it would be a fun thing to learn at home, turns out the girl weren’t really that into it but we were! Tony and I fell in love with 3d printing and started bringing our prints to our events and it turned out we weren’t the only ones who loved them! So one printer turned into two which turned into a whole lot more! Remember how I said we were running out of room at home already? It got worse! So three years into doing events we started looking for a shop. The fates helped us find an amazing spot that had so much room! We decided we wanted to share our good luck and invited other artists to have space in our store. The community we had found doing events are more like family now and we want to do all we can to help them succeed also! So Sept 22, 2022 we had our grand opening and our brick and mortar gift shop is open and growing!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No not at all! When we first started doing events to sell our crafts we had no idea what we were doing! I had no idea about displays, packaging, business cards, vendor fees, taxes, or even just talking to customers! The first year we started, I applied for every single show I could find. EVERY SINGLE ONE. We learned a lot. We learned what demographics like us and our products and which ones really don’t! I bought a lot of products that I thought would help our sales that didn’t work at all so it was wasted money. For example, I make custom tumblers so I thought it would be fun to offer tea, hot chocolate and coffee to buy. Maybe it was a good idea but I had no idea what I was doing so they all ended up being gifts for family and friends instead!
We’ve been impressed with My Happy Viking, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are My Happy Viking! Tony and I started this as a way for me to be home more with the kids and it has blossomed into a love of people and community that became a brick and mortar store. Our goal with My Happy Viking is that when you walk in you feel accepted and wanted. No judgment, no fear, no hiding who you are. Come in, explore, talk with us and laugh with us! Along with our 3d prints, we have Norse Jewelry, skin care products, witchy wares, beautiful candles, clothing, bones, art, local authors and so much more! We have a classroom where Tony teaches 3d printing! We rent out our classroom for people wanting to teach a class! Ladies night book club is the first Saturday of every month. We do events every Pagan Holiday with artists, food trucks, free activities and just a fun community setting.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always up for suggestions and collaborations! Do you have an idea you’ve been wanting to teach? Learn? Let’s do it! You have a group that needs a safe place to meet? Let’s work it out! Looking for unique gifts you won’t find anywhere else? Stop in! We got you!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.myhvllc.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/myhappyviking
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/myhappyviking
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/myhappyviking
- Other: www.tiktok.com/myhappyviking42
Image Credits
Fat Cat Photography
Krista Romero
