“Hey Fancy Plants”
“Come Back When You Have Tacos and Booze”
“If You’re Wine, Ryan Reynolds or The Bachelor, We’re Home!”
These are just a small sampling of the hilarious and unique doormat sayings that Kayla Klug from The Minted Grove offers. “My husband, Evan, constantly complained that my collection of craft items continued to collect dust. In an effort to prove him wrong, I became motivated and found a unique hobby to create, design, and sell personalized doormats at an affordable price.” And in 2018 this is exactly how The Minted Grove came to be!
Kayla is a wife, mom of 3, works full time and runs her successful, side hustle! And her sense of humor is what is so refreshing. Her Instagram stories will have you laughing out loud! To give you an idea – Evan and Kayla recently commented how funny it was that Meijer sends customized coupons on what they think you like to buy. So what did they do – they offered a flash sale to any one that could quickly send them a picture of a Meijer sour cream coupon. They were flooded with responses and of course the coupon code was sourcream!
These doormats have been featured on Buzzfeed, CNN and Ellen! And Kayla has been kind enough to offer ELAM followers a special discount so you can have one of your own- 20% off any order using promo code “ELAREAMOMS” now through July 31st !
Welcome, Kayla!
Hi Kayla! Please introduce yourself-
Hey everyone! Kayla is the name, mommin’ is one of my many games. I am a Lansing area native, wife of a packaging engineer and mom to three. My favorite calling is being a mom, there is nothing more rewarding. When I am not chasing after my babies you can catch me at the front desk of our local police department during the weekdays or painting doormats late nights and weekends.
Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
Born and raised in DeWitt, Michigan. For my husband’s job we have lived in other states such as Nebraska and Minnesota. Once we started our family we knew it was time to move back home.
You’re a mom! How many kids do you have and what are their ages? What is your favorite thing about being a mom?
I am! We have three amazing, beautiful kids. Our youngest is 4 months old and our oldest is 4. There are so many highlights to being a mother, I’d say right now my favorite thing is watching their confidence and comedic sides unfold in all of their young stages.
We are big into self-care for moms as hard as it is to find the time, what is something you do just for yourself?
You are so right on finding it hard to find the time, but us moms have to prioritize this. Self-care is what keeps me going and I feel so lucky to have a husband that recognizes this. Self-care for me looks like a ridiculously hot bath with the glass of my favorite malbec or even sometimes just getting the kiddos to bed then wandering to our front porch swing to watch cars go by all while reading the latest Colin Jost memoir.
How do you juggle your career with being a mom and wife?
It’s tough. If you would have asked me a year ago, my response would have been something along the lines of “yeah… I’ll let you know once I have it figured out” haha. In the past year we have welcomed a third child, built a new home, and I’ve continued working full-time… all while having fun with our ever-growing side business, The Minted Grove. The thing that not only gets us through but helps me grow as a mom and wife would be communication. Communicating plans, needs, wants, when I help- all of it.
What are your go-to restaurants and shops in the Greater Lansing area?
Oh boy, you asked the right lady on this one. I love to stay local and steer away from the chains. Right now, my favorite go-to for dinner and drinks would be here in DeWitt- Looking Glass Brewery. They have this pina colada cider that I cannot get enough of and pairing it with their BLAT salad, you can’t go wrong. Next in line would be Cosmo’s. If we have guests in town or a family birthday we always head to Cosmo’s for their “Trust us” pizza and drinks.
As for shops, I guess I am a little biased but my favorite shop of all time is actually here in DeWitt as well called Bridge and Main. Jamie, their owner, is phenomenal. She has an eye for bringing in the cutest things to her shop from local artisans and her vision for the store’s growth and atmosphere is so unique. They are truly a gem within the Greater Lansing area.
What is something you wish was in the Greater Lansing area?
I’m hoping to see more DIY event pop-ups come into the area. Whether that means a new venue for strictly “painting with a twist” ideas or events staggered throughout the community, I’m hoping for either (maybe I’ll jump in on the fun and host a DIY doormat session) 😉
Covid has put a halt to a lot of these events, but I’m hoping the Lansing area is ready and roarin’ to come back with a loaded plate of creative events to get us out of the house.
You’re a mompreneur! Tell us about The Minted Grove and what inspired you to start this?
I love that term! The Minted Grove started a little over 3 years ago while I was on maternity leave. My husband “encouraged” me to either get rid of my ridiculous amount of crafting supplies or at the very least- dust them off. One thing led to another and as I was surfing the web one day for a new quirky doormat and gasping over the prices I didn’t want to spend-I decided why not DIY it.
The prototype turned out great and I genuinely enjoyed painting the mat, it was almost therapeutic. After showing the mat to a few people I decided to start an Etsy shop and from there the rest is history.
What’s the best thing about your job? Most challenging part?
In regards to the Minted Grove, the best part of the exciting chaos would be the community behind it all. Whether it’s a customer or a fellow business owner, I have met some INCREDIBLE people that without even realizing, have helped me grow and learn. Though I know our product speaks for itself, it takes a village to help grow a business like ours to a place that it is at today. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how fortunate I am to have met such amazing people that genuinely want to see us grow and cheer us on every step of the way.
Most challenging part, creating and maintaining a stockpile. I feel so fortunate to say that is our issue, but it truly is. At this point in time I sell on our own website, as well as Amazon. Both platforms keep us so busy. For the past 2 years I have been saying that I will get to the point where I can just pull that mat off the shelf and not have to paint it by hand in order to get it fulfilled. I’m still working on that part, but I know I will get there eventually. I guess this a good problem to have 😀
What did your business have to do to pivot during the pandemic?
I feel very fortunate that we weren’t severely impacted like other small businesses. The hardest part for us was acquiring blank coir mats to paint. We have a business relationship with a vendor out of Georgia that gets the mats imported from India then ships to our home. Del, their accounts manager, is the nicest guy out there. He helps run this large manufacturing company yet still manages to take the time to call me to chat about an order or take a text on the weekend with status updates on a shipment. When you have these types of relationships in place you will do anything to maintain them. I still remember that first order I needed to place after the initial shutdown and Del being so heartfelt when telling me they have no inventory, do not see inventory coming anytime soon and on top of that, prices will more than likely go up once they are back in stock. Those initial 6+ months were TOUGH trying to find inventory. I was driving to Brighton’s Home Depot a couple times a week. We made it though and so glad we did!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
One thing a lot of people do not realize is actually how I came up with the name “The Minted Grove”. As a St. Johns, MI graduate- I went to school in the mint capital of the world. I grew up on a country road called “Grove”. Taking the business meaning back to my home roots, I felt the “Minted Grove” was fitting 😀
Now some fun ones!
Can’t live without beauty or makeup product – Nail stickers! Yes, I mean it! I would seriously turn down a manicure simply because I love how simple it is to use my polish pops!
Current Binge shows- Bridgerton, Ozark, SNL.
Favorite place to visit in Michigan- Traverse City. Gosh I feel like that is a very Michigander answer, but it truly is. I am a “Michigan wine-country” kind of girl.
Last book you read- Colin Jost: A Very Punchable Face, highly recommend for a good laugh
Favorite food to indulge on- Cheese. I have never met a cheese I didn’t like. My husband knows I’ve had a long day when I open up the fridge to unwrap a Kraft single.
Most creative saying a customer has asked for on a doormat?
Not so much saying, but to date the most creative one ordered was a “This is us” doormat with their last name underneath. Then scattered all around the phrase was an outline of every state they have ventured to. It was hands down the most labor intense mat I have EVER done, but SO worth it!
What advice would you give to someone wanting to start their own business?
If you can’t stop thinking about it, it was meant to happen. Lean on other successful business for advice, the small business community is so friendly.
Last one! What are you most looking forward to this year?
GROWTH. In both aspects of climbing the growth ladder in sales but also mentally as a small business owner. It’s challenging, tiring, sometimes overwhelming… but it is also fun and rewarding.
Kayla and The Minted Grove have been kind enough to offer our followers a special discount! 20% off any order using promo code “ELAREAMOMS” now through July 31st!
Thank you, Kayla.
If people would like to get in touch with The Minted Grove, what is the best way? Any is just fine, we are constantly checking all platforms below!
Is there an amazing local Mom you would like featured? Please share by emailing, [email protected]
