Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanouhi Kaloyan.
Vanouhi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Ever since I could remember, my family loved to collect pins. It was one of the best parts of going to Disneyland. We would put on our lanyards (mine was strictly princesses of course), and we would go around trading with whoever we could find. For a good while, we stopped trading and nearly forgot about pins.
However, my brother Arakel (from Punch it Chewie Press) got the idea to design his own pin. Hobby turned business, and I found myself equally intrigued. We have always been more on the artistic side of things, and I really loved the idea of designing and making something completely my own.
So I began with making nostalgic pins or of things that I wanted and liked. However, it took me about a year to realize what I should have been doing all along. I am a musician and have always loved and had music be a part of who I am. I released my first EP titled “Roses” in July and was more immersed than ever before.
So a little lightbulb went off inside my head to begin making music related pins. Ever since the release of “Flower Power” (a pin inspired by the band Greta Van Fleet) people began to take notice and my company came out from the shadows. Now ideas are ever flowing, and I can’t wait to see where we go!
Has it been a smooth road?
Oh, definitely not. Like anything else, it had to become a commitment if I wanted to see results. Many times throughout my journey of finding what to make/specialize in I felt that maybe this wasn’t fit for me simply because things weren’t going as planned. I started this company while I was still in high school so this hindered the growth as well.
However, my senior year is when I started working on my EP and began to put my all into my artistic endeavors. So this most definitely helped with getting myself back on track.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Mame Pins story. Tell us more about the business.
At Mame Pins we aim to specialize in all things Rock & Roll. There is so much that comes with the music culture, and we are aiming to never let Rock & Roll die! Music does so much for people in so many different ways, and we are only telling a small part of that story.
The ultimate goal is to bring together all music lovers alike through our art. It’s crazy to think that something as small as a pin can spread peace, love, and unity amongst those who listen, but we have slowly realized that the revolution is just beginning!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As much as I love having an idea of where I am going, most of the time I don’t even know what tomorrow will look like. I never know when or how opportunities are going to come up so keeping an open heart and mind is essential. As far as Mame Pins, I have lots of new things planned and in the works, so there’s that to look forward to!
Attending as many pin shows as we can will also help us to grow. At the moment, I am pursuing music full-time and my band, and I are starting to play shows here in San Diego, so I have very high hopes for us. Commitment is such an important part of how we grow, so I’m going to give these endeavors my all and see how far we go!
Pricing:
- Flower Power Pin – $10.00
Contact Info:
- Address: 5171 Del Mar Mesa Rd. San Diego, CA 92130
- Website: https://mamepins.bigcartel.com/
- Phone: (858)281-3521
- Email: mamepins@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mamepins/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mamepins/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MamePins
- Other: http://vanouhi.com/
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