Charming Hawaii Offers a Little Taste of Paradise
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Manju Mumar, jewelry designer, spinner of nature-inspired tales, and owner of Charming Hawaii Kids takes our imaginations to the land of sunshine, cool breezes, lush foliage, glimmering waters, and families that live in harmony. Manju tells us about the journey that brought life to her collection of jewelry for children and keeps her on the path of happiness in a business that she loves. Through her sharing, she makes us believers in her vision of paradise and all the good that the simple pleasure of wearing a Charming Hawaii necklace can bring. Mahalo, Manju!
When was your brand born, and what was the initial inspiration?
“Love for Hawaii, summer vacations, and nature with its bright colors were the initial inspirations behind Charming Hawaii Kids. In Hawaii there is a rich tradition of storytelling and love and respect for nature. It is a playful island so full of life. Being on vacation, enjoying the beautiful sights, sounds and flavors of the Islands instilled a natural transition to create something that would embody the experience of the tropical paradise. In addition, kids love animals and are fascinated with nature and stories. That is what we try to create as our line is playful and tells a story. We design colorful, animated jewelry out of Fimo, a brand of polymer clay, that is safe and fun for kids.
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What was your experience prior to the brand launch?
“Before the brand launch, even though we had been doing business under our business name for many years, we did not have the recognition and brand-name awareness we enjoy today. Now stores know our niche and seek us out. The Charming Hawaii Kids brand established our name and helped increase our distribution with retailers that wanted fast-selling fun jewelry for kids, backed by service that fills reorders on short notice.
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What was the biggest challenge you faced when starting?
“Figuring out how to create a marketing system has been the biggest challenge. Our product is loved by kids and retailers, and we have a great reorder business with our current accounts, but learning how to open up new markets and putting the right team together that can showcase and build accounts in new markets has been our biggest challenge.
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What is one thing you would have done differently?
“We started Charming Hawaii Kids in 2007, and since then I have enjoyed my work more than ever. It has been like a game, I really have fun with my work and wish I had started it earlier.
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What do you feel are the three biggest keys to your success?
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- Trusting in divine guidance.
- Doing what you love.
- Giving back to the community.
These are the bricks upon which we have built our success. This also allows me to take myself out of the equation and be guided by inspiration that freely flows through me. We are thankful for all we have, and enjoy the gifts we have been given. We honor and value our teammates and our customers and are thankful for their support. We also believe in giving back and living a green lifestyle. We use recycled boxes and packing materials whenever we can find them, compost, create minimum waste, and buy only things that are really needed. Reducing our carbon footprint is important to us.”
Describe a typical new product development cycle for your business?
“We are always looking for new stories to create. We do a lot of research, and my nieces are a great help to me. When they get excited about a design, I pursue that theme. We work with factories in China that help create the initial designs for us. Once they are approved, we develop the first product and test the response.
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Do “green” or eco-friendly concerns influence your business decisions?
“Green and eco-friendly have been a part of our life way before they became marketing buzz words. We love nature and believe in living closely with it and our designs are about animals, flowers, and fun. We are currently creating a perma culture garden at home that syncs with our support of slow food and fresh meals prepared daily. We believe in minimalism, recycling and composting. This is our daily mantra.
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What is one new trend you’re seeing in the marketplace?
“Not following trends is our motto and as such we do things here as we feel them. Creating our own themes and making fun jewelry is what we do.
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**What types of marketing have been most effective for your business?
“We have worked through our sales team to build our business and rely on the power of word-of-mouth marketing! We do very well in resort and gift markets. We also produce color product catalogs twice a year.
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How does your business make use of the Internet?
“Other than a blog and sponsorship on The Giggle Guide we have not used the Internet, but we are learning more about how the Internet can be useful to promote our brand.
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What is the biggest challenge your business faces today?
“Learning how to use the Internet effectively, as well as learning other facets of marketing. As a wholesaler, we are learning more about how to further promote our brand.
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What is one change/addition that’s had a positive impact for your business in the last year?
“Creating new themes and reaching a broader market through our sales staff have added to our business in a positive way. Our sales staff now covers Florida, Texas, New Jersey, California and Hawaii.
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What is your one piece of advice for someone entering the children’s market?
“Have fun and create your own vision!
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About Charming Hawaii
Charming Hawaii is a playful and colorful line of children’s jewelry that encourages imagination and living in harmony with nature and our surroundings. The line of polymer clay jewelry is full of stories, and vibrant in colors. The jewelry themes tell stories, similar to fairy tales and myths, that incorporate characters that are loved by children and promote good values, such as connecting with nature. The delightful characters and stories include several beloved island icons, such as Mermaids, Hula Girls, Dolphins, Sea Turtles and Tropical Flowers.
To continue the journey and learn how “Aloha” can mean “good buys,” log in to www.charminghawaiikids.com
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