Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Houston?
Amy was born in Houston — spent her childhood living in Hong Kong and eventually moved back stateside and graduated Kempner High School in Sugar Land. She majored in Graphic Design at TCU and moved back to Houston in 2006 and now lives in the Memorial area.
Katie is a born and raised Houstonian! She grew up in Spring, TX and went to Klein Collins High School. She then moved to Baton Rouge, LA to attend LSU (Geaux Tigers!) and majored in Opera Performance – a far cry from the mompreneur life she now lives! Katie and her family now live in Garden Oaks just outside of the Heights.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
Amy has two kiddos, Ian (6) and Nora (3) and Katie has one daughter, Elliott (2). They keep us on our toes constantly and drive us crazy at times, but at the end of the day, this is ALL for them.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
Believe it or not, Amy doesn’t drink coffee! She prefers tea in all varieties – iced, hot, boba, black or green… anything but coffee is Amy’s thing. Katie studied opera in college and can still belt it out… but only after a few drinks!
Favorite local activities to do in Houston?
We’re both big foodies and love to check out new restaurants, coffee shops and tea houses. When we get a day together to catch up on work, we love to pop into a new restaurant to give it a try. As work-from-home moms, you can also find us at local parks, book stores, and farmer’s markets with our kiddos and families.
What local places do you go to for pampering and/or mom’s night out?
While self-care looks different for everyone, we love a good manicure from Paloma Nails followed by a giant salad from Local Foods. For Mom’s Night Out, we love a cozy wine bar that allows for good conversation – connecting with other mamas outside of the playground is a rare occasion that should be cherished!
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
We are the founders of Heart To Market, a family-friendly, pop-up market with a curated mix of makers, products, and brands dedicated to mamas and their littles. With everything from apparel & accessories for mom/baby/child to home decor, paper goods, skincare, art, sweets & treats, Heart To Market is your one-stop-shop for everything on your shopping list.
Committed to giving back and supporting the community, our next pop-up market in Sugar Land benefits Lunches of Love – non-profit organization committed to helping end childhood hunger in Fort Bend County by providing a free nutritious sack lunch during extended school holidays and weekends. They have an impressive operation and pack over 4,300 lunches A DAY and deliver to 16 distribution sites. With it only costing $0.75 to feed a child, we hope the funds raised from the market will help to impact their work in the community.
Heart To Market Sugar Land opens THIS WEEKEND (eek!), August 2-4 inside the SLTX Studio space in Sugar Land Town Square. We kick off the weekend with a VIP Sip & Shop on Friday, 8/2 from 6-9PM. Attendees will enjoy light bites, drinks, a HTM tote bag filled with swag, and early access to our 20+ vendors!
Saturday, 8/3 and Sunday, 8/4 the market is free and open to the public from 10AM-4PM. We have a daily lineup of activities for kiddos that includes music, story times, crafting, and face painting – there’s something for everyone, so bring the whole family (and friends and neighbors too!) out to shop for a great cause!
Outside of sharing Heart To Market, we each run our own businesses – Amy is the founder of MAMAMEIDIT, a mom-centered crafting workshop and Katie is the founder of Studio Mom Houston, a support and networking community that caters to new moms in the Heights and Katy. Needless to say, we keep ourselves BUSY, but being surrounded my inspiring mamas and business owners fuels our passion and keeps us motivated!
How has the Houston community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
We are both Houston natives and have enjoyed seeing our hometown grow and flourish over the past 30 years. We love getting to meet the makers, learn the stories behind their products and discover the amazing talent Houston has to offer. We are constantly inspired by the dedication and drive our vendors have and connecting them with customers that appreciate their work fuels our passion.
Many of the vendors Heart To Market features are run by moms who are working during naptimes, weekends, and after they put the kids to bed. It takes a lot of heart and passion to build a business from your kitchen table, and we seek to provide a platform for these women to showcase their products and connect with a new audience. As a market-goer you know your purchases are giving back to a great cause all while supporting a local, oftentimes, women-run business. At the end of the day, shopping small to give big – that’s what we’re all about.
What is the best advice for juggling mommyhood and running a business (or volunteering, working, etc)?
The truth is… WE DON’T balance things well at all! We have never worked so hard or been so tired in our lives! Motherhood on its own is a full-time job and when you add the demands of running a business, we’re amazed that we survive each and every day. However, having a business partner does allow us to share the load and we have developed a system of handing over the baton when one party is feeling worn out or overwhelmed. Doing this together gives us a built-in support system that makes the late nights and long days manageable.
We also have incredibly supportive spouses that go the extra mile to ensure us mamas have uninterrupted work time. Plus, it helps that our kiddos are around the same ages and sometimes throwing them in the playroom while we crank out some work is the only way we make deadlines!
Our Advice: Give yourself grace, know your limits, take time for yourself, and at the end of the day, just do your best!
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
Sleep while you can! You have NO IDEA how exhausting motherhood is!