Meet Mikki Eveloff and Ashley Ludwig | Owners/Designers

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mikki Eveloff and Ashley Ludwig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mikki and Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The thought process behind starting our business was “let’s try this!” Stuck at home for months during the pandemic, bored with countless jigsaw puzzles and mindless games, we played around with some fun clothing designs for our kids/grandkids. We’d all been living in pjs for months and thought it’d be fun to add a little sparkle to our lives! We began with a few sweatshirts, patches and rhinestones and expanded to denim jackets, hats, and more – literally anything we could get our hands on! We loved what we were making and thought why not put this “out there.” If we sell, we sell. If not, nothing lost. With the help of our amazing husband/son-in-law, our website was launched in October and we had several sales on our first day! Our Etsy shop, Bling It On By MandM launched in October 2020. We thought that was a real long shot, but November 1st we heard that first “cha-ching!” The shop opened with about 15 products mostly focused on babies, toddlers, and kids. Stock ranged from jean jackets to tie-dye outfits and jewelry. Today we have over 30 products with new creations on the way. Our thought process is constant! We are always evolving, changing, growing; constantly starting “new.” New ideas, new products, new presentations.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Bling It On By MandM specializes in custom, personalized clothing, encouraging the expression of individuality from our clients. Whether focusing on favorite things, hobbies, sports teams, icons, profession or making a personal statement (i.e. Black Lives Matter, Human rights, etc.) our designs are one-of-a kind. Communication with our buyers is a key component to making each design unique. The client enters key information when purchasing their item to guide our creation. We often engage them by sharing previews of the product so they can make any changes in patch selection, colors, etc. along the way. This allows for a more personal engagement along the creative path! As with any business there have been bumps along the way. With customer service being our top priority we always try to turn a “difficult” situtation into a positive learning experience. All of these experiences have only enhanced our awareness that customer service comes first!
As a mother/daughter team working from home, juggling two toddlers we turned our dream into reality. We do it ALL! Creation, production, wrapping, mailing, inventory, social media and more! Whatever it takes, we get it done! It may have taken a worldwide pandemic, but we finally realized, if we can dream it, we can do it!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Breakfast spots: The Union, OB Surf Lodge Lunch: Casa de Bandini
Happy hour: Monarch, Brigantine
Dinner: Javiers, Poseidon
Hang out: Beach, UTC mall, Walk along the Coast in Encinitas
Kid Friendly: San Diego Zoo, Legoland, new Children’s Museum, Powerhouse Park and beach, Balboa Park
Beachside dinner: Pacific Coast Grill
A day trip to the Montage, Laguna Beach for a beachside lunch and beautiful views
Hike Torrey Pines

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are two special people who have made this dream a reality. Our Angel (Mimi’s late husband/Mama’s dad) and Tyler (Mama’s husband/Mimi’s son-in-law). Bling It On By M&M was actually rooted back in the 90’s and early 2000’s as a mere hobby. While designing funky and unique clothing for ourselves, our Angel would encourage us to launch our own business. Too timid and apprehensive, we let our dream slide. Fast forward. 2020. Bored. Uncertain. Seeking stimulation. With a double dose addiction to shopping and passion for fashion, urged on by the silent voice of our Angel we realized, “We can do this! We can create! Be creative! And have fun doing it!” Juggling the roles of Mommy, Mimi and designers, Bling It On by M&M was born. The startup was tedious. We never would have made it without the constant support of Tyler. Not only did he help us with technical work (that would have slowed down our production), but he helped with “baby” duties when we were juggling toddlers and products that had to meet deadlines. He continues to be our rock when we need him. Bling It On would not have the success it’s had this year without his support!

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlingitonByMandM

Instagram: blingitonbymandm

Facebook: Bling It On by M&M

Other: Etsy: BlingItOnbyMandM

Image Credits
True Photography