Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Assar.
Maya, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The Cotton & Canvas Co. was founded two and half years ago when my (now) fiancé, Zia, and I decided we wanted to create a simple, affordable product line that would cater to a variety of markets + industries. We began with a handful of designs and three products – a canvas tote and two zipper pouches.
Our goal was to make the products locally here in the USA and offer a print-on-demand type of model in order to house minimal inventory and provide a quick turnaround time to our customers. To begin, we set up our operations in my parent’s living room and the garage soon became a small warehouse to store all our inventory. After receiving our very first order just days after our launch, the orders started to trickle in consistently soon after. Within a few weeks, we were seeing orders daily!
We’re SO incredibly thankful for my parents and all their support since the start – after working and building our company from their home for two years, we have now moved into an office space in Orange County, grown into a team of seven and carry a line of 12 different products with over 1000 different designs!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest struggle was learning how to deal with the company’s rapid growth. Given that the entire operation was taking place at our home, it was difficult to hire individuals to join our team. In the first year and a half, our team consisted of just the two of us and our parents. Many times, we would work 10-12 hour days and weekends to ensure all the orders were processed and shipped within a two days time frame we promise to our customers. Working within a 500 square foot space was a bit of an obstacle at times. When the volume began to increase, we did our best to use the space as efficiently as possible. However, many times this meant laying out all the orders by alphabetical order on yoga mats on the floor!
One moment we will never forget is when we received our first bulk order from a retail chain, HomeGoods. It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. However, fulfilling their orders in a small time frame was definitely something we struggled with. Due to the manpower we had at the time, printing thousands of tote bags over a two week period seemed impossible. We found ourselves scrambling to print, individually pack and barcode each item for their stores, but in the end, we did it! Within two weeks, the entire inventory in their stores was sold out!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about The Cotton & Canvas Co. – what should we know?
At the core of our endeavor, our goal is to bring products to life that are high quality, on trend and at a price that doesn’t knock you over.
But even more important, we believe in positivity. Beauty. And little bit of humor. From home decor to gifts, our items are made to order with the utmost attention and care. We are inspired by a little whimsy and delight and we work hard at creating pieces that reflect that. The main product line consists of items made of 100% cotton canvas material. The products include tote bags, cosmetic bags, pillow covers, table runners & many more! These items are hand-sewn individually and housed in our warehouse in Orange County.
Every design is made with perfection in mind. Our creative team incorporates hand-drawn elements and fonts to set our designs apart from our competitors. C + C is proud to offer quick turnaround times (no matter the size of the order), free + worldwide shipping, and products that are made entirely in the USA!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plan is to continue to expand the product line we offer. We would love to introduce larger items + other non-canvas products. We have recently added a few ceramic products (Christmas ornaments + mugs) to the mix and are planning on building out that line later this year. We hope to purchase additional printers + equipment that will allow us to expedite our processing time and cut down the shipping of orders to one business day. Our ultimate goal is to reach same day shipping on all orders. With the recent move into our new office, we are looking to continue to grow our team and hire more individuals to join C + C!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cottonandcanvasco.com/
- Phone: 5625840330
- Email: [email protected]
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