Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Grace Schmidt.
Mary, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The idea behind Mariamor Designs began in 2013. My uncle fell ill and being from a large Catholic family, we began to pray for God’s help in curing the illness and granting us peace of mind and heart. Unfortunately, our prayers went unanswered, and my uncle passed away later that year. During a family event following the funeral, my aunt approached my uncle’s only daughter and presented her with a large decorative jar full of dirty coins.
As my cousin looked quizzically at her, my aunt explained: From the moment my uncle was diagnosed, she had been collecting coins that she found on the ground. She had been privy to a belief that every coin found on the ground is worth more than the monetary value, but is, in fact, a message and prayer from a guardian angel. On every coin, there is an inscription of “In God We Trust” and when the coin is found and read, it serves as a reminder to have faith; that you always have someone watching over you and carrying your precious prayers from your heart to God’s ears. My aunt told my cousin that every prayer that she had found over the last year was a prayer for my cousin’s ill father and our family, and had been carefully placed in the jar.
Following the story, my cousin excitedly accepted the gift and continues to look at those coins every day as a reminder of the love, protection, and comfort that her guardian angel and her father provide every day. From that moment on, I began collecting the coins that I found on the ground and keeping them in a small bowl in my apartment. As a loving friend and family member, I wanted to find ways to spread this love and those prayers to others, just as my aunt had done for my cousin. It did not take me long to realize that I could use my naturally creative mind to decorate them and give them as gifts to those for whom I cared most.
From there, the idea exploded. Now, each coin that I find on the ground is decorated into a wearable or useable design. Just as every person and prayer is unique, so is each coin; there will never be two exactly alike. So whether it is my gift to you, or your gift to a loved one, these beautiful coins are all given as a symbol of love and are meant to protect and guide the wearer through daily life.
Today, we sell our coins in several retail locations, work closely with dozens of charities and companies in creating custom designs, and send out a subscription box delivery called our Love Club. No matter which avenue from which someone receives a Mariamor design, I hope that each person is reminded that they are loved and special in their own way.
As it states in 1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” My passion and creativity are my way of making my light shine for others and through these prayer coins, and with the help of the wonderful partnerships that we have created, I hope to make the world a better, more loving place.
Every day, Spread Love
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t believe that any journey worth taking is bump-free. The roadblocks and potholes are stressful, of course, but when I make it through, it makes the success on the other side that much sweeter.
By far, the roughest part of the road has been finding vendors and employees that I can trust. I started this business flattening each coin with a hammer and a rock in my apartment in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, that is not scalable and is much too loud for most neighbors in an apartment building. I had to figure out how to make more coins; quicker, easier, and more quietly. During that first year, I was stuck with several “bad eggs,” but I learned a ton from each one of them and slowly found my way.
Thankfully, over time, I gathered a group of people that I can trust and with whom I work well. As a former collegiate athlete and coach, I like the idea of TEAM: being a reliable and trustworthy teammate is one of my most important requirements, so I now try to surround myself with others who have the same competitive and team-oriented mentality. I work hard for you and you work hard for me… that’s the deal.
Please tell us about Mariamor Designs.
Mariamor is more than a jewelry company… it is the creation and promotion of LOVE. As our medium, we use hand-crafted inspirational coin jewelry to help make the world a better place. Each piece is made from real currency and is decorated with a motivational message or phrase. It is said that one positive affirmation a day can change someone’s entire life, so we try to be that positive influence.
The thing I am most proud of is that every day, I get to spread the love. We often sell our jewelry at fairs and outdoor markets, and it is amazing to hear the stories of how our coins have impacted others. For example, we had a customer come by our booth last year. She and her husband told us that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months earlier. Trying to help her in any way that we could, we directed her toward our FAITH HOPE LOVE coin and sent her away with a new necklace and lots of prayers. Nearly 8 months later, we were at the same outdoor market and were visited by the same couple.
The woman told us that she had gone into each chemo treatment with our coin around her neck; that is was her beacon of hope during the toughest time of her life, and how much our message meant to her. She then handed us a bottle of champagne, told us she had beat cancer, and that she couldn’t have done it without us. It was one of the most meaningful moments of my life; to know that we could have helped this amazing woman beat cancer and that our coin brought her back to love.
Stories like this are shared with us nearly every week. It is incredible and by far the best part of my job. I am so glad that our messages and coins can inspire others and help them during their journey through life.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start all over, I am not sure that there would be anything that I would do differently. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely! Will I make more? Sure thing! But each one of those mistakes were lessons that needed to be learned. I think living through those mistakes will make me a better leader, entrepreneur, friend, and family member in the future.
There is a Tim McGraw song that I often like to think about. “Humble and Kind” (which is actually one of our coin messages) is a great song, but in one of the last lines of the lyrics, he tells us that when we get where we are going, not to forget to turn back around to help the next one in line. Since I have endured these mistakes and come out stronger, I think I will be better equipped to help future entrepreneurs, friends, or family members in their endeavors.
Contact Info:
- Website: mariamordesigns.com
- Email: [email protected]
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