Today we’d like to introduce you to Martha Ware.
Martha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
“We’re so excited to have launched our first retail location! We began with small local events, trade shows and pop-ups at places like Nordstrom’s eventually having a kiosk at the Willow Bend Mall. Now we’ve taken the next step and looking forward to serving our great mallows and mallow-based drinks and shakes.” Mallow Box has been one of the biggest adventures of my life. I moved to the US in 2001 and it took me many years to find my true passion, to start a business I believed in. I wanted to make something different for my husband’s birthday and after looking through Pinterest, I bought a bag of marshmallows and dipped them in chocolate. See, I’m from Brazil and marshmallows are not really “a thing” there. I didn’t care for the marshmallows at all but realized that it was a big treat here in the US. So, I decided to try to make my mallows. After many failed attempts, tweaking recipes, again and again, I got to a recipe that I thought was delicious; it was “the one.”
I started to sell to my friends, then doing a school bazaar here and there, and four months into the business, I got an email from Nordstrom at Stonebriar in Frisco, TX. That changed my vision of the business, gave me motivation and experience. For a full year, I went to the store once or twice a month and had a table there with my products. The customers loved it! From there, we had more pop-ups, then a cart at Willow Bend Mall and received the opportunity of a lifetime. After the cart experience, I concluded that it was hard to market just the gourmet marshmallows; people didn’t understand it the way I was intending. Customers asked me over and over if I could make marshmallows for their s’ mores. “If they want my marshmallows for s’ mores as well, why can’t I make the s’ mores myself?” And Mallow Box S’ mores Bar was born.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I don’t believe there is success without struggles. I don’t believe there is growth without obstacles. We have to face those, learn, move on –– stronger and wiser. There were many challenges, especially because the s’ mores bar happened unexpectedly. At the time when I returned the kiosk cart key to the mall, they asked if I wanted to stay longer until Christmas. It was not the right model for my business, so I thanked them but decided not to renew. I jokingly said, though, “Maybe one day I’ll come back to your food court!” They made me an offer. We discussed it and then opened our retail spot in their food court.
Paperwork, permits, inspections, repairs, visual considerations, menus, signage, supplies –– nothing was easy. I was very determined to make it work and even though everyone was quite skeptical that I could pull it off in such a short period of time, I proved them wrong. I had never worked in the food industry before, so EVERYTHING was a challenge. But what can be more motivating than challenges?
Forty-five days later, I opened our first retail spot. Willow Bend has been a great experience for us; they treat us like family, and they are truly interested in our long-term success. I feel just like home there.
Please tell us about your business.
I started making handcrafted gourmet marshmallows a couple of years ago. While we still make the marshmallows, the business evolved into a s’ mores bar. You can build your own s’ mores or marshmallows skewer. Yeah, this is a thing. Imagine a marshmallow kabob. You choose the mallows, we put them on a stick, toast them perfectly and put the sauces and toppings that you choose. We also make s’ mores bowls and amazingly delicious milkshakes, hot chocolate, coffee, iced coffee and more. It’s not only a s’ mores or a drink, but it’s also an experience. Our milkshakes are a huge staple in our business. Our concept is unique. Our product is unique.
We are proud of everything we create. We are proud of the treats, the service and the culture we have been creating among our employees but also our customers. We are proud –– in such a short period of time –– to have built what we have, all from scratch.
We are also very proud of “Mallow Box Cares.” I am a huge dog lover and had a tough time volunteering at shelters because I wanted to take all the dogs home. We have a couple of rescues at home, and I love them. A few years ago, we adopted a very special dog, Dixie, from a local organization. She was an incredibly amazing dog. Unfortunately, she stayed with us just a couple of years due to a tumor behind her eye that took her life very quickly. I will never forget her and how much she taught me. In her honor and all our other dogs, we decided to make marshmallows in the shape of paw prints and donating the profits of those treats back to the local organization from whom we adopted her. So, we are proud of everything, but more than anything, though, we are grateful for the opportunities, challenges, and the people that are now part of our story.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I’ve learned many things, but I don’t think I’d do anything different. I still have lots to learn, but I want my business to be built dynamically, changing when it needs to change, evolving always. I’m not ashamed of not knowing everything. I have mentors, people with more experience than I have, who I ask for opinions and advice. I’ve surrounded myself with incredible people and I wouldn’t change that for anything in this world.
Contact Info:
- Address: 6121 W Park Blvd FC109 (Food Court)
Plano, TX. 75093 - Website: www.mallowbox.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/themallowbox
- Facebook: Facebook.com/mallowbox
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mallow-box-plano?osq=mallow+box
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