Ep. 89: Adriana Carrig: The Power of Little Words

[00:00:00] Mall of America, it's home to world-class shopping, great dining, and amazing attractions and events. And these are our stories presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.

[00:00:12] Welcome to this episode of So Much More. I am your host, Dan Jasper. I am joined by two of my favorite people in the world and at Mall of America. I have Sarah Johnson, but I know her as SJ and Emmy Dominguez, and I know her as Emmy and they are on our marketing team and they are

[00:00:31] actually really good people and awesome. And they are experts with the topic that we're going to talk about today because our special guest, I've always believed this, and I mean this wholeheartedly, that words and kind words can change this world. And that's kind of been my philosophy and I am super excited, and I mean this truthfully, for our guest today. Our guest is an entrepreneur, an author, a podcast host, a business owner, a CEO,

[00:01:02] and I've never met her in person, but I believe a kind, kind person. And I am so honored to welcome Adriana Kerrig, who is the founder, the CEO of Little Words Project to our podcast. Adriana, welcome. How are you? I'm good. Thank you so much for having me and for such a nice introduction. I appreciate it.

[00:01:24] Well, you embody what I think and I wish and I hoped more people in this world embodied, which is kindness and connection, right? And positivity. But we're going to hop in and get started. I think we would love to start if you would just tell us your journey, how this all began. Yeah, I'd love to. It's been a long one. We're 12 years in now, which is crazy to me when I think about how this all started in my parents' basement.

[00:01:53] In 2013, I had just graduated from college, and after growing up, you know, dealing with a lifetime, I would call it, of negativity from others, I was bullied from a young age, and I really just wanted to create something that brought some kindness back to the world, right? The intentionality of kindness that lives right on your wrist. And not, you know, in the beginning, it was really about kindness to others. And then as we've evolved over the last decade, it's become more about kindness to yourself.

[00:02:22] Because if you're kind to yourself, because if you're kind to others, then you have something to pay forward. Otherwise, you're just sitting in a sense of negativity and just in that muck that we can all get stuck in, as life is difficult, right? And the world's a scary place. So ultimately, the brand is really all about inspiring that kindness. And it's been a long road. I like to say we're an overnight success, you know, 10 years in the making.

[00:02:49] But yeah, it's been an incredible journey from a brand that I couldn't get people to get behind in the early days. It was really hard to sell it into retailers. It was really hard to get people to back us.

[00:03:03] And then it wasn't until the community started picking up and, you know, getting involved with the brand and like loving us the way we do that we really started to see a true lift and the community build. And then now it's I'd say we're a jewelry band, but we're really more of a community of just kind individuals who want to support one another.

[00:03:27] I love that the brand is more about community than product. I mean, product's an important part of it. You have a number of retail locations. We're honored to have one here at Mall of America. Yeah. You got to come visit it. Look at it on first floor. It's an awesome place. And so I think it's the prettiest store of all of America, if I do say so myself, but the Mall of America is beautiful, too. However, the store is so pretty and it's so inviting and welcoming.

[00:03:52] And it's just meant to feel like a safe place that you can come in, sit down, make your own bracelet at our bead bar, shop the wall of a finished product. And, you know, it's just we really take a lot of pride in that location. It is beautiful. I was just going to say really quick, I feel like walking by it is stunning. It was one of the first things that I feel like when we walked by initially, we could not get over how lovely it was. I mean, there's lights made of clouds, you guys.

[00:04:20] Like, that's so inspirational to me. I love those cloud lights so much. I want them in my house. And it's so inviting in there, too. You walk in, you walk by, and it's so inviting. It's so beautiful. I love the open concept, too. The bead bar right in the middle. You guys have merch in the corner. The wall is just so beautiful. Everything about the space is so beautiful. And I feel like that's what stops people in their tracks literally here at the mall is just the beautiful storefronts that we have here. And you guys, I have to say, I have one of the most beautiful stores here at the mall.

[00:04:48] And we're not just saying that. It's not just saying that. It is stunning. I love that you agree. I literally said that. I was like, this is kind of one of the cutest stores. Absolutely. But look, that's what we're here to do, right? We want to bring joy to the consumer. We want people to see it and feel some sense of, like, brevity and lightness and airiness. And, like, life is hard, but with these little beads of armor, right, we can navigate anything. And that's what we wanted our stores to reflect as well.

[00:05:17] I love that. And I love that you reach out to people of all walks of life, of all ages, right, of all demographics, messages and jewelry that speak to hope and connection. They can – that can resonate with everybody. And do you have a key market? I'm curious. What is your key market for your product?

[00:05:42] Honestly, it really ranges. It spans womanhood, in my opinion, from girlhood to womanhood. I've seen girls as young as, like, I mean, six, seven. We don't necessarily create children – jewelry for children. But, you know, they tend to make a really great kiddo, like – I call it, like, the ultimate mom hack. You give them a stack of bracelets and they're, like, distracted for an hour.

[00:06:09] But when it comes to the true market, you know, we see that tween to 45, 55-year-old demo really strong. I'd say 35-plus is the stronger cohort of that cohort, which is surprising to most, right, because people look at us initially and think, okay, this is a kid's product. But really, it's an adult product. It's meant to be worn.

[00:06:32] And then once that word resonates with you enough and – or you meet someone who needs it a little bit more than you do, the idea is to pay it forward. And then each one has a code on its gold tag. I don't know if you could see that there. But each one has a little code, and that code is unique to the bracelet. So you actually connect the bracelet using that code to our website.

[00:06:53] And then when you do eventually pay it forward and the next person connects it, so on and so forth, you can start to see where your bracelet travels and see how your single act of kindness affects people down the line. So it's not really made for kids in that sense. But, you know, we welcome everybody into our community. It's kind of a trackable pay it forward.

[00:07:16] You get this visual sense of my little act had an impact on this person and this person and many of which I don't know, right? But we're connected. And that's the point. That's what's so cool about it is you don't have to have a real – like a real relationship with that person. I've had situations where I've passed on bracelets to Uber drivers, to people that I've met in line or people that I'm overhearing them talking about something.

[00:07:46] Or I've seen a woman crying on the street in New York, and I've passed it on, right? So that's the point is they literally are meant to be little vehicles of kindness that live right on your body with the intention behind it that they're meant to be paid for it. Now, not everyone does it, obviously. A lot of my customers are really like, that's great, but I need all of these positive words. And so I'm always like, when you meet someone who really needs it, that's when it happens, and it's like, then you're hooked. Once you do it once, you're hooked. I love it.

[00:08:15] I have a little story to tell, if that's all right, really quickly. Yes. With your indulgence, Adriana. I'm a grandparent. I have three grandkids. They're amazing. I love them. Hey, Franklin. Hey, Sutton. Hey, Boone. But the cool thing is, is that I have a co-grandparent. My daughter-in-law's mother, Nancy, has a landmark birthday this weekend. And Nancy is an avid listener to our podcast, but she won't hear this until next week.

[00:08:40] So I can say this, is I'm going to surprise her with one of your bracelets. Oh, my gosh. She's got a message. So today I am going to go down there because I know that she would absolutely adore this and would love this. So I'm going to ask you, Adriana, would you say happy birthday to Nancy? Oh, my gosh. Yes. Happy birthday, Nancy. I hope you love your new bracelets. What a sweet, thoughtful gift. Yeah. She'll love it.

[00:09:07] And I think I'm going to give her a copy of your book as well with your permission. Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah. Please, thank you. You're so sweet. I love it. It's perfect. I've been struggling. What do I get her? What do I get her? Yes. This is perfect, right? This makes... Go ahead. Please. I was just going to say it makes a great gift. Yeah. I'm sure you're going to say the same thing. I was. Well, I was also going to say, do you have recommendations of what he should get? Yes. That's another good question. Yeah. Well, one of my favorite things to do, actually, and I do this sometimes when I show up at these

[00:09:37] locations and we do our grand openings, we'll do these bead and read or bead with Adriana. And the person will tell me a little bit about what's going on in their life. And I will sit and think about the word that I think resonates most as the queen of words. So I would flip it back on you. Is there anything she has going on in her life? Is there... Like, what phase of her life is she at is probably the better question.

[00:10:01] She is a truly remarkable person who raised children and now she plays a significant role in the life of her grandkids. And I think she is a free spirit and a caring spirit. That's how I would describe her. A caregiver and a giver. She gives. You know what's funny? I was just thinking the word giver. Yeah. But then I was like, you know what?

[00:10:30] I almost don't want to do that because sometimes you want it to be words that they need. Yes. Not a reminder of who they are, but what do they need? Yeah. So I would say as someone who gives, does she ever receive? Right? I love it. So then it's a question of, maybe it's something like enjoy. I love the word enjoy because it's like enjoy the little things, enjoy what's around you. And that's something that you can have customized for her. So you don't even have to make it yourself, even though it's not one of the bracelets we have. Yeah. Have the girls, they'll make it for you.

[00:11:01] So either enjoy. We could do receive, I think is really beautiful. That's a great word. Like just allow the goodness to come to you. I love that. But then we have so many off the wall that like something might pop out at you, right? Yeah. When we have a lot of really cute like Minnesota based words. We've got the area code there. We've got OAPE, which I think is so cute. They're so fun. We've got MN NICE. Nice.

[00:11:30] And I will tell you something else. I have never met so many nice individuals since coming out to Minnesota. Like you guys really just have such a beautiful community of kindness, which is why I feel like this brand. Once people know who we are, I think it will really take off in that area because it is like you have such a great kind community there. So, yeah, I don't think you can go wrong with any of that. But I love thinking through what could they use, right?

[00:11:57] What word do they need to look down at and kind of help them continue to navigate life, which is hard. That's a really good lesson for life itself. I know that SJ and Emmy, you've worked a lot with Adriana and her team. What are some of the exciting things from your perspective that you're working together on and what's coming up? And what can people know more about this brand? Absolutely. Well, Miss Emmy. Yeah. We've – the first thing that comes to mind is influencers. We've been talking a lot about influencers.

[00:12:26] How can we lean into these people who have a voice in the Twin Cities and bring that brand awareness to you? Yeah. And we had a few people from Love is Blind actually come and visit them all. We gifted them a few bracelets. I believe they stopped in store. So really leaning into the people that are well-known in the community, helping build that community, drive awareness to you, and just encouraging them to come out to your store and learn more. That's something that we've been really leaning on. And in-store experiences too.

[00:12:56] I feel like really talking about the beading experience. I feel like retail is taking a turn where people are looking for those experiences within retail. So it's really nice to be able to show that you guys have that in store and putting you guys at the front of experiences. And something for everyone too. Like it's an experience that my dad can be part of, my grandma, you know, like my little nieces and nephews. Like everyone can be a part of, which is so fun. Again, to build that community and be with your community doing something fun. We'll end up to that. Yeah.

[00:13:26] We call it – go ahead. I was just going to say we're on the same wavelength. We are. We're a little laugh. Yeah, you two are like on the exact same clock. Go ahead, Eskay. We call it retailtainment is what I was going to say. I feel like that aligns a little bit. I was going to say something else so I'll circle back. But to that point, that's how we really look at Mall of America regardless. We are an experiential destination and retailtainment is a great way to think about it. So that is a perfect alignment to how we perceive ourselves. So you coming to the mall was such a great addition.

[00:13:54] It just made it so much easier to sell how amazing you guys actually are. I was going to say too, in addition to that and the pieces from a marketing standpoint of influencers, your collaborations are amazing. And we've been talking a lot too about like the drops that you guys do. So not only collaborations but the drops in regards to like Women's History Month. But I know we were talking about what's coming down the pipeline probably for like Mother's Day, so on and so forth. So we love seeing the innovation you guys are having too within that space. Yeah.

[00:14:23] We try to have fun with the product. I mean, being a brand that is kind of centered around one hero product right now, we do have a lot of really fun things in the works. But we do have a lot of really great products that we are working on. I mean, we're so excited for this Winnie the Pooh launch that's coming out. That is amazing. I love Winnie the Pooh. I am obsessed as well. It's so good, you guys. I will be the first one in my dad and I will be the first in my dad. That's awesome. I know.

[00:14:53] I'm so excited about Winnie the Pooh. I've been obsessed with Winnie the Pooh since I was a little girl. And just like this has been the dream of having this brand, right? Since the very beginning, I actually remember my dad said to me, okay, so if, you know, as we're talking through, should I do this or not, right? Should I do this or should I go to law school was kind of the debate. And my dad was like, well, how far do you think you could take it? Like where could it go? And I was like, I don't see a limit on this product. I think it could go anywhere because of how much it's already stood the test of time, right?

[00:15:21] Like this has been around since we were all little kids, right? Making them ourselves. They were baby bracelets in the hospital back in the day. Like they've been around this acrylic look. And it's obviously stood the test of time and has been a true connection piece ever since. We're just the first brand to commodify it in a way and make it have a purpose and a larger community and create that community. But anyway, when he asked me that question, I said, I think it could get on the shelves of Disney.

[00:15:51] Like I think it could be in Disney World. And we are sold at Disney World and Disneyland Parks, which is insane, exclusive product. And then on top of that, we get to work with Disney and have and put their real IP and it's genuinely Disney, right? So I actually love that we're located next to Box Lunch and Hot Topic.

[00:16:12] Even though we're like a very different look and feel from those brands, we do still serve that same customer who's just the fandom customer, right? Who really wants to find themselves in the products that they're purchasing and wearing. And also, you know, hopefully support brands that are doing it from the ground up and have done it with their own two hands from the ground up. I think that it's a special community that we're building, honestly. I was just going to say really quick.

[00:16:41] I love that you had mentioned that it seems like Disney was that like creme de la creme, that top tier that you were aiming to hit. And you hit it. What would be that next thing that you're aiming for? Not to put you on the spot because I know that's a big question. No, I like can't even think about it. The joke is that this was always what I was aiming for. And like, okay, now I can quit, right? But no, I think, you know, now the goalpost moves, right? And I think ultimately it's okay. We've done this to this point.

[00:17:09] We're a really, you know, we're a sizable brand. We're still not huge, right? We're still, I would say, mid-size. There's not like crazy, crazy revenue numbers that we're talking. I mean, it's pretty good, but it's not, you know, you look around the world, you see these brands being sold for billions of dollars. Like we're not there yet, right? But I do think we could get to a point of that kind of major growth and see the brand really on the wrists of everyone.

[00:17:34] And the normal thing, I mean, for me, I guess the goal would be that the brand, that these bracelets become synonymous with little words, right? Kind of like the Kleenex is a tissue. Like anytime you see a word bracelet, I want it to feel and to be a little word. And I want people to get in the habit of like seeing each other and like asking, like, what words do you have? And then trading them and really having these kind of organic IRL experiences. But that's more intangible, right?

[00:18:00] I don't have like a dream retailer right now that goes beyond Disney and Target, which we're already in. Nordstrom, which we're already in. And so I think just continuing to see success with the brand is now my goal. Well, I love it. I love that you've reached some of your pinnacles. You know, Target, Nordstrom, Disney, so much more podcasts. Yes. You've made them all. Exactly. I have a couple of quick questions, if I may.

[00:18:30] I love that you talk about your store as an experience, which I think is the right attitude for any retailer, to be quite honest. In three words, if you had to describe your team members, your in-store associates, in three words, what words would you use? Oh, my gosh. They're all so different, which I think has also been a learning curve for me, right? I'm, you know, we're based in New Jersey and we're all Jersey girls here at the office.

[00:19:00] And so there's something to be said about a Jersey girl. We just have a different something about us. I love it. That I can, I understand, right? And I know how to, like, kind of speak to them and get on their level and whatnot. But some of my other stores, I mean, everyone's so different. So it's been such a blessing to, like, really learn how people tick in other environments and what gets them excited.

[00:19:22] I'll tell you, it's been a challenge having retail stores and having employees at the retail level versus employees at the HQ level and really doing what I can to give them that access. But also try to protect my own, not peace, if you will, but just if I can't touch their day to day, I want to still be able to impact them positively. But yet I still, we're still running a business, right? So it's just, it's been a journey, right?

[00:19:52] That extra layer that you don't think about when you're starting a brand at the foldout table in your parents' basement, right? So these are a lot of those, like, learning curves for as a leader that I've had to go through. Very, very long-winded way for me to answer your question. But, okay, at that store, I'd say they're hardworking, dedicated, welcoming, kind, obviously.

[00:20:17] All of my retail store employees are just so, they just want to see this brand succeed and they want to help and connect in real life with the customer. And I'm jealous of them sometimes because they really get to have that hand-to-hand combat, if you will, with the customer. And that's something I miss, truly. One of the neat things about working at Mall of America is that as team members, we get to walk around the mall and interact with our guests fairly regularly.

[00:20:45] And there's something really special about that, right? It's just making that connection. And if, Emmy and SJ, if you could put one word on a bracelet for yourself, what would that be? Oh, my gosh. That's a tough question, but a good question. I don't know. Oh, I feel like courage. I want to, like, have the courage to step out of my comfort zone a little bit. Like, this today is, like, stepping out of my comfort zone. You're doing great, girl. Really? I don't know.

[00:21:15] I don't know. You're such a natural. I never would have thought that was stepping out of your comfort zone. Oh, my gosh. And I love the word courage. It was actually the second word I ever made on a little word. What was the first word? Just curious. The first was laugh. I love it. Amazing. Because I believe you have to laugh through life's challenges because if you're not having fun and you're not seeing the joy or finding the joy, then what's it all for, you know?

[00:21:42] And I forget that a lot sometimes as a CEO, as a business owner. Absolutely. SJ, what would your word be? I would go with sunshine. And I think of that, like, from a personal standpoint. I'm an extroverted person, and I feel like I try to have that mentality coming into every single day of creating the sunshine for myself but also others. And I think of that on a day-to-day. It truly is something that I say to myself every morning. And, Adrienne, do you wear a word yourself consistently? What might that be? I do.

[00:22:11] Well, I've been switching it up, but my favorite word is believe as a person. I think if you don't believe in yourself, why would anybody else believe in you? And if you want to do anything in life, you have to – it helps to have people believe. And it all starts with you believing in you. So believe is my favorite. I love trust. I love beat the odds, which is one of the words that we're selling for our Women's History Month collection. But, you know, a customer recently gave me Slow Down, which I'm wearing.

[00:22:41] And then our 2025 Word of the Year, because we're starting – we're instituting this new Word of the Year concept, like Pantone does, Call it up the Year. If we're the word company, why not be Word of the Year? And so our Word of the Year is grace. And that's what I define kindness as, is giving yourself grace, giving others grace. Give them a second to get it right, right? And if they don't get it right, give them the grace that they deserve. And I think that's what makes true kindness at its core. So – I like it.

[00:23:11] Yeah, a lot of words. I obviously can't pick just one. I told you before we started taping that – I'm trying to get this in picture and we'll get a good shot of it – is that I got your book yesterday, The Power of Little Words, How One Kind Word Can Change Everything, and actually read through it. It's awesome. Talk a little bit about how long it took – what inspired you, how long it took you to write the book, and where folks can find it. Oh, my gosh. Well, the whole journey inspired it.

[00:23:40] I've wanted to write a book forever. I was actually an English major in college, and I fulfilled my English major duty in writing or becoming a published author. I had been reached out to by the publisher who published the book, and she – my editor was amazing, and she really believed in me, and that inspired me, obviously.

[00:24:03] And I wrote it, coincidentally, in the time right after giving birth to my second son, who was born very prematurely. He was born at 29 weeks. And we were in the NICU for a two-month stay, and during that time, I was kind of, you know, between changing his diaper, like working with him, I was writing portions of the book.

[00:24:26] And my editor, who was so wonderful when, you know, when the times got tough and I couldn't really do it, she actually would pull stories from my Instagram account because I was so verbose throughout my whole journey, and I was sharing everything, which I think is why we built the community we've built, that she could pull little captions from my Instagram posts from 10 years ago.

[00:24:47] So when you're reading some of these stories, it's almost like actually from the real time of when it was happening that they show up on those pages almost word for word, right? So it's cool. It's cool to see it all kind of aggregated in one spot to really understand why some of these words matter to me so much and how much they've helped through the journey. And where can folks find your book? Yes, you can find them pretty much anywhere books are sold. You definitely can find them at Target.

[00:25:18] Amazon, on our website, we sell a book and a bracelet bundle. So yeah, we try to have fun with any of our retail stores. It's sold at Mall of America. So yeah, anywhere that, mostly anywhere that books are sold. Amazon's always a win. I love it. We're running kind of tight on time here. Where can people find out more about your story, Little Words Project, your podcast? Can you give us your websites? All 20 of them? I love it. How about the top four?

[00:25:49] Well, you know, I haven't actually officially even launched my personal website yet. It's up there, but I haven't spoken about it in the ether. So this is a great forum. So I did just launch my own website. It's called, it's just AdrianaKarrig.com. And from there, you can link out and see all of my little passion projects, Little Words being the number one most important thing to me. But so yeah, AdrianaKarrig.com, LittleWordsProject.com.

[00:26:15] You can find me on all social at Adriana Karig and Little Words Project at Little Words Project. But yeah, there's a whole world of things that I enjoy and that I enjoy sharing with our community. So you can find that all on my website for sure. I love that. And we will list those on our sites as well. So we'll help people connect with you. We're going to finish with just a couple of quick questions for my two co-hosts and you, Adriana.

[00:26:40] And I would like, since we're talking about Little Words, one short word answer for each of these questions. If you could describe Mall of America in one word, what might that be? Adriana, you get to go first. Oh my gosh. Fun is so bland of a word, but it doesn't encapsulate what it really is well enough. But it is, it's just a fun place.

[00:27:08] And everywhere, all the nooks are fun. Yep. I think if you said it louder, then it works. Fun! Fun! How about you? I would have to say community. I feel like it's a good place for all the communities to come together. Okay. SJ? I'm going with joy. Wonderful. If you could talk about family in one word, Adriana, what word would you use for family? And you can't use family. Ooh.

[00:27:37] Safety. Good. Comfort. Ooh. I want two words. I want to say my people, but I feel like that doesn't make sense. No. Right? Can I have two words? I'll give you two words, right? When you say family. And if you could summarize today's conversation in one word, and I'm going to start on this end. SJ, what word would you use for our time with Adriana? Blast. Blast. Good. Exciting. Exciting. Adriana? Fun! Fun!

[00:28:06] And you said it the right way. I love it. Thank you. Stream it. Adriana, we're so honored to spend a little time with you. We know you're an incredibly busy person running your companies and your family and just enjoying life. So thank you for taking the time. Thank you to my colleagues for joining us. Emmy, you knocked it out of the park. So good. Thank you. Never would have known. And for all of our listeners and followers, please be sure to stop into Little Words Project

[00:28:36] here at Mall of America. It's an amazing store. If you don't have the chance to visit in person, she has other locations or go to their website. It's a product and a company that is wholesome and it's good. So please check it out. And we encourage you to also follow Adriana's podcast. Get her book. It's amazing. And then also for us, please like this podcast, subscribe to it, share it with your friends.

[00:29:02] Adriana, we'd like to say a very fond Minnesota farewell. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Bye-bye. Thanks for having me. Thanks for listening to so much more on Mall of America Podcast. Subscribe wherever you find your favorite podcasts. This show is presented by Bloomington, Minnesota Travel and Tourism.