Meet Whitney Marie Risner |
Owner of WaaWees Jewelry
@waaweesjewelry
Hi Whitney! Can you Tell our readers your backstory leading up to starting WaaWees Jewelry?
OUR NAME
Why I chose the name WaaWees (WAA-WEEZ). When I was younger I couldn’t say my name “Whitney Marie” so I would call myself WaaWaaWee. Baby Whit loved jewelry and she would be so proud to know that she named this company.
I founded this company because jewelry has always been a big part of my life. In college, I crafted hand-made pieces out of my dorm & shipped them domestically. However, I always dreamed bigger. I am now making those dreams a reality through WaaWees. WaaWees is unique because sustainability is a priority. I have worked to bring Sterling Silver jewelry to the market at an affordable price. It is my mission to not only bring sustainability but to bring an experience to every customer. WaaWees is more than just a jewelry company. It’s a dream that came true – and I hope this company inspires others to chase their dreams in honor of their younger self.
Are you from Colorado? Which neighborhood did you eventually choose to call home?
I am originally from Missouri. When we moved to Colorado, we moved here for my husbands job and chose Parker, CO because it was close to my husbands training facility.
What role does sustainability play in WaaWees Jewelry?
Sustainability is our top priority. When I started WaaWees I truly felt like the jewelry market had over priced jewelry that was not sustainable. I was finding that most jewerly I ordered myself was over $100 and the care instructions stated that I couldn’t get my jewelry wet or it would tarnish. This was very unrealistic for me.
It was my #1 goal to make sure Waawees jewelry was water proof and could sustain everyday products without tarnishing. All of our products can be worn in the shower, slept in, and are still in an affordable price range.
How does Sustainability play a part in your business?
While I wish I could say our business had this beautiful sustainable model, I’ve found it’s nearly impossible to do flowers sustainably year round in Colorado. And it’s a tricky issue. We get some of our flowers from South America with fair trade labels on them, but without investigating the farms directly, unfortunately this label is not that comforting to me. We buy as much as we can from local growers, and I even grow a few things in my own yard for the shop during the five short months of growing weather in Colorado. Even so, local flowers are a small fraction of the flowers that we buy. We do compost our scraps, we don’t use plastic in any of our packaging (except on days when below freezing temps necessitate a plastic bag of protection over the arrangements). We also recycle packaging that we receive, and we use dried discarded stems to attach notes to the flowers rather than the plastic sticks that are industry standard.
What are some of your favorite pieces?
I just launched Collection Two and I truly love every piece. The Marie Hoops have been my go to recently, but you can’t go wrong with any of our pieces!
What are you proud of accomplishing in the past year?
I am most proud of selling out Collection One Waawees in just a few months. I have been so lucky to have to much love and support throughout this WaaWees journey.
How would you describe the Personality or “Vibe” of Denver?
I would describe Denver as being very lively and offering so many things to do!
What are some of your favorite Denver based businesses you’d like to shout out?
I love seeing women work hard and bring their business goals to life. Two business women that I would love to shout out are:
Rachel Ross – She owns Boujee nurse in Denver and is opening a second location in DTC soon!
Taylor Eberhardt – She owns Lou Collective in Cherry Creek!
Boujee Nurse offers some really great aesthetic services. Lou Collective has a bunch of my favorite brands that they sell in store.
To Shop WaaWees:
Website/ Instagram to Follow:
You can shop WaaWees Jewelry at www.waawees.com
You can also see our products on Instagram at @waaweesjewelry
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