The Story of Sweet Wink

Welcome to the Sweet Wink blog! 

Our goal is to provide you with inspiration on all-things celebration. 

Whether you’re planning the perfect birthday party, looking for a holiday-themed DIY project, or cooking up a kid-friendly recipe (unicorn cookies, anyone!?), our mission is to help you make everyday a party worth celebrating! 

To kick things off, let us take a minute to introduce ourselves …

We’re Wendi and Samantha, the mother-daughter duo that owns and operates Sweet Wink. We launched Sweet Wink in January of 2018, but this company is the manifestation of a lifelong relationship between a mother and a daughter. 

The story of Sweet Wink actually starts in 1992 when Wendi opened her childrenswear showroom which was named Curly Girls Showroom - an ode to Wendi and Samantha’s signature curly hair. 

Wendi’s showroom represented children’s brands/designers and sold them to boutiques and department stores across the country. She had a hand in growing and developing hundreds of childrenswear brands throughout her years!

Wendi was the original girl boss before it was cool or trendy to be a female entrepreneur ...not to mention, she had an infant in tow! 

Samantha grew up in the childrenswear industry and was inspired by her mom’s entrepreneurial spirit. She always dreamed of starting her own business one day just like her mom, but never imagined they would end up being business partners! 

Fast forward to 2013 and just as she always dreamed of, Samantha started her own business in the jewelry industry with a team of 150+ ambassadors nationwide. As the company grew, Samantha needed office space and Wendi had an idea. She asked Samantha, “Why don’t you sublease part of my showroom for your company?” 

A week later, Samantha took over the back half of Curly Girls Showroom for her jewelry company. It was a full circle moment for both Wendi and Samantha to say the least!

However, it wasn’t long until it became clear that sharing an office space was a bit of a distraction - ha! Wendi was helping Samantha with her jewelry business, and then Samantha would help Wendi with Curly Girls. 

Samantha then asked Wendi, “Instead of spending our time working on two businesses, why don’t we join forces and work on one business together? Clearly we love working together!” 

That’s when the idea for Sweet Wink started to come to life.

Combining Wendi’s expertise in childrenswear with Samantha’s knack for marketing, Curly Girls soon transitioned into Sweet Wink.

From that moment on, the wild ride of starting a new brand began! We share all the highs and lows of our journey in the “Our Story” highlight on our Instagram page including …

-How we found our first manufacturer (hint hint: it has something to do with Wendi’s college ex-boyfriend!)

-Setting up for our first trade (and the pipe that burst that morning) 

-And of course, some of our greatest wins and victories along the way (like how we landed more than twice as many orders as we were hoping for!)

Today, Sweet Wink is an all-female company of mostly moms. 

We pride ourselves on providing work opportunities that allow our team to both pursue a career while balancing family … just the way Wendi did when she started Curly Girls with a new baby back in the early nineties. 

We never take it for granted that we have the opportunity to work together as a mother-daughter duo. The best part of our jobs is designing our fun and festive collection of tutus, tees, and hair accessories, that help you make every day a party worth celebrating. 

There’s nothing better than seeing your little ones rocking Sweet Wink during their milestone moments. 

So, let's get this party started! Join our journey by following us on Instagram and Facebook. Don’t forget to tag us in your photos @shopsweetwink #shopsweetwink for a chance to get featured. 

Do you have any questions for us? Anything else you’d like to see on the blog? Let us know by leaving us a comment below. 

Xoxo,

Samantha and Wendi

The ‘S’ and ‘W’ in Sweet Wink