Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Mac Stallings
Hi Mary Mac, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I live in and grew up in North Carolina, loving the Carolinas and its history. The Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk was a favorite beach destination and I always thought it was a cool name for a place that represented something so historic for the world – man’s first flight. That lived in the back of my head as I founded a marketing agency with 2 partners in Charlotte and worked in that for 10 years with this idea in the back of my head to merge my love of travel and design and my knowledge of marketing into my own “thing”.
The idea came to me because I travel a good bit and usually to beaches and typically stay in airbnbs that don’t provide beach towels… so I experienced that need first-hand. I merged that with an experience of having my wallet pickpocketed out of my bag on the beach in another country… so that lead to my full idea to create a custom-designed packable sand-free beach towel with a hidden zipper-pocket to carry your wallet and phone and keep them hidden and safe.
I carried the idea around with me for a couple years and then 2020 created the impetus and free time for me to actually start working on developing the actual perfect towel that I wanted to make. I had the first 2000 KTTYHWK towels in my hands by the fall of 2023.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Things always take more time than you think and having patience is the only real struggle because everything can be overcome if you just keep at it.
Getting the right designs on the towels took the longest and then vetting the quality and features and going back and forth with prototypes and manufacturers all takes time, perseverance is the key.
I kept a cool head all along the way because I had faith that this was right and that the timing would be right whenever we got there. I am thankful I had that peace along the way.
Then there is always the second doubts and wondering if this was a stupid risk of an investment to take… there is always that every day….. you just have to push those thoughts out of your head and keep the same patience and faith in getting the brand off the ground and into people’s awareness and hands.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Agency Angle ?
The zipper-pocket for the KTTYHWK towel is the best thing so you can carry your keys, wallet, sunscreen, glasses right in the towel with you along with the really nice 350 gsm waffle micro-fiber that is sand-free. // My day job is a partner at a marketing agency; www.gettheagency.com. I work on brand development and ad strategy so working on this for my own brand gave me a great new perspective that I can carry over in my work with my clients. It is different when it is your baby and your money.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love everything about Charlotte. It is a friendly place with lots to do, great weather and it is growing fast so there is always something new to check out and new people to meet. I love that it has such great access to the outdoors – beaches and mountains as well as lots of hip metro areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kttyhwk.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kttyhwk/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KTTYHWK
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KTTYHWK_design
Image Credits
ashtondurham.com, mary mac stallings
