Shop Small is a monthly series highlighting small business owners from diverse backgrounds. This series aims to go deeper than your typical product roundup, diving into the inspirational stories behind some of our favorite brands. By taking a behind-the-scenes look at how their shops came to be and highlighting the products they (and their shoppers!) love, we hope to put a deserving spotlight on these marginalized business owners.
After embracing a minimalist design aesthetic for years, now that I'm married and in my mid-20s, I'm increasingly drawn to the bold, expressive world of maximalist decor. I often reminisce about the beautiful hand-stitched tablecloth my mother used for every birthday celebration — a vibrant pink canvas covered in birthday cake drawings and confetti. And I can't forget that hand-painted Italian plate my grandmother used for the Feast of the Seven Fishes every Christmas Eve. It holds a special place in my heart, steeped in tradition and holiday memories.
That's why I was immediately drawn to the aesthetic of Inner Child, which offers an array of colorful handmade home decor and accessories that are created by artisans around the world. Founded by Michelle Pham, you can find everything from blockprint tablecloths and napkins to Sujani quilts hand-loomed by artists in India.
Here, Michelle opens up about her inspiring journey as an entrepreneur and her passion for unique home decor that showcases pattern and color.
Inner Child Hand-Marbled Scallop Waste Bin / Storage Bin in Ocean Wave
Inner Child Araminta Toiletry Bag
Inner Child Acorn Wall Hook
Inner Child Large Wall Picture Frame in Forget Me Not Purple, 5x7
Inner Child Purple & Blue Checkered Reversible Sujani Quilt
Inner Child Blue Hydrangea Blockprint Napkins, Set of 4
What inspired the creation of Inner Child?
I have always loved the home space but never thought about making it a career. I love textiles, crafts and handmade items. I started to scratch below the surface to see if I could make something out of this interest.
When it comes to handmade items, people always ask, ‘Where can I buy this?’ The answer is you can’t because a lot of these things require you to travel far to find them. Most people don't travel to find these sorts of handmade textiles or types of embroidery works. So I decided I'm going to make some.
What makes your products unique?
Everything at Inner Child — the fabrics, patterns and textures — are 100% handmade. We do quite a bit of home linens, tablecloths, napkins, placemats, table runners and more — not to mention, we also have a growing business in recycled paper goods. At the end of a textile production, we have a lot of leftover cotton, so we shred that up to make recycled paper.
How did you come up with the brand's name?
When we're growing up, we always feel compelled to have a little bit more of a muted, beige palette. And that's how we tend to view luxury. You see this very minimalist home and not a lot of options for color in the U.S. market. But when you're a child, you really enjoy color and experimenting. That's the concept behind Inner Child. We're always innovating and introducing new concepts. If a lightbulb idea comes into your head, the next week, we put it on stitching for you. At Inner Child, we want U.S. consumers to comfortably intermingle color and delightful, whimsy things into their home.
Tell me about some of the company's bestsellers.
Our best sellers are truly one-of-a-kind. I can share a few. There's the Ocean Wave Waste Bin. We take leftover cotton from textile productions and make our lovely hand-marbled and block print recycled cotton papers out of them. This bin is collapsible for storage, effortlessly chic, sustainably made and it's ideal for the guest bathroom, office or bedroom.
For the gal on the go, our Araminta Toiletry Bag comes as an individual bag or a versatile set of three. Perfect for keeping your items organized in a work bag or to hold full-sized products in a check-in bag, these adorable pouches are designed for functionality. Each bag features four inner pockets and a wipeable plastic liner to keep you organized. The fabric is hand-block printed by our talented eighth generation artisan team.
There are only two families in the world who still make our Purple & Blue Checkered Reversible Sujani Quilts. These quilts are stuffed with cotton, which create a unique "puff pillow" effect in each square. Each quilt takes more than 16 hours to handloom. This is one of my most popular colors, as everyone loves a two-in-one reversible blanket! These keep you warm without overheating you.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I spent a lot of time poring over stacks and stacks of books during my childhood. As a young person, they're a great way to open your world view of what possibilities can exist. To this day, I still read a lot of academic papers and books about crafts and textiles to inform our practice. In my 20s, I had the great privilege of traveling extensively. This allowed me to see ways of living and crafts in real time, which influences our work daily.
During my childhood, my mother was very talented at sewing, so many days after school were spent at the fabric store looking at colors, patterns, fabric swatch books and feeling different textures. This must have had a subconscious effect on me because my love for color and textiles continues to this day. Living in New York City, stepping out of your home is a burst of inspiration. I love seeing what people are wearing, where they're wearing it and what they gravitate towards.
What don't people realize about running a small business with handmade products?
I run the entire business, which is a surprise to many of my retailers. I handle the design process, warehouse and shipping logistics, production, marketing and all the other minute details that go into running a small business. If you have something you love doing and are willing to work a lot, open a business.
This is never a nine-to-five operation. Working for yourself allows for flexibility in your schedule, but it never ends. At the beginning, when you are bootstrapped, there is no one else to delegate that work to except yourself. As such, I've had in-depth mastery of all aspects of my business. I can look at an item and determine what shipping box it needs to go into within a few seconds. I know how to design packaging. I can touch different types of fabrics and guess their composition and weight. I talk to my artisans daily. Our operations are very hands-on. This is the most rewarding work I have done in my life, but there is a huge amount of work that goes into making the whole business run.
What message do you hope your brand conveys?
Handmade items can be accessible to you. There is never an age at which you have to stop enjoying joyful and whimsical home decor. There is room for those little trinkets that bring us joy throughout life.
Tori Polizzotto Jones is a writer based in NYC, with a big heart and a passion for storytelling. Growing up in Brooklyn as a dancer, her creative roots have always run deep. After studying Fashion Media at LIM College, she found her way into writing, covering everything from beauty and lifestyle to home decor, food and entertainment. Tori’s work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, Esquire, ELLE, Harper's BAZAAR and Delish, where she brings her unique perspective and love for all things creative to every piece.
