Today we’d like to introduce you to Shantel Waytashek.
Hi Shantel, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We are Shantel & Kendra, the owners of Macy Mae Designs. We are lovers of design in miniature and life-size forms. We are moms of littles, dreamers and creative souls who love to bring our visions to life! Our journey with Macy Mae started in May of 2023, when we were blessed to be the new owners of the company.
Macy Mae was founded in 2019 by an amazing creative visionary Amanda W. She established Macy Mae as creative outlet & a way to bring dollhouse dreams to life. As her family and business grew, she felt it was time to focus and enjoy her kids growing up and acknowledged it was time to hand off the business.
Knowing Amanda for years, and following along with her small business journey as we also grew our own small business, we were thrilled when Amanda approached us about continuing the Macy Mae legacy and taking over the business for her. It was an immediate “yes!” for us! Taking over Macy Mae felt like the perfect next step for our us as well as the perfect opportunity felt like true fate – something that we couldn’t have even planned or dreamt, but here we are living it!
We are also the proud owners of W | R Home Company since we opened in 2019 – a home décor, gift, women’s apparel & baby goods store in Central Minnesota. Along with Fawn & Foster since 2024 – a soft baby goods company focusing on original water color prints made into heirloom baby goods.
We both have young children who are the perfect age for playing with dollhouses, and watching this process of them finding the magic in the miniature world has been such a joy. Macy Mae is more than just designing and planning dollhouse furniture and accessories for us, it’s a beautiful way of connecting with our child-like selves and getting to bond with our kids over all the fun these dollhouses offer.
We are so excited to continue to grow Macy Mae Designs and provide opportunity to help other children (and their parents/grandparents) feel the creative outlet these doll houses offer. Our hope is that parents will enjoy getting on their hands and knees and experience the joy all over again of being a child through their kids’ eyes.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not much has been a smooth and consistent process over the last handful of years in the retail world. Not only did we just begin learning a new company, but then also throw in issues and delays with manufacturing, shipping, and fulfillment for our products plus now navigating tariffs – it has been a journey to say the least! The growth has been a little slower than we expected, in full honesty, but we have to give ourselves grace for all of the mountains we have climbed in the last few years to get to where we are today. I think that’s one of the most beautiful things about owning a small business. It’s goal setting, pivoting, brainstorming and executing to achieve your dreams. It is truly so fulfilling when you start to see the fruits of your labor come to fruition. And in the process of all of this, we are showing our kids what it looks like to work hard for something you are passionate about!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We focus on modern dollhouse furniture and accessories in 1:12 scale. Not only are we designing with kids in mind, but we also have a large base of adult miniature hobbyists that enjoy our dollhouse goodies.
Through the journey of owning Macy Mae, it has been so exciting going from an idea in our head, to a sketch on paper, and finally a real life dollhouse piece. It always feels surreal when we get to show our kids a new sample we’ve been working on for months, and then seeing our customers get excited about it once we release it for sale is so gratifying. We are interior designers at heart – for real life spaces, so applying those ideas to the miniature world is second nature for us.
We pride ourselves on our whimsical modern style. We love clean lines and simple style, but paired with fun pastel colors like pinks, sage greens and soft blues. We love to mesh modern style with more child-like accessories to make our selection fun and ready for imaginations to go to work. Since our furniture is more on the simple side, it is easy to pair our pieces with other styles – especially for the adult hobbyists who love to design their spaces to their desired style.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
We truly believe there have been moments of both good luck and challenging circumstances along our journey, but more than anything, it’s been about what we did with those moments.
Taking over Macy Mae is something we often describe as a “right place at the right time” opportunity. Knowing the previous owner and being trusted to carry on something she built with so much heart felt incredibly special, and in many ways, like a bit of luck or even fate. It wasn’t something we could have planned, but it aligned so naturally with where we were in life and business.
At the same time, we’ve also experienced our share of “bad luck” – from supply chain delays and manufacturing hurdles to the ever-changing retail landscape. Those moments have stretched us and forced us to grow, pivot, and become more resilient as business owners.
We’ve learned that while luck can open a door, it’s the hard work, creativity, and perseverance behind the scenes that truly shape the outcome. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunities we’ve been given, but equally proud of how we’ve navigated the challenges to continue building something meaningful for our families and our customers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.macymae.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/macymae_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MacyMaeInc
