I met Martha Stewart last week.
Let’s back up for a minute, because that is something I’ve been wanting to say for a long time. Meeting Martha was on my Lovely Life List. I admire her business acumen, her signature look and brand, and I’m grateful to her for being a pioneer and paving the way for what I and many of my blogging peers are able to do today.
Martha was in Chicago to appear at a Home Depot event. I received a casual email from her PR team, asking if I was interested in meeting with Martha and doing a quick interview. I resisted the urge to pepper my reply with OMGs and excessive exclamation marks (!!!), and instead said “yes, thank you.”
There were five of us there to interview Martha, but her plane was delayed and that threw her schedule off. Instead of one-on-one time, we went in as a group for twenty minutes. She greeted us with a smile and a grand sweep of her arms as she surveyed the surroundings. “Welcome… to the Home Depot break room.” Martha answered questions about her favorite designers (Kevin Sharkey for home, Vince for fashion) and recounted her biggest entertaining emergency (“It’s hard to have a true emergency when you’re prepared”), and then I was able to ask my question.
I was already familiar with the upcoming American Made Awards honoring creative entrepreneurs, and I wanted to know if Martha ever imagined having a brand with such reach and scope that she could do something like this. Here’s our very brief interview.
“We believe we are at a defining cultural moment, when so many people are making a go of their creative passions and, in doing so, fueling a new American economy.”
I know you have the American Made event coming up in New York, but looking back, way back to when you were catering, did you ever imagine that you would have a brand that would touch on so many of these things?”
Martha: I don’t know if I imagined it, but I certainly hoped it. Because I really feel very strongly that there are so many talented people in this country, and we’ve always made a point of introducing them to our audience. Our magazines have always been filled with people who were great growers, great artisans, great party-givers – whatever they do, we like to tell people about them. And this event is really bringing to the fore the importance and the need for Americans to start promoting “American made” again. It makes me very sad to go to North Carolina and not see a cotton mill anywhere. A weaving mill, a sheet factory — they’re all gone. And they shouldn’t be gone. We should still be making sheets and bedding in America. We grew all the cotton, and now we’re outsourcing it.
I just did a big piece on Toyota for American Made. Now Toyota, you think “oh, it’s a Japanese car,” but they have one of the largest car factories in America making half a million cars a year in Kentucky. I went and visited the factory, and we made a whole car. They make thousands of cars every single day, and it’s start to finish. So we showed the whole process and these are going to be a series of short videos that will be on their website and our website. We have the ability to do that. To show people a lot of the processes that go into various products, and it changes their business. It changes a lot of people’s businesses when you really show them to your big audience. And we’ve had a very big audience for a long time.
Thank you, Martha (and team) for taking time out of your schedule to meet with an admiring blogger.
74 comments
Anna
Nicole! you are such an inspiration to me! I love your blog and your house is just lovely! My husband and I just bought a house and we are slowly but surely transforming and your ideas come in handy every time.
thank you for doing what you do!
@Sandloves
Nicole, you inspired me to add a Bucket List board on my Pinterest page:http://pinterest.com/designjunky/.
Tara
Why have I not thought to add meeting Martha to my life list?? Definitely doing so now. What an amazing experience for you! And how funny that she welcomed you all to the Home Depot break room like that :)
Holly
I knew of all people you would ROCK this and you did. Your question for Martha was so well thought out, researched, and well said/spoken. Wait to go Nicole and thanks for making all the blogworld proud!
Kristin
You’re kidding me…
And I don’t mean meeting Martha – although that’s quite cool – I just mean that she visited my home town and my parents said nothing about it! The Toyota plant is in Georgetown, Ky and it was built when I was in middle school. We had two Japanese families that lived on our street – some of the sweetest people we’d ever met.
I always thought it was cool that I went to a small town high school in central Kentucky that offered Spanish, French and Japanese language classes – I’ll have to look up that episode on the plant.
And also – you’re kidding me – you met Martha Stewart!
Cherie
I like that you’re kinda leaning into Martha for the photo.
She could be your aunt or something. I was a little confused though
because I first thought the email meant she was going to interview YOU!
And then you were going to tell her about your amazing life and
awesome family, and she’d be all like wow cool blog gig. But I wasn’t disappointed or anything. Isn’t it great to live in America?
kate
I once met Martha too, many years ago in Buffalo NY. A friend had won a radio sponsored contest that had Martha do a barbecue for friends and family in their back yard. Martha was something of a big deal then but of course nothing as compared to today. She was quite snotty, the food was not that good and she made nasty comments to the press about Buffalo that got her a kind of official banishment from the city. It was all pretty funny and I don’t think Martha was left with any desire to return to Buffalo anyway:).
joy
My grandma also met Martha many years ago and had the same impression.
Sylvia
What an amazing opportunity! Congrats to you, Nicole.
Thank you for posting your question & Martha’s response. I LOVE her response. It frustrates me to no end to see people with bumper stickers which say, “Out of a job? Keep buying foreign!” without realizing that so many of these “foreign” cars are wholly made in the US or Canada. Yes, the parent company might be foreign, but the skilled workers they employ are not. What frustrates me more is when those bumper stickers in a Wal-Mart parking lot and not at a farmers’ market or local shop. It’s not the one big purchase you make every 5-10 years that counts to me; it’s your every day life choices.
Dianne
OMG I am so very excited for you!!!! I completely understand what Martha is saying about “American Made”. When given the option, I almost always buy American. I do however, have an issue that Martha doesn’t practice what she preaches. I was at Macy’s today and her line of bedding is NOT made in America and neither are her dishes.
Jane
Dianne – I, too, was disappointed to see that none of her products are made in the USA.
In other news, that’s awesome that you got to meet her, Nicole! Regardless of the US or non-US origin of her products, she’s an incredible businesswoman and I’d still love to meet her!
Cristina
This is just too cool! Glad you got the opportunity to do this! :)
Benita
Lucky, lucky you :)
Adventures in Dressmaking
How incredible to meet and get to talk to/ask a question of Martha. Regardless of how people feel about her style or lifestyle, she really did blaze a trail for us independent blogger-turned-author/entrepreneur/personalities… Nice to hear her remind us of her beginnings!
Béa
Liking the matching ranger inspired tops :)
Perilously Pale
I have no idea why but your question to Martha gave me goosebumps! What a great opportunity! I love seeing people living their dreams and only hope I can be successful in my attempt to live mine. Thanks!
amyks
Lucky you! How fun to meet Martha…the original inspiration to so many “crafty” women!
Evii
Amazing! & congrats on such a huge opportunity.
Maria @ Redecorate Blog
Wow, what an experience! I think your question was a great one, and I really admire her answer! :-)
Jo
How neat is this! I’m going to have to take a moment to live vicariously through you, as the one time I had the opportunity to meet Martha (book signing), my train was delayed and I missed her.
Also loved your thoughtful question and her answer :)
Sarah M.
This is very awesome. I would love to meet Martha one day myself, and am so jealous. Way to go on achieving this goal!
Lisa
O.m.g.!!! ;)
Vanessa@Decor Happy
Congrats – that’s huge! And I loved your question and her thoughtful reply.
Sarah
This post epitomizes everything I LOVE about Martha! Well said!
Astrid
I can only imagine what I might have said in your position- but many OMG’s I’m sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing your great experience!
Astrid
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnAstridEndeavor
Donna
How awesome! and I really enjoyed your question and her answer. It IS sad not to see cotton mills in North Carolina! One question: Did she request that you all color coordinate or is it just a fantastic coincidence that you both are wearing similar shades and look so fabulous together? Congrats!
Jessie {My Mod Style}
I am so happy for you!!! I love her answer and how she talked about Toyota. My husband and I want a Prius and we know our families will be like, “GASP! You aren’t buying an American car!??” It just goes to show you gotta do your research. You look so happy in the picture. I got to meet Peter Hammarstedt this year from the TV show Whale Wars. It was a dream come true and I was so VERY nervous. So I can relate to your excitement. :)
Jody
What a wonderful question! I hadn’t heard about the American Made Awards, but I’m going to read more. Thanks for sharing your incredible experience!
Sarah W
That is ah-mazing! I would love to meet Martha! I am so happy for you, and jealous of you. :)
Jeanne Rondeau
So exciting! Martha has been a/the major force in bringing craft and domestic life back into the daylight. The things our grandmothers took for granted had been lost for many. Thank you Martha for making the humble be seen as beautiful again. And you asked her a great question!
– Jeanne, Domesticspace.com
jenn aka the picky girl
Whoawhoawhoawhoa! This is so cool. I’ve long been a fan of Martha. I think I was the only high schooler paying attention to Martha, other than one of my best guy friends. When I saw this pic in my bloglovin, it took a second for me to register, but when I did, I was so excited for you!
Love that you guys match, too! I also really love your question and her answer. I like that these big important names in fashion, design, etc. are all about getting back to basics. I met Nate Berkus in NY in June, and his new book Things Matter is very much in that vein. Lovely.
Yelle
So dreamy!
I believe my friend was the photographer that day!
Making it Lovely
Samantha? She was so sweet! Here’s her blog post with more photos.
janeb
first off, wtf are you wearing? frump anyone?
second, stalker!
janeb
i agree, get a life!
Miss Beef
Is Jane a pseudonym for “complete pratt?” Yep, thought so.
Puck
One word: FAIL!!!!
Heather B
Jane sweetie, it’s good to see that you agree with yourself. Now, you should give yourself a high-five. Way to go! So clever.
Nicole B
So cool!! Great job Nicole!
Kristina
This is fantastic, she sounds like a great interview. Talk about a dream come true!
Kristina
Kristina does the Internets
Dana @ This Silly Girl's Life
Congrats!
Miss B.
Congrats on being to cross this off your list! What a wonderful + thoughtful question you posed. So thrilled for you!
Becca :: Making Room in Sicily
What a fabulous opportunity! And you didn’t just get to “meet” her, you really got to talk to her. I’m so glad for you! Good question, too. :-)
Jen @ Bungalov
Nicole you are one lucky lady! Congrats on such an honor :) If it were me I would of been shaking like a leaf and so nervous. You seemed so calm and cool. Like a cuc! I too live in Chicago and wish I could of gone. I had only heard of the event on my way home from work and had to get home to the babes!
patricia
Congratulations Nicole, you rocked!
Mara
How fantastic! Meeting Martha is on my list too… Congratulations on another item checked off your list.
Heather B
That was a really good question! I would have said something dumb like “Uh… what’s your favorite color?” Well done Nicole!
Tiffanie
That is just wonderful, Nicole. Great question, great answer. She is a total American icon and a personal hero to me! Lucky you!
Heidi S.
Nicole that is amazing! Congratulations and what an awesome opportunity! You are just checking off that Life List like crazy. I think this might make me finally put a list together for myself.
Sarah
Wow, just…wow. You spoke to her. TO HER!!!! Definite life list check off is in order. More like a party is in order!!!
Mefi
Hard work paid off! You too are an inspiration.
Patty
I have been a fan of Martha’s for over 25 years. I began collecting her recipe books in college and I haven’t stopped. I loved how she revived the role of the homemaker. I do remember one summer afternoon in my early 20’s listening to my mother and her friends talk about how Martha put women back into the kitchen after women fought so hard to get out of it. I understood where they were coming from, but to me, that’s where I wanted to be. Martha made it stylish and very chic to construct a good lobster roll.
Congratulations on meeting Martha. It’s my life’s dream, too.
Jo
I’ve thought about this too, but I think what I love about Martha is that she owns it. She didn’t “put women back in the kitchen” to me. Rather, she made it so we can pursue the crafts and cooking and what have you for their own sake and enjoyment.
Julia
OMG! OMG! OMG!
How cool is that! I’m happy-jealous that you mat Martha. Thanks for sharing with us.
Nancy Rosso
OMG! Thats incredible!!!! LOL!
Emily @ Peck Life
Congrats! What a wonderful opportunity and a dream come true! I LOVE MARTHA!
Danielle
I always feel when I read her site, watch her show, or flip through her magazine inspired to create! Thanks for sharing. She is a true role model for American women.
Giulia
Congratulations on this great opportunity. This must have been so much fun. I’m always surprised by her voice, it seems to get the attention of the whole room without being loud.
Danielle
Congratulations! What and amazing opportunity. I just love her.
Jennifer Eastman
Congrats on such an amazing opportunity and for crossing something off your Lovely Life List. Big things can happen when you dream big!
Sandra
Love the look on your face – I can JUST imagine thinking “I’m with Martha!!!”.
I was lucky enough to go to ALTNYC and when she popped in to speak for a few moments you could FEEL the electricity in the room and the energy SURGE. She’s built an amazing empire.
Danielle
Soo awesome! I’m a bit jealous as I’ve been a fan of Martha since the mid-0s when I started getting her magazine. (one of the smartest things I’ve done was to hold on to all of them!) Thanks for sharing!
Danielle
dur, that would be the mid-90s!
Tina Ramchandani
Ohh I’ve been waiting for you to tell us what happened! Exciting that you got to meet Martha. She really is a pioneer! I might make one of those lovely life lists too. It’s a good way to focus on the future. Congrats!
Nora
That was a really terrific question. I loved getting to read her thoughts on the topic.
the domestic fringe
How fabulous!
What a wonderful opportunity to meet someone you admire.
Congrats on being chosen for the interview.
~FringeGirl
Catherine
Congratulations, that is so exciting! I think it’s especially wonderful that HER team contacted YOU! You should feel incredibly proud.
Nicole
What a fabulous opportunity! Congrats!
Elizabeth
That is incredible, what a great Life List accomplishment! How crazy is it that you coordinated with her. I call her Goddess Martha, did she smell like rosemary and have fingers covered in glitter?
Jessica
Fantastic! Great opportunity and so happy that you received that casual email!
shana
that’s effing rad nicole! mazel tov!
Gena@BakeAllTheThings!
I read the title – raised an eyebrow.
Read the first sentence – grinned.
So jealous!
Also, I so want ‘a casual email’ from someone’s PR team! Guess I better get back in the kitchen, selling more treats and making more blog posts!
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