Issue 041 - Featuring Distressed Mess Co.
Shop Name: Distressed Mess Co.
Owner: Dena Wilmoth
Facebook Group: Distressed Mess Co. VIP Website: distressedmessco.myshopify.com Instagram: @distressedmessco
“It absolutely makes my heart smile when customers are so excited and pleased with their
items!”
-Dena Wilmoth, Owner
It is always refreshing to find a shop owner who pours their heart and soul into their pieces and is truly passionate about the items they create. Dena Wilmoth, the owner of Distressed Mess Co., is one of those fresh breezes. Yes, her shop is a business but the joy she finds in creating ecstatic customers is what really makes her shine and stand out. Her shop is fairly new to the small shop community but it was forced into existence by her excelling at what was just a hobby for years prior. Inspired by her amazing daughter, Dena chose “Distressed” to describe her product – distressed denim. She added “Mess” for two reasons... The first: It describes the process of distressing denim perfectly as it is an extremely “messy” activity. The second reason: She has always called her daughter “a little mess” when she’s acting goofy or even being mischievous. So the shop name is a perfect fit.
Dena's two-year-old daughter, Kynslee, is the inspiration and the face of the shop. Dena wanted cute, unique distressed jeans for Kynslee to wear but couldn’t find any that she absolutely loved. Of course, she decided to try her hand at distressing so she could make exactly what she wanted for her daughter. Kynslee got so many compliments on her jeans everywhere she went which led to several friends asking Dena to distress jeans for their children as well. Then friends of friends were requesting her distressed denim which finally led to the opening of her shop in November 2021.
In line with how she got started, before giving her work a name, Dena has a LOT going on. Distressed Mess Co. has open custom preorders always! She also has ready-to-ship drops every month for those who need distressed denim and need it now! The specialty at DMC is heavily distressed denim for sizes 6 Months to 12 Youth; however, Dena does accept limited orders for sizes up to Adult with her custom option. She also offers leggings sizes 6 Months to Adult. She will meet all of your shredded needs at this shop.
Dena's aim is to make all of her supporters and customers happy by creating unique, stylish, and affordable clothing for each of them. Apart from striving for high quality, excellent customer service, and a fast turnaround time, a piece of her heart goes into every piece of clothing that she distresses. She loves making customers not only satisfied but ECSTATIC over their items! Dena said it best, "It absolutely makes my heart smile when customers are so excited and pleased with their items!" She truly finds joy in the joy others feel when they have an amazing, unique pair of hand-distressed jeans made especially for them.
1. Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer? I would say a little of both. I am aggressive and go for what I want but I am also great at multitasking.
2. You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color would you be and why? A mixture of purple, red, and blue. Purple because it is calming. Blue for peace and loyalty and Red for passion and determination.
3. You find a lottery ticket that ends up winning $10 million. What would you do? Provide for my family and help people! 4.What do you think about when you’re alone in your car? That’s the most peaceful time I get so I usually try not to think and turn up the music and just sing.
5. What’s your favorite ’90s jam? Backstreet Boys was my jam!
6. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? Horse. They are fast learners, strong and independent. Horses are majestic, amazing creatures.
7. What was the last gift you gave someone? We try to do experiences when we can. We took our daughter out of town for the weekend to make new memories as a family.
8. What were you like in high school? I maintained a high GPA. I was in advanced Math and Sciences courses and upheld an excellent attendance record. I was also a member of several academic clubs and very social.
9. What’s the last thing you watched on TV and why did you choose to watch it? Good Girls because the protagonist, Beth, always knows or figures out what to do in any situation thrown her way. She may be forced into terrible predicaments but she takes control and does whatever she feels needs to be done.
10. Any advice for your previous boss? My previous boss was amazing and knew how to treat people but also knew how to run the company. I don’t have any advice to give her but I have definitely learned so much from her!
11. Tell me something about your last job, other than money, that would have inspired you to keep working there. I absolutely loved everything about my previous job so I didn’t need inspiration to stay. I only left to become a stay-at-home mother.
12. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently? This past weekend, I was putting together my daughter’s new swing set. The weather was perfect - all except the wind. The swing set was almost finished. I just needed to tighten some screws and bolts. I was holding the instruction manual but needed to use both hands so I laid the manual on the ground but forgot to lay my phone on top of it. A huge gust of wind blew and the manual goes flying. I began running after it. I was right on top of it and the wind picked up again before I could catch it. This happened several more times. Here I was chasing this paper across my neighborhood and I just knew my neighbors were watching me. I finally got close enough to jump on it and caught it three houses down. As soon as I got back to my yard, one of the neighbors walked over. He was laughing hysterically. He pulled his phone out to show me something. Not only did they see me chasing the manual but they caught the whole thing from different angles on their security cameras.
13. What is your dream job? I’m actually pursuing it as a business owner but I always wanted to become a Veterinarian.
14. What inspires you? My daughter and my husband inspire me.
15. What’s your food/drink guilty pleasure? Cookie Dough Blizzard with added Reese’s from Dairy Queen
16. What are you known for? I’m known for my knowledge of animals. As I stated previously, I wanted to become a Veterinarian. While I may not have attended college specifically for that major, I did study about animals and taught myself. I also grew up on a farm so most of my knowledge was learned at a young age. People always come to me to ask about their pets diets, health, injuries, etc.
17. What do you work toward in your free time? Most of my free time is consumed by my daughter. I enjoy teaching her and raising her to become an intelligent, independent, respectful, successful human being.
18. What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn without asking this question? I have versatile knowledge and skill in many areas such as mechanics, construction, interior decorating, landscaping, creativity, and more. 19. How would you rate your memory? I have a photographic memory but I’m also great at listening and remembering details.
20. If you woke up and had 2,000 unread emails and could only answer 300 of them, how would you choose which ones to answer? I would open them all and read them and decide which ones were more important. The question stated I could only answer 300 emails. It didn’t say I could not open them.
21. What pizza topping best represents you? Cheese and Pepperoni
22. Describe the color teal to somebody who is blind. Teal is like the feeling of cool water and new grass mixed together.
23. If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why? California because the cost of living and literally everything is too expensive.
24. What is your favorite tv show to watch when you’re alone with the remote? Good Girls, The King of Queens, or Full House - how can I choose between those?!
25. Are you now who you thought you would be ten years ago? I’m at a better place now than I thought I would be and working daily on my relationship with God.