Connect
To Top

Meet Michael and Nikki Moran of Mr Meerkat’s Market in Downtown

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael and Nikki Moran.

Michael and Nikki, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
It all started 12 years ago when Mr. & Mrs. Meerkat met, also known as Michael and Nikki Moran. We met as parking lot attendants for the Old Globe Theater in San Diego, CA, in Feb 2007, both loving the arts and the outdoors we fell in love and moved in together!

We became inseparable and began a life-long journey together, which led to ending up in downtown Phoenix in 2013. I (Mrs. Meerkat) came from Phoenix so when it was time for a change from San Diego, we decided it was time to move back and see what was going on  downtown. We both saw the potential and growth that was happening there!

We found jobs and an apartment and began the next leg of our journey together in downtown Phoenix. While living down here, we met all sorts of awesome people including a local that we called “Rock Homie”. He always had tons of amazing crystals like amethyst, quartz, and Chrysocolla and we started collecting them for our home!

Because we love stones and crystals, we checked out Tucson for Gem & Jam, a festival they were having during the Gem and Mineral Show in 2015. While there, we met some cool people who wire wrap. We got so excited about trying it ourselves, especially since we had so many geodes in our possession. I went out and bought a wire wrapping starter kit and tried to wrap a couple of times but soon realized it was a lot more challenging than anticipated, so Mr. Meerkat gave it a try.

Being a guitar player, Mr. Meerkat had strong enough hands to work the wire and took to it very well. He spent a lot of time practicing and kept getting better and better, so he decided to challenge himself to make a pendant every day for 365 days straight and post each piece on his Instagram & Facebook account! He definitely had ups and downs during the challenge but stuck with it day in and day out. Very proud to say he completed his challenge in July 2018, never missing a day!

His pendants improved so much that people started wanting them for themselves and their loved ones. We sold his pendants on Instagram, Facebook, First Fridays in front of Bud’s Glass Joint, and basically wherever we went, all the while receiving tons of love and support from followers and customers. Wanting to improve his work, Mr. Meerkat dreamed of having a studio in downtown to improve and get his pendants out to more and more people.

After some dreaming and manifesting, the stars aligned and a studio opened up on 5th st in Roosevelt Row, a commercially zoned apartment studio with room for a storefront. We moved in March of 2018 and officially became Mr. Meerkat’s Market. We turned our front room into a shop filled with his pendants and other merchandise such as sage, palo santo, nag champa and eventually adding other local artists work that we loved and admired.

I wanted to contribute too, so I started my adventure in stone bracelet making, finding it to be very therapeutic as well. Every day we tweak the shop and work on making it a more enjoyable shopping experience for everyone who walks through our doors.

Has it been a smooth road?
As I mentioned, it’s had its ups and downs. Not only were we starting a business with a very limited budget, we are also having random people walking into our personal space which can be challenging since we both deal with social anxiety. Mr. Meerkat quit his job to go all in with our business, so financially it’s been a struggle too.

We are more of creative types, so marketing and building a business is something we don’t know a lot about, but we are determined to figure it out. We’ve been learning as we go, researching the internet, talking to other business owners and seeing what’s worked for others. We take it all in and make it work for us.

Mr. Meerkat turned 40 this year, so getting older always has it’s challenges. Starting up a business with no money down can be scary. So many other people our age are buying houses, vacationing in Bali, and having babies. We’ve learned not to be concerned with what other people are doing and to trust ourselves enough to live the life we were meant to live. Easier said than done sometimes.

Staying true to yourself is not for the faint of heart but we are, and it’s gotten easier each day. Another challenge has been opening up our home to the outside world and allowing so many different types of people to come in and start up all sorts of conversations. Downtown  definitely has some interesting people walking the streets.

It’s allowed us to be even more open-minded and accepting of all people. We have found that most people just want to be listened to and accepted and that’s been our goal to provide that for them if we can. It’s helped us be better people and more loving to those who get ignored. One more challenge, you could say, is working very close to your significant other. We have to be very careful not to get frustrated with each other when a challenge pops up.

We also have to learn how each other deals with stress in order to give them what they need to make it through to the other side. It’s been awesome to work alongside my husband (and I’m sure he’d say the same thing about me 😉 ), but we can’t be naive to the fact that when you are with someone all day everyday, things about them can drive you a bit nutty.

Although after a year of 100% commitment to the business, we’ve realized that when those nutty times come up, it’s usually about something we are dealing with in our own head that we need to acknowledge, work on and let go of. Michael is an awesome partner who always keeps me and the business grounded, but can be shy when it comes to being on video or being interviewed. That’s where I come in. We have found each other’s strengths and help build each other up to feel confident in the challenges we face.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Mr. Meerkat specializes in wire wrapping natural stones, geodes, crystals and glass blown art. He tends to gravitate towards copper wiring but has done sterling silver as well. The market has grown from just his pendants to creating homes for other local artist’s work including Mrs. Meerkats stone bracelets. He sells good smells like sage, Palo Santo and incense as well as hippie gear like tapestries, bags and purses. All while providing the best deals possible!

We pride ourselves on creating a safe space for guests to come in and start up a conversation. Our hope is to provide positivity and understanding to everyone that walks through our doors. We try to do the same for our social media presence as well! We really want these crystals to find homes and provide affordable jewelry to awesome people who are looking to customize their looks for festivals or just everyday life.

Because of Michael’s year-long challenge he’s been able to see what can come from focus and determination. It has given us a platform to leap and learn from, and since we posted his pieces everyday, our followers have seen his improvement and showed so much support when another day of his challenge was completed. This has provided a connection with our followers that have eventually become our friends!

We are so lucky to have so many people support us along this journey. Our hope is that it provides inspiration for them to get out of their comfort zone and make those crazy dreams of theirs a reality, just like we have! Our pricing is another thing that sets us apart. We strive to provide the best deals possible. If we get a good deal on a stone, you’ll get a good deal on your pendant with that stone.

Not to mention, chances are that if you walk into our shop with a smile on your face you’ll get a free gift. Mr Meerkat is big on free gifts! We also try and have a “deal of the day” in order for our customers to save money and love what they purchased even more. Who doesn’t love a great deal!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I do believe this city is a booming place to create a start-up. Back in San Diego, we started an online business and doing so we saw what other states “charge” for having a business. Every year you were required to pay large fees/taxes regardless of what you brought in.

Out there you were a small fish in a super big pond. There were so many people trying to do the same thing and getting drowned in the process. You wouldn’t want to go to a small town to start a business because you would want enough people to keep your business afloat. It has to be that sweet spot of not too many people, but just enough.

The internet helps because it opens you up to the world, but of course, you still need a place to work on your craft. Fortunately, Phoenix offers very affordable spaces for this, especially in comparison to other major cities. There are also a ton of resources for small businesses here in Phoenix, that might not be as available elsewhere.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in