Today we’d like to introduce you to Mercedes Harris.
Mercedes, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Upon moving back to Houston after an overseas assignment, I was overwhelmed with all of the options of cultural events going on in the city. In addition, I realized that I had access to information about events that everyone did not have. I often ran into people that complained about being bored in Houston. My business partner and I started collecting events on a Google calendar and sharing them. The calendar blossomed into a website and blog that now has over 1000 subscribers.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Technology is changing often and it is hard to keep up with the trends of how our community wants to communicate. We have to be agile and change with them. It is also hard not getting feedback often and you wonder if your communication is going into a dark tunnel.
Merlex Picks – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Merlex Picks provides cultural event and restaurant recommendations for Houstonians or those visiting Houston. We specialize in recommending events that are often overlooked such as the theater, symphony, art galleries and author talks. We also want to engage our community civically as we have a voice to make Houston better for all. Every week, we publish a newsletter highlighting events for the week and month. We have become the source to guide Houstonians for events for urban professionals.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Peace is the new success, which is a quote from Sheri Riley (a life coach from Atlanta). If we can provide fun, joy and peace to our subscribers, we are successful. In addition, helping our arts communities thrive by diversifying their audience is another measure of success. We want to provide access to cultural events to all Houstonians which often is a matter of communicating which events are happening and recommended.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.merlexpicks.com
- Email: mercedes@merlexpicks.com
- Instagram: merlexpicks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merlexpicks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MerlexPicks
Image Credit:
Mercedes Harris
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
