We’re looking forward to introducing you to Melanie Fitzpatrick & Jennifer Roane. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Melanie & Jennifer, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is a normal day like for you right now?
6a Workout – recently became addicted to F45
7a – 7:45a – morning craze getting kids ready and out the door to school
9:00a – roll into work and start the LeMel day
A work day is usually: emails, small office chatter about celebrity gossip / reality TV, helping customers, designing jewelry, usually some type of crisis pops up we have to solve… eat 4-6 pink starbursts
3:30p pick up kids from school.. and then it’s sports practice, dinner, homework, bedtime battle 🙂
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey! I’m Melanie, and I’m the co-founder of LeMel along with my amazing sister Jennifer. We started this jewelry company over 10 years ago, and honestly, it’s been such a wild ride.
The whole thing began as my creative escape from a pretty typical 9-5 desk job in LA. I’ve always been obsessed with jewelry, so I started taking night classes at a local art school to learn how to actually make it. My sister and I were living on opposite coasts at the time – me in LA, her in Houston – but we decided to join forces and see what we could build together.
We literally started LeMel with about $3,000 each of our own money, and let me tell you, there’s been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears getting to where we are today! What makes us special is that we’re all about making beautiful jewelry accessible to everyone. Our pieces start at $50 and go up from there, so whether you’re looking for a teacher gift bracelet or that perfect anniversary ring, we’ve got something that works.
The business kept growing, especially during COVID, and in 2021 I made the big decision to pack up my family and move to Houston. That’s when we opened our first brick-and-mortar showroom, which has been incredible. We’re both busy moms with three kids each, so balancing it all is definitely a juggling act, but we’ve created this welcoming space where people feel comfortable just browsing and finding pieces they love.
What I’m most proud of is that LeMel feels like a place where anyone can walk in and find something meaningful, no matter their budget or style. That’s always been our goal from day one.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
Honestly, our parents taught us the most about work. Both of them worked while we were growing up and really showed us what it looks like and what it takes to work hard. I have these vivid memories of being home sick from school, and my mom would be right there taking care of me – but she’d also be working from her bed with these huge filing folders spread everywhere while I watched TV.
Our dad is an entrepreneur and was always traveling, but he was also our biggest cheerleader when it came to any business idea we had. Whether we were setting up a lemonade stand, selling Beanie Babies, or even running our little pie delivery company, our parents were right there helping us make each venture feel like a real “success.”
They never dismissed our ideas as just kid stuff – they treated everything seriously and helped us see what was possible.
Looking back, that foundation was everything. They showed us that hard work doesn’t always look glamorous, but it’s what you do to make things happen. And having parents who believed in our crazy ideas from day one? That confidence has carried us through every challenge with LeMel.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There were definitely multiple times we both felt completely burnt out and questioned if we could keep going. The hardest period was probably when we were still living on opposite coasts – that two-hour time difference was brutal and really took a toll on us, especially with also having babies at home.. and then always at home during covid.
I was also working full-time in television at the time, so I was basically trying to juggle a demanding career while building LeMel on nights and weekends. There were so many moments where I felt like I was drowning trying to do everything at once. We’d have these calls where we were both just exhausted and wondering if we were crazy for trying to make it work from 2,000 miles apart.
The logistics were insane – coordinating everything across time zones, trying to manage inventory and customer service while working completely different schedules.
But somehow we always managed to talk each other off the ledge. Having a business partner who’s also your sister means you have someone who really gets it and won’t let you quit when things get tough. Those moments actually made us stronger and more determined to figure out how to make it work – which is ultimately what led to me moving to Houston and us opening the showroom.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Whose ideas do you rely on most that aren’t your own?
That’s easy – my sister, hands down. Having a sister who’s also your business partner that you completely and wholly trust is honestly the only way this works.
Jen and I have this amazing dynamic where we can bounce ideas off each other constantly, and I know she’s always going to give it to me straight. We’re both just trying to make the best decisions for LeMel. When I’m stuck on something or second-guessing myself, she’s the first person I turn to because I know she sees things from a different angle and always has our best interests at heart. She also doesn’t sugar coat anything and I know she’s always telling it to me straight.
The trust factor is huge. I can throw out a half-baked idea and know she’s not going to judge me for it, but she’s also not going to just agree with everything I say. She’ll push back when she needs to, which makes our ideas so much stronger. Having that built-in sounding board who knows the business as well as I do and cares about it just as much? That’s invaluable. We’ve made every major decision together, and I rely on her perspective more than anyone else’s.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
There have definitely been those tap-dancing-to-work moments! The biggest one was probably when we opened our physical store in 2021. Back when I was still in LA working in television, the dream was always that someday I could leave that world behind and do LeMel full-time. It felt so far away for the longest time.
But when we finally opened the showroom, that dream actually became possible. We honestly never thought we’d see the day we’d have a physical store – it was always this “someday, maybe” kind of goal. Even now, four years later, I still have these moments where I walk into our space and think, “Wait, this is actually ours. We actually did this.”
What makes it even more special is having our kids come to work with us sometimes. They get to see what we’ve built and understand what it looks like to work hard for something you believe in. I love that they’re witnessing this journey and hopefully picking up those same work values our parents instilled in us.
Those early days after opening the store were definitely some of my most excited moments. Everything felt so new and possible, and after years of working across time zones and juggling everything remotely, having this beautiful space where customers could actually touch and try on our pieces… it was like all those late nights and stressed-out phone calls finally made sense.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shoplemel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoplemel
