Dune Jewlery

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
For thirty five years, Cindy Stumpohas been a female home builder with a
passion for design, a mastery ofdetail, and a commitment to her crack.
With daughter Samantha Stumpo by her side, I don't need my whole family
on a date with me. That'sa good note. It's goddymn weird.
See. Stumpo Development is the onlysecond generation female construction company in the country.
You're crazy, You're a wacko,You're insane. I mean, it

(00:23):
just doesn't end together. Cindy andSamantha welcome guests to explore the world of
construction, real estate, development,design and more. You're unpredictable. Every
time I think I know what youwant, you switch it out. But
that's what makes your houses all yourday. Discuss anything that happens between the
roof and the foundation. Nothing isoff limits. You truly do care about
everybody. She can yell at,you can scream, but when you get

(00:45):
her alone, she's the best personon the planet. Cindy Stumpo is tough
as nails. Okay, welcome toSidney Stuffle Tough as Nails on WBC News
Radio ten thirty and I'm here withSamantha who is in the studio besides my
daughter Samantha that keeps talking. Goahead, I'm Holly dan Yeah, Hi,

(01:08):
I'm Holly Daniels Christiansen, and I'mso happy to be here. Thanks
for having me. I love havingyou here. Okay, the topic tonight
is what we're going to talk about, entrepreneurship. I have a couple of
businesses we can talk about and justhow the road to entrepreneurship and business business

(01:29):
ownership. Okay, what is mypronounces right, Dune Jewelry. Doune Jewelry.
What is that? It is ajewelry business. I started fourteen years
ago at my kitchen table using sandand earth elements from Cape Cod where I
grew up. So I was creatingjewelry. I was working in real estate

(01:49):
at the time, which I'm noteven sure anyone told you, and I
was doing it as a side hustle, a hobby, just making jewelry for
friends and family, and people startedbringing me back sand from like Bermuda and
Iceland and the Caribbean and Saint Martinand Italy and saying, hey, can
you make something with this. Ijust got back. It was the most

(02:10):
incredible trip of my life. I'llwant to hold on to it. I
was like, of course I can, and so I just started honing in
on that skill, and fourteen yearslater we shipped to six hundred locations worldwide.
We have over fifty five hundred sandsin earth elements that we inlay into
our jewelry to capture people's memories.Really, yeah, so how do you

(02:31):
do this? How does they bringyou home sand? Can you put in
something and they can wear it intheir jewelry? Yeah? Everything I have
on pretty much has sand in it. Let me say, I'm sorry listeners
that you can't see. Yeah,so I'm going to pass you over.
This is Chinquitare Italy in the middleand set into fourteen carret gold with malachite
on the sides. And essentially,I mean the idea is that we're able

(02:59):
to give people a tangible reminder andin the middle. Yeah, crazy,
it's beautiful. Thank you, verypretty, thank you. Okay, so
that's where we are right now.We started in real estate. Your side
hustle was this jewelry. Now thisjewelry became one of year bigger and the
side the main job left to theside hustle became I always say that,

(03:21):
don't I say you hear me saythat. Make that your side. Hustle
until you're making a good living atit, and then you can move on.
Yeah, I remember distinctly, startingin twenty ten. In two thousand
and fourteen was the first time Ididn't have a real estate commission on my
on my tax returns. You're abroker, yeah, and you got scared.

(03:42):
No, No, I know.My husband was like, why are
you doing both? He's like,you have a real shot at this business.
He said, it's not rocket science. You'll figure it out. He
said, be done with the realestate. And I loved real estate,
so that's where the decision was hard. I had a great, great job,
and so I loved both. Buthe was right. He was like,

(04:05):
you got to give it your all. Well, thank you to the
husband. Yeah, because she's aleader, right, and she can't make
a decision, so she needed herhusband to push it. Amen. Yeah,
I hear that. You've had somewhatever you want to call your your
drama or your trauma or your beingof your life. What went on that?

(04:28):
Yeah? I mean I think everyonehas a story. Mine just happens
to be really colorful. I lefthome when I was fifteen, dropped out
of high school. I my fatherpassed. I let me hold you.
Why would you leave home at fifteen? My mother turned to drugs after my
father passed and I was an onlychild, and the family kind of fell

(04:49):
apart after that. You said bye, I said bye. It didn't there
was nothing. It was just madea decision. Then it was all I
did make a decision. Then,yeah, that goes to show you I
do have cancer rising So oh thereyou go. Okay, she's partling me.
Yeah, I just even at thatage, I knew it was toxic.

(05:09):
Fifteen goodbye. So things were normalwhile your dad was alive or whatever
normal was. Whatever normal was.He was very sick. So he right
after I was born, he wentblind and from type one diabetes, and
so it was a struggle. Imean, my mom did her best,
but once he passed. They hadbeen together since she was fourteen, he

(05:32):
was eighteen, she was fourteen,and so that was the love of her
life, and she turned to drugsand just could never quite so prid of
that. While he was alive,she didn't touch drugs. No, just
came out of nowhere, came well, came out of nowhere. We had
a little farm, we had horses, so she had taken a few falls
off the horses, and then ofcourse the doctors prescribed their percocet and Brian,

(05:57):
yeah, it's it's unfortunately, it'sno different then a lot of people's
story, and it just progressively gotworse and worse and worse and worse.
And for me, and maybe it'sbecause I was an only child, I
didn't feel the need to hold onforever. I mean I held on to
you know, probably my third Whenyou left at fifteen, did she say

(06:17):
don't go or she was like whatever, she was in her own world.
She was in her own world.I think it was almost a relief that
because I think I was a prettyenergetic child or teenager, so it was
probably a little bit of a relieffor her to not have to worry about
me anymore and just do any grandparents, yes, but also not okay,

(06:43):
whatever them is. So where didyou go at fifteen? I was couch
surfing friends, friends houses, parents'houses, sorry friends parents' houses up in
Maine, and that because we hadmoved from the Cape to Maine, so
of course she could be alone withno one bothering her my mom and then
and then I was CouchSurfing and thenI came back down to the Cape and

(07:08):
I started. I found like aI remember, like a room to rent.
I found a room to rent.Remember I was sixteen to rent?
Yeah, yeah, room to rent. And started working. And I've had
probably fifty different jobs throughout my I'vedone everything. But you're on your own
and you're paying yours. Yeah.I never, I mean knock on wood.

(07:30):
I never. I always had aroof over my head. I bartended
a waitressed. I learned to hustleearly on. So you learned grit and
grind by the time you were sixteenyears old, for sure. But even
if it was fourteen or fifteen,there was trouble along the way that you.
I always say this, and mysaying is, the football gets thrown

(07:51):
at you. Either you can doone or two things. Really catch that
football and you jump and you run, or you fumble, and that's it.
And that's how life is. Right. At some point's going to throw
that football at you, and youbetter go, yeah, because the other
way is fumble and your dumble andyour triple and you fell over your feet.
Now maybe you get back up.Me that was me at twenty six,

(08:13):
grab the football, win and neverlooked back. Right, So it's
always a situation that makes that footballcome at you. You picked it up
and you were in. Yeah,and through all this trauma and leaving in
the house and not having really anywhereto go, no feeling to turn to,

(08:33):
no feeling to turn to. No, my mom did a good job
at making sure the family didn't wantanything to do with us. Really,
she she alienated everybody. Yeah,and now do you talk to her or
she passed passed? Yep, shepassed about five years ago and we still
weren't fully so she never got clean, now, Nope, she did not,

(08:56):
but we tried. We tried overand over again. It's a shame
because I have two daughters that youknow, have a lot of questions now,
so and we have to be carefulwith the daughters because genetics play a
major role, as we know absolutelyin all of this. Right. We
didn't know this back twenty years ago, but we know it now. But
let's hold that thought we're going tobreak. I'm Sitney Stumbling listening to Toughest
Nails on w b Z News Radioten thirty sponsored by Floor and Decor,

(09:20):
National Lumber, and Village Banks isgoing to come and happen. I'm at
and welcome back to Toughest Nails onWBZ News Radio tenthor and I'm city stumping.

(09:45):
I'm here with Samantha and Holly.Okay, go ahead on it.
Pick it up from where you were. So I was, I was just
saying that I think that adversity inchildhood does kind of breed entrepreneurs. I
think that I remember distinct Put youback from minute. Yeah, I'm gonna
take you back in time. How'dyou meet your husband? Blinded? And

(10:07):
it words yeah okay, and heknew about your past and you broke that
out to him pretty fast on andyou said, I'm gonna hide this and
let it go with No, Ihave to be transparent. What's the point.
We both were raised by single momsfor the most part. So his
single mom wasn't doing drugs no,no, nor was she even having a
cocktail no. Okay. Yeah,and then you guys got married and now

(10:31):
you have how many children? Two? Two children? How old you are?
The girls? Boys ten and twelve? Of their girls they grow so
the baby they yeah, they're amazing. Do they help you at all.
Yeah, they do, they do. They're I mean, they're no,
but they like to come in andlike venture with the jewelry or yes when
I allow them. Yeah, yeah, it can be chaotic. I've had

(10:52):
her on construction site since she can, since she's been on my hip,
little hard hat everything. I lovethat everything. So you have the two
kids, you have a husband,good life, right yeah, but you
made that good life for you forsure. No one's done that for you,
so I know me. I hatewhen people say to me, oh,
Cyny, you got lucky, okaycity, there's a million reasons now

(11:16):
right why I'm successful, right yeah? And I just laughed, like yeah,
if I knew that, I wouldhave just stood on a job set
and let them let the let themoney flow on me. Right. Absolutely,
No one understands the grit and grindthat goes into building a company.
I do not use the word entrepreneur. I've never used that. I never
call myself that's not just I justhave to call myself a businesswoman. I

(11:41):
set out to build a great businessand that's what I did. So,
like you never hear me use wordslike mindset and entrepreneur because life balance.
No, they're just words to me, right, they have no meaning.
But that's okay. For other peopleit works great, right, and they're
good words for them. But I'llsay, oh, so you're an entrepreneur,
does that mean well I walk dogsfor a living? Oh okay,

(12:03):
let me know when you get tolike you literally own a company that you
have about fifty employees working for youand you're walking about three thousand dogs,
like I just that's fair. Ibelieve that. I believe in so like,
just throw that out there like that, right, that's just me.
Everybody's different. So now you takeyour side hustle and you make it your

(12:26):
main focus. But then you saidyou have other businesses too, I do
now, I mean Dune has beenmy number one priority. Forced to feed
the other companies exactly exactly, SoI have Dune. I have a little
gift boutique called The Cove in Norwood, and we just launched a yeah,

(12:48):
nine thirty five Washington, and wejust launched a sub brand called Mitezorro,
which is a secondary jewelry line.So just a little something new to try
out. As I've learned so muchover the past fourteen years. And what's
your goals here? My goal Iwant to ask you how old you because
some people get like upset about thatone. Yeah, women, why I

(13:09):
mean? My goal is to buildan incredible business that captures people's memories,
makes people happy that I can hopefullyleave to my daughters so that they have
something that they love doing. Hopefullythey love doing. Were you manufacturing all
Australia, Norwood, Massachusetts? Sodo you have like factory space that you

(13:30):
use? Yeah? So I justI bought my first commercial building. Okay,
yeah, thank you, And wehave the cove boutique in front,
and then we have the manufacturing andback. We don't do the metal casting.
We do buy our castings all overthe world, Rhode Island, India,
China, everywhere, but the actualsand inlay and the artistry is done

(13:52):
right there in Norwood. That's wherethe whole studio is. And how much
you if you don't mind me asking? Your sales keep growing you? Yeah?
Last year we hit five million inrevenue, which is and so we've
organically been growing year over year overyear. We're bootstrap. I never wanted
to take on an investor. Inever wanted any of that because I didn't

(14:13):
know. Again, without a formaleducation, I did not have enough trust
in myself In the beginning. Ididn't think I'd be able to pay anyone
back. I didn't know what Iwas doing. Now, in hindsight,
it cool. She didn't have ahigh school education or a college education.
That your brain could only take youso far in this business. I was

(14:35):
insecure for the first six years ofmy business. Yeah, I would say
it took me six or seven yearsto get my footing. You know.
It's it's funny because let me tellyou something. Yeah, we all are,
and we all were. Yeah.No one comes out of the gate
going, yeah, I'm so confident. Yeah, I'm sure. No,
no one does. Neybody tells youthat's a liar, say to their face,

(14:58):
of course, you're learning as you'regoing along. What do you think
I knew at twenty three, ButI know now. No, it took
me five, six seven years toget out there and be confident and comfortable.
And anybody that says anything different,I won't believe you. I'll end
the conversation right then and there.Yeah, oh I knew what I was
doing them, and I know youdid. But there are people out there
like that, trust me. Imeet them all the time. But you

(15:18):
know what. And I always say, they're full of bologna. And they're
the ones that have the best husband, the best kids, the best this,
the best, that mean mother,the most miserable people. Okay,
and they qulinn tell the truth thatthey tried. So I just kind of
laugh at that. I'm so happyanybody tells me they're so happy, they're
not happy. Yeah, how's that. Everybody's got there? Everyone has there?
Yeah, and we live in thisworld of Instagram and social media where

(15:39):
everyone's glossy, everyone's happy, everyone'sso follow my stories. That's not true.
Yeah, it's you're an idiot,you're a moral ye, get your
head out of you that Okay,Yeah, I'm sorry. I can't apologize.
No, I live in the realworld, am I and my own
hat? I hope I live inthe real world. Right, Look all
you have and I always say this, what's the moment most important common that

(16:00):
you have in your life? Time? Family? That's it. You just
said it. Health. I askpeople this all the time and they never
can answer it. It's time.Yeah, right, that's your biggest and
most important commondity because at the timeyou don't have the chance of the opportunity
to be with your family and yourchildren. Right, So you need time,
and you have plenty of time becauseI'm looking at you, so I

(16:21):
don't think you're near my age.Maybe you look really good. I don't
know. I haven't day see ifI have got Yeah, I got almost
eleven year old. Those eleven yearsa dog years. Those are dog years.
But at forty eight, I wasyou couldn't start me, unstoppable.
Yeah, the yo yo was goinglike you just couldn't. Yeah. Now

(16:42):
at fifty nine, it's like,okay, I'm ready for you. Aka,
No, it's it's I never goon vacation. I'm constantly working.
I work eighteen days, but allday, every day, seven days a
week. I don't care if it'sSunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
Every day's a workday. Yeah.Right, But that's again personality. But
then you get to a point whereyou go, I am kind of feeling
it a little bit, right,so like you will not now you're too

(17:04):
young. Now I'm ready. Imean I'm just getting started, and I'm
on the back three of my career. You've been saying that forever. No,
I said I was on the backnine. Then I said, Now
it's back three seven at eighty you'llsay I'm on the back two. No,
I'm not talking to be out thereyelling at guys. It's seventy years
old. That's not going to happen. I'll send you out to do it.

(17:26):
But I feel like Sam knows.It's like I said, anybody that
I like to meet women in businessthat talk truth, that say, Cindy,
this is tough, this is hard. This has been a hard struggle.
This has not been easy. Yeah, because that is that's having an
honest conversation with somebody. Anyone whosays it's easy is, I mean,
it's just and then it's just notno matter not And then you're you're a

(17:48):
mom. Yeah, and then you'retrying to do the mom things right.
So go back into my generation,which that ten eleven years makes a difference
when none of the same as friendsI had same yet twenty three I get
right of twenty and they didn't work. No, Now that was the bad
moment, I know, trust me. Still, I mean there's still moments
like that, Oh the bad mommywith the next toil running through her cell

(18:10):
phone, the next tail and abeepa and then everybody while she's playing softball.
Everybody's looking at me like, canyou shut the beaber up? Lady?
And I'm like turning your head around. Okay, the beep bis gotta
stay on. I'll put on vibrate. I did this to more mothers on
those called like bleachers. Yeah dothis, yeah, ninth really, Oh,
I love it because good for you. I'm not married to some CEO
of you know of IBM, andI'm not married to a brain surgeon.

(18:33):
So just turn your head around rightnow, okay, right, and then
no one would screw with me.Ever, it was like, okay,
turn my head around, but itwas true. You saw me running to
the field, right. So youlive with guilt, you know, every
day. Every maternal guilt is oneof It's another thing that that is just
it's inevitable, it's undeniable. Everyonehas it, whether they say they do

(18:53):
or not. And I feel guiltyall the time, even though my daughters
are happy and healthy, and butyou just want to be there sometimes a
little bit more, and sometimes youget there a little lad or whatever because
you're right. And and the worstthing was when if I have and they
I could give you advice on whenthey get to that age when you're on
the phone talk and somebody don't dothis with the hend Yeah. I look

(19:17):
back now and I go, howmany times did I go? Five minutes?
Five minutes? Right? If Icould, if I had to do
over, I would not do thatbecause now I can see their faces walking
away as children, going just giveme five minutes. Yeah, and there
with no whole buttons. There wasno new button. I'm covering the phone
going five minutes. It was we'regoing off to break. I'm sitting stumbling,

(19:37):
and we'll send top his nails onw BZ News Radio ten thirty.
We'll be right back, sponsored byPillow Windows of Boston. Next day Molding
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(19:59):
of the way out and I'm sittingstumbling. It's the toughest nails on WBZ
News Radio ten thirty. And I'mhere with Holly Christensen and Samantha. I'm
sorry, folks, but we justwent off to break and we're just talking
about we went totally off I ninetyfive. We're on four ninety five we
went on age seventeen, and we'retalking about the decades. So there's a
decade between you and Sammy thinking allthat, right, yep, and she

(20:22):
you're married to kids. I wasmarried, divorced two kids, and then
you got Sammy in the back ofgoing, I ain't get married because I'm
going to find the right guy.Like, I'm not going to end up
with what Sammy is a loser,A loser, a loser, right,
So there was another colorful word thatwill be in Sammy. They are losers
because why they don't want more forthemselves and they're intimidated by someone that does

(20:44):
do well. Can't you just behappy because someone's making money in the relationship.
I would think that, But againit's that competition that a woman should
make more money than me, andI think, please go not in my
household. Yeah, it wasn't myhousehold. Now it's like who cares?
That's what I think too, Whocares? But she goes on dates and

(21:04):
guys will say, well, youmake more money than me, and she'll
be like, well, I didn'tgo on a date with you, and
thank you for letting me know that. Well, that was her age,
and I took him on vacation andhe drove me nuts about the cost of
everything. No that he was payingfor it. Yeah, he's like,
can you believe the cost of thehot dog? Can you believe the cost
of this? And I was like, would you like anything with Starbucks?

(21:26):
I don't support that establishment that's forrich people. Are like, it was
a yes or no, thank you. I'm out. And then she's texting
me. She goes, oh mygod, I can't get out of here.
I'm like, stop being so mean. She's like, oh no.
He's like, I don't mind you, and that Louis Vuittade never before.
But leave the burke in at home. You know what it is? Are
you serious? My berkan was ugly. I go, please take a picture
of say this to your mom andyour sister and tell him. It's like,

(21:48):
I think it's it's something about himpretentious. I bought her the bag,
but as you were able to.But we're in like the Bahamas at
the casino, I can throw mymoney away. Yeah he doesn't care there.
But if I can taste, touchand feel, there's something messed up
here. No, that doesn't work. Okay. Well, see, so
we've got three generations in here becauseevery ten years is pretty much the generation.
Right. Yeah, so the threegenerations oddly enough twenty six to twenty

(22:14):
nine have there together more than thirtyto thirty five that they are way more
hustlers than that. The next onebehind her seems to be waking up.
It alternates generations. I'm telling youcertain traits within generations, Allele. I
take yoga with have like multiple jumps, really all of them. So date
younger. There's like the girls andthe guys will have like that's say good,

(22:37):
you don't think I don't think itcan work. Women age fast and
men number one true. Okay,men stay looking better if they don't lose.
They hear, so they don't listen, they don't lose, they hear
close share within two years either way, like does it. I don't think
she is younger. It makes abig difference. But if you start doing
that five seven, Yeah, comesa time where you start to look like

(23:00):
his you know mom, Yeah,that's right. We don't want that.
You definitely don't want that. Soit can look fine the other way,
an older man younger woman. Butthat also is a sign that you know,
listen, I'm marrying because I don'twant I want to take the easy
way out. Yeah, like attwenty five, because I'd be in love
with an eighty year old man.I highly doubt it. Okay, especially

(23:21):
my father when I was twenty five, was twenty three years old than me,
so that would have brought him tolike, I don't know, forty
eight or whatever. But it's justamazing that we get three generis, like
I said, and three different stories. And Sammy, your friends at are
your age that are parents. AndI remember Danielle call me saying, your
friends call me ma, and myson's friends call me ma. I can't

(23:42):
do the smile like I have.I have a daughter and I'm a lawyer,
and I don't know how you didall this. You just do it.
You just do it. But youfind that they live at guilt going
to work and no, you're ageneral there and say, I don't know
how people do without a nanny.Okay, we just we did it without
a nanny. I had family.Their mentality is well Janelle specifically, she's

(24:03):
like, if I can't be therebecause I'm working, then I'm paying for
the nanny. But if it's costingme, if I'm making more money,
that it makes sense for me tobe at work or I'll switch. And
but what about your other friends,Like, I don't know, babe,
I don't have a friend that doesn'thave a nanny. I don't. I
can tell you this. Most ofmy friends had somewhat jobs, but mine

(24:23):
was a job. It was itwas building up a business. Yeah,
I mean so Empire. There wasa career there. So it was like
I'm going to work nine to fiveand I come home and you worry about
how the lights are coming on tomorrow, and you worry about where the bill's
gonna hip. When it's your business, you don't stop worrying. You got
to worry on everything you're worrying aboutnext month and how you're you gonna pay

(24:44):
your bills next month, next week. I believe the bigger difference is that
you all had kids younger than wedid, so your parents were there more.
Not me, No, my generalSammy, Come on, you know
that the average parent your age wasten years old than me. Yeah.
But all between where my friends arehaving kids and their parents now, like
their parents are retired, they're notthere to babysit and help. They have

(25:06):
to have the nanny. Oh,they don't have the age gap is too
far between for them to like feelwhat he's saying. If grandparents are retired
now are still working. They're retired, But I don't think the parents trust
their kid fully with their parents that'sretired down because they're so much older and
they forget how to be with ababy. Now listen, and I retire.
Last thing I want to do.I'm going during my life. I
got ten years left here wanting morebabies. I'm still raising you and your

(25:29):
brother and everybody else. This iswhat I say all the time. Meanwhile,
something happens to me. She wantsthe rights to my eggs. Oh
have you signed anything? Now?They died with me like that, said
what do you do if something happenedwith your eggs? Like you know,
yeah, no one's getting my eggslike they get tossed the word she wants
to remake me. I said,well what if I want to remake it?

(25:51):
You? This is getting very interesting. You know, it could make
somebody else needed it, like tohave a baby and bring another little And
she said no, because I don'twant someone else raising my children. Well,
because what if they what if theydo something messed up to a kid
and ruin that kid's life and it'smy eggs and they come looking for me
like I did tonight. Great point, aries aries. Yeah, we're so

(26:12):
different. We're so different, butwe're in love. But it's just I
know, our conversation was supposed tobe about the jewelry stores and and the
blah blah bah. But but sometimeswomen just need to hear and maybe men
need to hear. Yeah that thishasn't been an easy ride. And I
just laugh at people and they go, oh, Cidney Stumple's got panic attacks.

(26:33):
Oh what's how could ship panic attacks? Her life is this? Well,
guess what. We all have ourstuff. Yeah, we all have
our crap. Right, it doesn'tmatter. I mean, like you said,
every single you've got, you've gotthe weight of the world on your
shoulders. When you're a business ownertwenty four seven unless you're sleeping. Unless
you're sleeping, and then you wakeup. When you wake up, what's
the first thing in your face?Uh? Well, get my kids on

(26:55):
the bus, okay, phone,but right, well, of course,
yeah, the first th eyes thephones in my face. And that's like
such a no no. With anysort of mental health, do you read
about and They're like, do notlook at your phone when you first wake
up. I'm like, how canyou not missed? Just make sure there's
no fires to put out? Correct, and then move on, you know,

(27:15):
and then go back to it.But you have to. But you
hear what you just said. Youlooking at your phone for the fire,
because when you own a business,you don't get HI, how are you
you get the roof just fell in? Oh god, Billy just fell off
a stud I mean like you're lookingfor the nine one one calls, right,
yep, because that's what the brainis already set absolutely for a problem

(27:36):
after problem after problem. And I'msure like all of us out here in
business, you're looking for help tooevery day and looking for skilled labor because
what you do you need skilled labor? Yeah? Yeah, we handcraft every
single piece in the studio. Correct. So you can't just find skilled labor,
and you can't find young kids thatwant to go to work. And

(27:56):
it's I out here right now rightYeah for me, there's like a know,
it was great, but now it'slike no one wants to work?
Is it different now for you?After COVID, did your business change at
all? No? Because we wereessential so we had to work through COVID,
so there was no shutdown, butwe worked differently in the fact that
couldn't pigpile the subs on. Yeah, we were in taiveex suit's masks,

(28:19):
couldn't breathe. It's a hundred degreesin that suit, even though it was
sixty degrees out. Then when itgets to eighty degrees you're like drenched in
there. Horrible. Yeah, wewere crazy. I mean it was I
look back. How about this washing. I used to say to wait,
if you go grocery shopping, washthe fruit and stuff before you put in
the refrigerator. He used to lieto me, told me after I didn't
wash it nothing, I'm getting undressedin the garage, put in my stuff

(28:42):
and bring it. I'm dressing inthe garage now, and then bringing my
stuff into the laundry room to putto the washing machine. And then some
of the stuff we did was inthe singes insane. Yes, and it
has it. I would say ifwe had never had COVID, I would
have had another good ten years inmy career. I think COVID took a
little bit of a beating on me. Sure, okay, because then we

(29:02):
went through no product. We wererunning out of product. Yeah, the
supply chain was is still a littlebit jammed down, jammed up. Yeah,
something will jam it up again.Yeah, but it is what it
is. So yeah, I meanyou've had I've had to learn how to
work differently. Yeah, you knowAI is not going to build buildings,
okay, not commercial for us,not resime your AI proof, which is

(29:26):
so I have robots right now,I count on human beings. Right.
They will sit there and say,oh, i've been on ninety five,
it's been three days. As you'vebeen on. You're coming to work,
man, So I don't know ifyou're dealing with the same aggravation that we're
dealing with out there. Yeah,we're finally starting to stabilize our workforce.
We have some really, really goodteam members. But it was dicey for
a while and now it's all smooth. No, it's not why why she

(29:49):
said that, I love you,Holly. I so hate people that full
of blogey old that I thought we'regoing to go to break. I'm Sydney
Stumble and you're listening to Tough Nailson w BZ News Radio ten thirty,
sponsored by new Brook Realty Group,Boston Wood Smaller Insurance, World Auto Body
and Tosca Drive Auto Body and welcomeback to ten Nails on w BZ News

(30:26):
Radio ten thirty. And I'm Sindyand I'm here with Samantha and Sammy.
What are you doing right now?And I'm sorry and you are Holly.
Yeah, okay, you didn't introduceyourself. Okay, so all just passed
out gifts to us, Sam andI and my mom wants hold on.
I got this beautiful necklace, andI'll explain to people. First of all,
it kind of resembles a little bitdifferent, but the Tiffany's necklace,

(30:48):
remember the Tiffanys I do, yeah, with the Tiffany sterling. Yeah,
you can see. I like chunkythings, but that one is filled with
sand, sand and earth elements.But that one has sand from Marco Island,
Florida, and crushed turquoise, whichis just one of my favorite stones.
But you could have she brought MacoIsland because the last name was Stumpo

(31:08):
and Everyrandon macawell has a vowel atthe end of the name. Sammy,
Yes, let me see, becauseyou're hiding over there, I'm reading about
mine. Let me see I havelots of sand from the Nope, I'm
connected to my ears. Oh youcan't. Can you bring me that over
place so I can see Sammy gift? This is beautiful. This is really
stunning. This cuff that's all sterlingsilver. It's actually recycled sterling. We

(31:30):
try to be eco conscious. Youput it, yeah, exactly, and
you can squeeze that right to yours. Okay, I love it. Kind
of get a left because you lookat this and you look at this right,
yeah, and then you're string bracelet. Yeah, that's me. Like
just that has sand from Saint Martin. It has turquoise. I think it
has Bermuda. Sammy does that.So it says beach sand from Miami Beach

(31:52):
and then beach sand from Boc Grande, Aruba, and then beach sand from
Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Ohperfect, Okay, I was way off.
Never mind, this is lying tome. But how cool is it?
I mean the sand is like thedifferent textures everything. Of course,
I love it. That actually,would I love that on you? That

(32:14):
for the record, you're turning intoyour mother right now? Where is that?
Because Nana does that? Do you? Oh? But it looks pretty
on me. It does look prettyU Nana doesn't but me it does.
No, no, no, Iwould never take this break from you.
But see for me, I thisthis would make me smile in the winter
time because it reminds me of summer. Yeah, and what's my favorite time

(32:36):
of the year is warm weather?So the blue. I love the brown
sand though, because I'm a Brownieperson. But the blue. Where's your
favorite place? Do you have likeyour happy place? Her bedroom? But
that yeah, my bad and myunder a massive duvet down comforter. That's
like this thing is I don't know. The blankets that are feel crest blankets
would soakle the around though my wholelife were chasing around. It's beautiful though,

(33:00):
actually, but what is my favoriteI love the heat. Yeah,
I'd rather work in ninety degree weatherthan the cold. Same, okay,
so I don't mind being looking.I'm in the field every day so it
doesn't matter. So are you thehell like I'm bundled up? Are you
a Cape girl? Are you aFlorida girl? You Florida being a girl
beach in Florida? I stay,okay, I'm a cancer as you know,

(33:22):
right, so I don't leave I'vegrown up at the Diplomat Hotel and
I still stay with the love it. Okay, okay, we don't change.
It doesn't like change. We no, No, my life is a
destiny, not a journey. You'reon a journey, Sami's on the journey.
My life has been laid out.Yeah, like the book's been written.
So in the winter, so wecould make you a little piece of
jewelry with a stand from where theDiplomat is, and then in the winter

(33:45):
you can kind of look at it. Looked at the Florida San Laly is
it all dredged in? Is itthe Miami Sands? It's not looking so
great. Yeah, yeah, Imean these are really beautiful there because the
same keeps getting washed away. Yeah. You guys, you have a website,
right, we do. Yeah,we're everywhere. It's dune jewelry dot
com. Repeat that, because ifI'm saying it's beautiful, you guys people

(34:06):
follow me, know me? Youknow what I with my jewelry. You've
got good taste. Yeah again,you've got this song and we won't say
that. We let my head cutoff, right, but then you give
my seven dollar bracelets right right?Next, what's kind of but see these
things, they all mean something tome. Yeah, this was one place,
another place, another place. Sothey all have just followed you on
Instagram. Oh perfect, Yeah,we have a really fun Instagram. It's

(34:30):
Dune Jewelry. So what can welet the people know we're not having a
private conversation. Well, we kindof are, but we are in the
studio, Sammy. Well, letpeople know what Instagram is done jewelry.
Well, it's duny, like asand dune Jewelry dot com and we're everywhere.
You'll find us everywhere, from finejewelry stores with our higher end pieces

(34:51):
to the Paper Store just brought ina whole new collection that is beautiful.
The Paper Store is a chain ofninety Hallmark stores up and down East Coast,
mostly New England. There's one inthem by the dry bar and Starbucks.
Really yeah, across the street.It's a great gift store. You're
welcome paying Field Mall or the streetthe other side near a dry bar.

(35:14):
What that store? Oh yeah,the paper you're right, I can just
I just saw it in my head. The logo. Yeah, it's recognizable.
So we're we're kind of everywhere.And not only do we do sand
in earth elements in our jewelry.But people have sent us wedding flowers,
funeral flowers, ashes, human creamin'sanimal creamine. I know, I'm just
throwing it out there. They dobecause it's their experience, it's their memory.

(35:40):
So people say, Pa, don'twrite in your world that I have
to wear you. Yeah, no, just put me in my mike.
What's that thing she does? Shedoes have a list of people that are
not allowed to come to her.Is that right? Oh? Yeah,
there's people I don't want my funeral. That's amazing, and you have it
written down. Oh, Samuel,though I love you, we'll have you
the bodyguids escort right out. Youdidn't like me while I was alive.

(36:00):
Now you want to come right right? You shall your tribute now? Yeah,
pay your So here's a question Ihave for you. Well, I
it's kind of hard to ask aquestion because did you take any like junior
high school, high school friends withyou into your future or is all that
in the reay view mirror forel No, my high school best friend, Samantha.

(36:21):
We have been friends since we weretwelve years old, and she does
ninety percent of our photography. Cancercancer Okay, so she's loyal, so
you're never going to give her up. But how much, Like someone's asked
me, how many friends did youmake on the lad of success? I
said, you mean how many friendsI lose? Yeah? How many acquaintances
did I make? But how manyfriends I lose? So as your business

(36:44):
is growing, people around you,they proud of you, or do they
want is your competition or whatever?I want to see you not do so
well? It's a good question.I don't know one hundred percent. I
don't have a lot of close friends, so you keep your world at a
distance. I do. I don'tknow if I mean to. I think
I'm so busy. I really prioritizemy business. I work twenty four to

(37:04):
seven, truly, and then whenI'm not working, it's about the kids.
So it's it is a little bitchallenging. You know, there's a
husband in that spot too, right, I know, I know, I
know, uh huh and him buthe's so supportive, that's all I mean.
And he can tell little advice.Yeah, pay attention to him to

(37:25):
absolutely. Okay, Okay, soyou know it takes two people to make
a marriage. It takes two peopleto break a marriage. Right. So
I've been with Ray for thirteen years, which I was married for twenty six
years. But it's hard to bewith a woman that has a career.
And it's hard because you're coming homeand the last thing you want to do

(37:46):
is talk about your day. Andthen you lost sometimes in your own brain.
Once the kids go to sleep andeverybody the house goes down. Now
you're stuck in your own brain andyou don't want to talk to the person
you're with with it. You do, but you talk about the surface stuff.
Yeah, once in a while,you talk with the nitty gritty,
but most of it's in your headand you're alone in your own brain.

(38:09):
Yeah, right, always. Yeah, I know it's a terrible feeling,
but that's part of being a womanand owning companies and whatever you do.
And I think men have been alonein their own heads forever like that.
So imagine that, because they'd comehome and they'll be like, oh,
I bought this, I bought that, I bought this, and IgE like,
can you give me a break?Can you get off the credit cards?
Right? You know what that's like. Right, You're out there making

(38:31):
a living and then everybody's like drawingfrom that money and you're trying to get
more money to make that business worldthat business more and then you take care
of a family and we have thoseconversations. I mean the girls when I
do travel quite a bit for worknow, trunk shows and events and trade
shows, and we have those conversationsbecause they'll be like, Mom, please

(38:52):
don't go. I don't want youto go. Daddy gets crumpy, and
then we all sit down as afamily and I'm like, okay, so
we can have have the swimming pooland your gymnastics and because I do all
this, but mom has to workor truly, do you want me to
stay home? Daddy can work.You know, we can have less,
do it less and and I reallyI'm not saying it in a a in

(39:15):
a silly way. I'm asking andthey're like, no, Mom, bye,
here's your suitcase. You have anice trip. I mean, at
the end of the day, they'regoing to dislike us or something. One
of the problems going to be ourproblems. You know, we didn't create
the problem. They create the problem, but you're gonna be the one that
gets blamed, trust me. AndI'm okay with that. I'm okay with

(39:35):
they're just a little too young.Right now, talk to me ten more
years if you called me and sayno, ten to twelve years saying,
Cindy, what I do wrong?I gave this feel me a great life.
Bah blah bah blah blah blah blah. And I'm getting I'm the one
getting it all over the place,right, But that's just how it is.
And you gotta be tough skited,She tells me, since you've been
through metopause, you're so emotional.Very it does. Oh my god,
this are you more emotional? Ohmy gosh, because things now are creeping

(39:59):
up. Yeah. We used tocall her the tuner. Now it's emotional.
So I was a tuner rupper.Now I just like maybe. But
again, we're all going to haveour regrets. So that's just how life
is. But I've given them agreat life, so you know it.
Then the other side of me goesshut up. Yeah, like, I'm
not listening to your crap anymore.Ok, you've got a great life.
Off my back. Now stand upand be held accountable and do your thing.
Yeah, we're going to break you. Never say anything. You're good,

(40:22):
that's what we love you. I'mcdny stuff, But you listened Toughest
Nails on WBZ News Radio ten thirty. It'll be right back and welcome back
to Toughest Nails on WBZ News Radioten thirty. And I'm here with Samantha

(40:45):
and Holly. Holly, take usout. Thanks for having me, No,
it was my pleasure. This hasbeen such a fun conversation. We
kind of came on to talk aboutdoing jewelry and being a business owner and
things like that. And we gotand we went down nine ninety five,
We went to Florida, We andTisrael were in Germany, went everywhere.
Okay, So well now, Imean, I just I'm excited to let

(41:07):
everyone know about Dune Jewelry, whichyou can find us at dunjewelry dot com.
All of our designs are handcrafted.We've donated over two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars to Coastal Preservation and otherglobal charities over the past ten years.
We have a lifetime warranty on allour jewelry and it's all personalized and customized
with your memories from your travels orspecial moments. Thank you Holly for coming

(41:28):
in and everybody, have a great, safe weekend and we will see you
next weekend on WBZ news Radio tenthirty