GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Tiffany McDowell comes from a big family. For years, she was the baby, but she always wanted a younger sister. Finally, she got one.
“I was six-years-old, and I joked that I became a mom at six, so really this started when Mallory was born. She’s always been like my baby,” said Tiffany about the sister that came along six years later.
Mallory was born with Down Syndrome, and as she grew up, Tiffany began to notice how Mallory was treated.
“I recognized pretty early in life that people like my sister get left out – not necessarily on purpose but they’re typically not the ones with the loudest voices or the best resumes,” Tiffany said. So, when it came to Mallory trying to get a job as a teenager and even as a young adult, “It was so discouraging, the things that we had to do to get minimum wage work, part-time work.”
So, the sisters began their own business: Mallory Paige Designs, jewelry they make together and sell online. And like a lot of small businesses without a brick-and-mortar location, they relied on social media to get the word out but quickly discovered how cruel some people can be when they are relatively anonymous commenting on social media posts.
“Some people are really kind, and some people are really ugly, and the very first comment that I opened (on a video), someone said, 'Your voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me,' and I thought, 'I’ve made a mistake. I’ve made a dire mistake,'” Tiffany said. “And then I thought, 'These are things people with disabilities hear and encounter every day, and how dare I be discouraged by one.' But it’s also amazing how, when you have half a million followers, they police that for you.”
Yes, Tiffany and Mallory are social media stars. Their early posts and videos were about their jewelry but lately, they’re mostly about their lives including Mallory’s big development.
“Tell me about this speed date when you met Stephen?” asked Tiffany. “Do you remember where it was at?”
“A Special Blend,” said Mallory with a smile.
“It was at Special Blend, yeah,” said Tiffany.
Mallory and Stephen have been together for two years, and Tiffany says Stephen treats her the way any woman would want to be treated. See them together and the jewelry Tiffany and Mallory make and sell in this edition of the Buckley Report.
0 Comments