Meet Lisa & Dave Kelly | Owners of Mandalina Turkish Towels, Blankets, & Robes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa & Dave Kelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa & Dave, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
What a great question!

We were both working corporate positions for many years during the course of our marriage. At one point we started to have conversations about what we wanted our future to look like, asking questions like: How we could bring more work life balance? How could we travel more? How could we meet more friends? We noticed that when we were in our regular routines time seemed to pass by so quickly. We also realized that these conversations helped us as a couple get a clearer vision of our future. These were lighthearted conversations on our front porch. At one point Dave typed up some of our ideas. He said we should sign and date the bottom of the page as our commitment….and so we did.

We slowly started to recognize our unique skill sets and upbringing as a team. Lisa owned a clothing line in Bali in her 20’s, was a small business coach, and loves design. Dave had a background in accounting for start-ups, lived in Türkiye (and all over the world) in his youth. His stories about living abroad and experiencing the sights, smells, and antiquity of the world always seemed to capture the heart and soul of others.

A few opportunities surfaced…Lisa left her corporate tech job in 2014 and Dave started to work remote. We took this time to travel and explore. We encountered the Turkish towels on a visit to Southern Türkiye along the Mediterranean. Dave remembered using these towels in his youth. We fell in love with the soft Turkish cottons, the tradition of weaving, beautiful colors, and the eco-friendly properties of the towels. Lisa had experience with textiles + owning a small business and Dave had such a strong connection to Türkiye. We explored the possibility of bringing them back home to share with others. We thought about a name…and finally chose Mandalina, which translates as “The Little Tangerine in Turkish”. Later that month while in Barcelona we met a French girl studying design who helped us create our logo. That was the beginning of Mandalina Turkish Towels over 9 years ago!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We offer a contemporary collection of Turkish Towels, Blankets, Kimonos, & Robes called Mandalina. We give our customers an opportunity to experience real Liveable Luxury. In our minds this means we truly want people to have every day beautiful natural cotton textiles with great quality, design, and function at a reasonable price. Once people have experienced our Mandalina brand…then they have a different option than the big box stores.

One of our biggest personal success stories is how we have created personal connections with our customers! We absolutely Love when people share with us about their new design projects, business ideas, and travel adventures! We recognize that sometimes people just need a little encouragement along the way. We have given lots of big hi fives, hugs, and positivity to others just starting on their own path of fulfilling what’s in their hearts.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would start out at Maria Empanadas for coffee and early morning snack. Then we would go for a walk in the stunning Roxborough State Park (Fountain Valley Loop). If it was Sunday we would definitely head to the Pearl Street Farmers Market in Platt Park Denver or lunch at Adelitas. Then off to our favorite local art shops Willow & Tulaire, Confia Collective, or Heady Bauer Vintage. Happy hour cocktail at Desert Social…and then grill dinner on our Zen back yard patio, fireplace going on under the stars.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many authors and speakers that inspired us! We are fans of inspirational authors and speakers such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Pema Chodron, & Yung Pueblo. These people continually open up our minds and souls to create a new reality for our future. We also want to thank Mike Dooley for his famous daily emails, “Tut, A Note from the Universe”.

Website: https://mandalina.ecwid.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandalina.home.shop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mandalinalove

Other: email: mandalinalove@gmail.com

Image Credits
@emilysidneyphotos Emily Sidney
@nest.out.west Catlin Pappas
@carolinepettet Caroline Pettet
@_juanchamorro Juan Chamorro