But by her early 30s, Ms. Maldonado said, she had become uninspired by her career.
In 2015, Ms. Maldonado, now 39, recalled thinking, “What if I start a modern gift shop?”Soon after, she started a website, Yowie, that sold housewares, like ceramic cups and bowls.
(When considering names for the website, yowie, an Australian word synonymous with yeti or Bigfoot, emerged as a favorite and stuck.)
Ms. Maldonado soon quit her job at American Eagle to focus on the business.
Recently, she moved the store again, to a much bigger space on the ground floor of a new Yowie hotel designed and co-owned by Ms. Maldonado.
Persons:
Shannon Maldonado, Maldonado, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Ms, . Maldonado
Organizations:
Fashion Institute of Technology
Locations:
New York, Japan, Philadelphia, Queen