Exploring Life & Business with Nick Maas and Candace Heckstall of Snarky Taro

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Maas and Candace Heckstall

Hi Nick and Candace, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Candace: I started my career in the printing business when I was 14 years old. I grew up in the foothills of North Carolina, my home state, in a small town called Mocksville with my parents and siblings. I used to help my parents run their t-shirt printing business there. I was fascinated by the entire process: learning all about image design and placement, which color combinations would work the best on different colored tees, printing on apparel, and learning how to make the best designs for our customers. Having this hands-on approach inspired me to eventually go into web design and experiment with bold, bright colors.

After moving to Colorado in 2017, I wanted to find a way to continue my family’s legacy. Nick and I met right in the middle of the Covid pandemic–crazy timing, right? After traveling to Hawai’i and falling in love with the people and the culture, the brand Snarky Taro was born!

Nick: I had heard of screen printing shirts and knew people who had done it for the bands that they were playing in. When Candace suggested we get into the apparel printing business I was more than willing to learn since she had already possessed the knowledge.

I grew up in the Colorado foothills outside of Denver in a town called Evergreen. It was here where I participated in all the typical Colorado outdoor activities and hiked around the country side. My dad was a real estate developer and worked for a company that had a development in Hawai’i known as Kona Village on the big island. It was where I learned about Hawaiian culture, ate all the classic foods (looking at you musubi!), fresh fish, and of course shave ice! We wanted to show our appreciation for the Big Island, and our home states, with our brand Snarky Taro, which you can find at snarkytaro.com!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Candace: Coming up with the idea for the brand was easy–we’re very unserious, love a bad pun, and are sarcastic as hell. Turning this business idea into a reality, however, took a little more time. Since we’re a team of two and not a team of, say, ten, planning out the designs, the marketing process, and building/creating an online social media presence took up far more time than we anticipated, so we had to get savvy at so many things all at once, which felt daunting at times. That’s when we began to automate some of our work to free up time in our work schedules. Automating all of our marketing and social media posts takes far less time to do now, which is wonderful.

In October of 2024, I lost my mother to breast cancer which was extremely difficult, so our business was on a brief hiatus for a few months. It’s been a really long and hard road back to feeling a little normal, but focusing on our work and building our brand gives my life more meaning, hope, and purpose. So while this hasn’t been smooth sailing, it’s definitely been worth overcoming every obstacle.

Nick: Getting started was something new for me. I had thought about starting a business and didn’t know what steps it took to get one going. I learned how and I’m glad I did, because it has been a really great learning experience. It’s one that has had its ups and downs, but I’ve gained a wealth of knowledge. Learning the design program for the apparel and managing our website at the same time has been rough due to the fact that it really is just me and Candace doing all the work ourselves. I am really thankful to have Candace for support because she knew the design program from before, which helped me tremendously. I have also been supporting Candace through her grief over the loss of her mom, which was very sudden. Working on the business gives me hope and excitement for what’s to come for us in the future.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Snarky Taro?
We’re known for how silly we really are! We take a lighthearted approach to life, but are serious about taking care of ourselves and helping our communities. There isn’t a day that goes by without either one of us sending each other a ridiculous meme or post or joke that we’ve found! Laughter is key with us. You’ll be surprised the situations you can get through in life with a little humor. We’re just extra snarky with it.

Candace: We’re known for super bright and bold colors in our designs! One of my favorite designs is the Malama ‘Aina tee, as it is stunning with a bright white monstera set against a vividly colorful background. It demands attention and is just a fun tee to wear! (“Malama ‘Aina” means to take care of and honor the land in Hawaiian.)

Nick: My favorite tee is the I am Loaf tee. Candace and I LOVE animals, and often see plenty of cute doggies when walking around Denver. This shirt has the happiest little Corgi dog right in the middle in its classic loaf position!

Candace: We’re known for making sure that all of our products are available for people of all sizes to wear. I’m pretty curvy, and finding clothes in department stores can sometimes be a little tricky for me–so I have to look out for my plus size people!

We love our home states, and we love Hawai’i, and show our love for it through our products. We make more than just tees–we make leggings and children’s clothing, accessories like candles, tote bags, and home decor, and mugs and tumblers. We showcase a variety of designs and currently have over three hundred items to choose from! We love bright, bold, and happy colors, and like creating designs that make a statement, or showcase a really bad pun. We want people to love our products, and to make a statement with their unique pieces!

We want to represent all the places we enjoy, while paying homage to our homes.

We want people to know that whatever product they purchase, whether it is sarcastic or family-friendly, that it all comes from a place of love and we just want to make people laugh and smile. In this current climate, we want to put as much positivity out into the world as possible!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
You can support us by visiting our website at snarkytaro.com! You can also visit our Instagram page @snarkytaro and share our business with your friends! We look forward to collaborations in the future as the business grows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://snarkytaro.com
• Instagram: @snarkytaro

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image Credits
Nick Maas & Candace Heckstall