Steep & Tell: Melissa Panszi Riebe of A D'Zine & Make Your Mark[et]

Welcome to Steep & Tell, our interview series steeping the stories of women founders we admire. Over a cup of tea, we ask about slow mornings, hard seasons, the rituals that keep them grounded, and the honest truths no one warns you about in business. Pour something warm and settle in.

First up is Melissa Panszi Riebe, the jewelry artist and community builder behind A D'Zine and Make Your Mark[et]. She makes pieces you feel the moment you put them on, and curates a seasonal pop-up in the Hudson Valley that gives local makers a place to be seen. You can find her at @adzineny and @makeyourmarketny.

What does a slow morning look like for you, and how do you protect it?

Heaven. I don't get many of these. A true slow morning is waking up, listening to a 5-minute NPR news update, sitting outside or in my living room with a cup of coffee or tea, and doing a 5 to 10 minute meditation, and listening to music. Then a good shower and good skincare. Sometimes, if it's really slow, I get to create at my bench just for fun. I try to protect most of this routine every day. I may not get through all of it, but the majority. Being an early riser helps. I'm up before the world starts pulling at me.

What is your non-negotiable ritual that keeps you grounded?

Music is non-negotiable for me. While I'm working, getting ready, driving, music is always there. I have a good friend who shares her favorites with me. I always find new stuff that way. I create a quarterly playlist of various genres and as I find new music or rediscover old favorites, I add it in and keep playing it. When the new quarter comes, I start fresh. It's funny because now certain songs take me right back to a specific moment in my life. They're like little time capsules.

I have another non-negotiable. My Friday phone call with my dad. He calls every Friday at 8:30am and we talk, sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes an hour, about everything and nothing. That ritual meant so much to me that I brought it into my own family. Every Sunday I talk to each of my sons. It's not always long, but we hear each other's voice. We connect. That is everything.

What is something about running your business that no one warned you about?

Nobody warned me that the moment your hobby becomes a business, you stop doing the thing you love most. The majority of your time shifts to running the business, not creating. With that comes a level of daily decision making that nobody prepares you for. Some days you have data to guide you. Other days you just have your gut, and you have to learn to trust it.

What surprised me in the best way though? The community. The artists and small business owners I've met along the way are truly the heart of any community. Their stories, their dreams, the way they show up for each other. Nobody warned me about that either, and honestly it's one of the greatest gifts of this whole thing.

Tell us about a hard season or a failure that ended up shaping you or your brand.

Failure is a harsh word and honestly, I don't see it that way. At least not long term. What I have experienced are obstacles, disappointments, and yes, even betrayals. People who aren't about community, but about negativity. The hardest part isn't the obstacle itself. It's when those people have power in the moment. When they can affect your business for reasons that have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.

That's a hard season to sit in. Here's what I know now: community and kindness always win in the big picture. Every time I've hit one of those walls, I paused, reflected, and pivoted, and I surrounded myself with true friends and community who want not just me to succeed, but who want each other to succeed together. That pivot took me somewhere better than where I was originally headed. The detour was the direction.

When you are overwhelmed, what actually helps? The real thing, not the advice you are supposed to give.

The real thing? Calling my best friend and venting, which most of the time ends up in laughter. Or texting my college friends in our group chat and just telling them how I feel. There is something about being truly known by people who have seen all of you.

Then there's the list. I am a list person, can you tell I'm a Virgo? Writing everything down, making a game plan, and then crossing things off one by one. Pure heaven. I have a digital calendar, but every Sunday I sit down with my paper calendar and plan out my whole week. It gives me a bird's eye view of what I actually need to accomplish. Somehow, seeing it all on paper makes it feel manageable instead of impossible.

What do you wish more people understood about what you do?

For both my jewelry brand and my store, it is so much more than what you see on the surface. It is a philosophy. It is values. It is a feeling. Whether it is how you feel when something I make draws you in and you feel it the moment you put it on, or how you feel when you walk into my store and are surrounded by the energy of art and creation. I want people to leave changed in some small way, more connected to themselves, to the maker, to the community, and to feel seen. That is what I am really selling.

A small luxury or habit that has been worth every penny?

Every year I go on a girls trip with four of my college friends and we go to a different city every time. We have been doing this for 16 years and this is our 17th. We have done long weekends domestically, but this year we are going to Paris. In those 17 years we have seen divorces, new marriages, graduations, cancer, new jobs, and big moves. We have shown up for each other through all of it. The moments on those trips are truly priceless. Tons of laughs, sometimes tears, and memories I will carry forever. Worth every single penny.

Which other woman founder should we all be paying attention to?

I can't pick just one. First, Sabina Hitchen from Press for Success. She teaches small businesses how to pitch for press and she is invaluable. Every small business owner needs her in their corner.

Second, Patrice Poltzer, founder of My Story Pro AI. She and her co-founder Vee are a two-woman founding team who have built an AI tool that is genuinely different because it is focused on humanity and the individual. In a world where AI can feel cold and generic, they are making sure it never loses its human heart or your voice.

Third, Victoria Chantel of The Botanical Bar in Indianapolis. She is not just creating a place of plants. She is creating a place of community. She is what I call a true boss human.

If your brand were a cup of tea, what flavor would it be and why?

I'd be yerba mate. It has deep Latin roots, it brings serious energy into any room, and people might think they have it figured out at first sip, but there are layers in there. It's bold, it's colorful, it's not your typical cup of tea. Neither am I.

Anything you have coming up that you would like us to spotlight?

Yes! I am currently curating my seasonal pop-up store, Make Your Mark[et], and this is my fifth year. I still can't believe it. This season is the longest we have ever run. For the first time I am doing a full four months, all the way through December 24th in Hastings-on-Hudson. I truly love showcasing local artists and makers and I feel it is my mission to shine a spotlight on them and tell their stories. Many of these makers are underrepresented and this is a platform I am so proud that I created for us. Their work deserves to be seen, celebrated, and in the hands of people who will treasure it. Come find us. You will not leave empty handed or empty hearted.

Melissa says if her brand were a tea, it would be yerba mate, bold and layered. If that sounds like your kind of cup, our Sun Soaked blend of green mate, apple, and hibiscus is a lovely place to start.

Follow Melissa at @adzineny and @makeyourmarketny, and explore her work at adzineny.com and shopmakeyourmarket.com.