One-on-One with Andie Mercer, Public Relations Society of America

Andie Mercer can wear a lot of hats.

Growing up with three brothers, she got tough and played sports. She focused on softball at Valley High School.

Her senior year, the team gave away awards to the player with the best batting average, the best defender and for other on-the-field prowess.

Mercer was named best storyteller on the team.

“It’s an award I still have around because I thought it was fun,” she said. “And it’s actually kind of funny because I do tell stories for a living.”

Mercer is this year’s president of the New Mexico chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Mercer worked at the Garrity Group Public Relations, a PR firm in Albuquerque. She started as an intern in 2016 and left the firm last fall as a vice president.

Mercer these days is taking care of her nearly 2-year-old daughter, London, and launching a startup.

Mercer started sewing her daughter clothes — Mercer’s grandmother taught her the skill — and Mercer is attempting to turn the skill into another career.

She is the owner and operator of Tiny Lily, a baby clothing store. She sells her clothes online and at the Rail Yards Market a couple times a month.

How do you spend your time when you’re not working?

“So I have a little one, and she definitely is a lot of fun. She’s almost 2. So we have been re-exploring New Mexico with her, which has been a lot of fun. And we have two dogs, so we do a lot of hiking and try and get up and get them to water as much as we can.”

What’s the goal of PRSA in New Mexico?

“To further the communications industry in New Mexico. It’s a national organization and we are the local chapter. We cover the entire state of New Mexico, which is different than a lot of the other chapters.”

What’s a hidden gem in New Mexico?

”A hidden gem I really love going up to is Battleship Rock. That’s one of my favorites, doing the trail up to the hot springs. Up until recently, it’s been pretty not too well known. I doesn’t get too crowded, which is nice.”

What’s something that people who know you would be surprised to learn?

“I would say not too many people know that I like to sew in my free time. Granted, I have started this new venture in baby apparel. I started sewing when I was really little. I learned from my grandma. So that’s something that I’ve always done.”

Tell me about the baby clothing venture?

“So it’s called Tiny Lily Apparel. We are officially licensed and registered here in the state of New Mexico. You can find me at the Rail Yards (Market) a few times a month and we’re selling out of there and online through Etsy. It started when I had my daughter. I just kind of I picked back up with sewing and started making her clothes, and people started wanting to buy them. So I just kind of said, ‘Let’s explore this and started making started making baby clothes.’

“My goal for Tiny Lily Apparel is not only to open a store front, but eventually, to provide support for new parents at work. New parents shouldn’t have to choose between providing for their family and being a part of it, and I hope to be able to create an environment that provides flexibility and options that make it easier for parents to balance work and family responsibilities.”

You were a vice president at the Garrity Group. What was it like to leave that job to start your own company making baby clothes?

“It was really scary. It was definitely a big leap of faith, trusting myself and trusting that I would figure it out and kind of leaning back on the skills that I learned in college and that I’ve picked up over the years. It’s definitely hard to trust myself in that way. But I was doing a lot of the same things I’m doing now. I’m just sewing in addition to it.”

What’s something difficult that you’ve had to overcome in your life?

“Becoming a working mom. You hear about the difficulties. But you don’t know what to expect until you’re in it. Being a working mom and trying to find that balance of having being ambitious with your career, but also wanting to be there for your family. It’s been a roller coaster. It’s definitely been tough.”

What your advice for a working mother?

“My advice would be for them to trust themselves. There’s definitely a lot of hard days, but there’s definitely a lot of good days. I think trying to find your niche and find your audience and start building everything out. Once you get going, it’s really great seeing everybody’s reaction to what you’re doing.”

As a communications pro in Albuquerque, what’s a perception or message about Albuquerque or New Mexico that you don’t think is quite true?

“Albuquerque is best known outside of New Mexico for ‘Breaking Bad.’ And I think there’s so much more to Albuquerque than that, right? I think we’re such a culturally rich state. We have a lot of really great things to do, especially in the outdoor arena. There’s so much diversity here. And the food is delicious.”

What are your pet peeves?

“My pet peeve is not following through on something that you committed to. And leaving dishes in the sink overnight.”