5 Minutes With Meg & Maggie, Villanova Besties

Kyle & Elizabeth, co-founders of KYLE CAVAN met Maggie & Meg, Villanova ’09 alumnae after attending one of their beautifully curated pop-ups in Montauk, NY last summer. Since then Meg and Maggie have moved on to amazing things of their own but will always be best friends because of their time at Villanova. Find out more in our 5 Minutes With interview. Shop The Villanova Collection 

Tell me about yourselves and how you know each other.

We met during the Spring semester of our freshman year at Villanova! We happened to attend the same party of about 6 girls in one of our mutual friend's dorm rooms in Stanford Hall and the rest is history.

Now, we are not only best friends but also business partners. Together we started Cabana Curations, a pop-up store that collaborates with designers and brands to bring their stories and products together to create a one-stop shop for the stylish and cultivated.

What was your favorite part of the first Cabana Curations? 

Meg: I absolutely loved getting to know all of the designers and the stories behind each brand. I like to know why I am buying something and the purpose behind the product is a big selling point for me when I go to buy something. All of our Cabana brands have amazing and compelling stories to share, which is why I ended up spending a lot! ;)

 Maggie: I have always loved to shop, spending time looking, touching, and trying on the product. I think so much of that has been lost with online shopping and I was so happy to see it come back to life at The Cabana @ Montauk. Hearing how happy and excited our guests were with their purchases was a great feeling.

There is a lot of conversation around female entrepreneurship out there. Is there anyone or group of people in particular that inspired you to become entrepreneurs and do you have any advice for people who make the transition from the 9-5 to entrepreneurship?

 Meg: While it is scary to "go out on your own" in a sense, starting my own business has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had to date. I am somewhat of a control freak, so being able to have my hands on all aspects of the business and getting to have a say in every decision is something that has kept me motivated as an entrepreneur. It really helps to have an amazing, and talented, partner who also happens to be one of your best friends, so that has been an inspiration as well.

Maggie: My last job was feeling like it had morphed from a creative buying and designing experience to a bit of a Ground Hogs day. I was really feeling the urge to be creative again and felt that these amazing and unique designers were getting lost in an oversaturated marketplace. There are so many amazing women entrepreneurs, I mean just look at the women at The Cabana @ Montauk; Mignonne Gavigan Smith of Mignonne Gavigan, Morgan Smith of Minnow Swim, Ty Haney of Outdoor Voices. You guys at Kyle Cavan. All women who saw a void in the market and decided to make something bigger and better.

Thoughts on Kyle Cavan?

Meg: I'm not one for buying a ton of Villanova paraphilia but it is a very special place to me, so I love that I can subtly pay homage to my alma mater with a chic accessory - like the Church Necklace - that I will wear forever.

Above, Meg & Maggie in Montauk, NY.