Heavy/NBCUniversal "Vanderpump Rules" stars Raquel Leviss, Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval.
Katie Maloney said fan support has helped her and Ariana Madix get one step closer to fulfilling their dream. The “Vanderpump Rules” star posted a message to her Instagram followers to reveal that fans’ overwhelming support for Madix following her ex, Tom Sandoval’s, shocking cheating scandal has helped plans for their Something About Her Sandwich shop move forward.
Maloney thanked fans in an Instagram story posted on March 25, 2023.
“So I just want to say thank you to all of you who have bought our merch,” she said, in reference to the Something About Her merch line that launched a week after the scandal broke. “You have no idea the kind of support it’s offered to myself and Ariana and the sandwich shop. I mean holy s*** we are just so touched and overwhelmed and, like we’re verklempt, honestly that all of you just turned out for us in such a huge way. Like things are really happening now and that’s because of all of you that supported us by buying merch.”
Maloney also noted that they had so many orders all at once that they have a backlog. She also teased that there will be some new designs coming soon.
“And hopefully we’ll have some really cool, exciting updates for you really soon,” she added. “But for right now I just want to say a really huge, huge thank you.”
The Something About Her Merch Line Was Launched After Ariana Madix Split From Tom Sandoval
Madix was in a relationship with Sandoval for nearly 10 years and they own a home together. After it was discovered that the Schwartz & Sandy’s co-owner cheated on Madix with Raquel Leviss, fans wanted to show support for Madix.
On March 8, 2023, Maloney teased that a “cool” announcement was coming just in time for International Women’s Day. “So many of you have been asking ‘How do we support Ariana? How do we support the sandwich shop?'” she said, before sharing a link for newly launched merch promoting Something About Her.
Fans reacted to Maloney’s new update about the merch sales.
“Tom Sandoval & rachel just did them the BIGGEST favor with their business. It gave them so much more support and publicity for SAH,” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“Investing in this shop would be really smart for someone at this point. Huge publicity, loyal fan following. Hopefully, they already have a really good plan for the shop because the investor side should be cake right now. Ariana’s success because of this douchebag is going to be insane. Thanks Scandoval✌️,” another wrote.
Katie Maloney & Ariana Madix Had Several Setbacks With Financing For Their Sandwich Shop
BravoVanderpump Rules stars Katie Maloney and Ariana Madix.
Originally, Lala Kent’s ex-fiancé, Randall Emmett, was supposed to invest in Maloney and Madix’s business. In a season 9 episode of “Vanderpump Rules,” Emmett told the duo that he and his business partners were going to invest $150,000 into the new sandwich shop. But following Emmett’s cheating scandal and subsequent split from Kent, the deal fell through.
In season 10, Lisa Vanderpump advised Madix and Maloney to find investors and not put their own money into the shop. Vanderpump has gone on record as saying she has no interest in going into business with her former employees.
“I was never planning [on investing],” Vanderpump said on “Watch What Happens Live” on March 8, 2022, per BravoTV.com. “I’m there to support them. I don’t want to be in business with every single person who works for me, but I’m there to support them.”
During a March 2023 appearance on Jason Tartick’s ‘Trading Secrets” podcast, Maloney teased that she and Madix need somewhere between $350,000 and $500,000 to open the business. She noted that a friend has reached out with interest in investing.
“We gotta know, because we’re trying to open this by spring at the latest,” she said. “And we have the space, we’re paying rent on it.”
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