About Us

Our mission

To share love after loss by honoring loved ones, acknowledging grief and supporting others.

 

Our shirts

Most of our shirts feature our standard heartthrob heart. This design was inspired by Vette, our founder Helena's mother, and the piece Helena felt was missing from her heart after losing her mother.

Each shirt is hand-printed with love, using screen printing techniques at a local maker's studio.

We hope our shirts will allow you to honor your loved ones, acknowledge your grief and support others, because every heart has a story.

 

Our founder's story

As the child of a single parent, my mother was all I had. She was my provider, protector, and my best friend. One of my favorite memories was when I was in elementary school, and it was my day to bring snacks for the class. When I told my mother, she adamantly said that she didn't have the money to buy the snacks. The next day at school, still feeling disappointed, my mom surprised me and brought deli sandwiches for the class. All my classmates loved the sandwiches! Even though she may not have had the extra money, she knew how important it was to me.

When she unexpectedly died at the young age of 33 from complications with asthma, I was 14 and had no experience with losing a loved one. When my family arrived at school to tell me my mother had passed away, I heard the words but really did not know what it meant. It didn't register until months later that I would never see her again. Due to factors surrounding my mother's death, I did not have the support that I so desperately needed. 

In 2016, after an unexpected breakup, I began to do some self-reflection. I realized after every disappointment, failure, or bad experience the pain from losing my mother would resurface. I knew I needed to open up and allow healing to take place. I knew that my mother would not want to be the source of my pain. She always loved to see me happy. I wanted to find a way to express my love for my mother and decided to start Heartthrob Access. This brand is a way to pay homage to my mother and support others who lost loved ones. February 28th is no longer a dreaded day of tears and pain but a day of wonderful memories and the anniversary date of my first Heartthrob Access sale!