Nurse-Founded Business of the Year: Melanie Van Sistine of Mel’s Crafty CoRNer
"I really just want to help my nurse friends feel seen, heard, and appreciated. They deserve it," says Mel.
Melanie “Mel” Van Sistine, BSN, RN (@mels.crafty.corner) has done it again. Voted Nurse.org's Nurse Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023, the crafty entrepreneur has landed on Nurse.org's Best of Nursing Awards list again in 2025, this time nabbing the coveted spot as the Best Nurse-Founded Business of the Year.
"I'm still kind of in shock looking at both of the plaques side by side together," admits Mel, adding that the awards feel especially meaningful because her fellow nurses and healthcare workers voted for them.
"It's not just this panel of people sitting and deciding," she points out. "It's actually the people that we are serving alongside that are choosing the best of the best. So it was an honor just to be nominated."
Since we last chatted with Mel in 2023, her business has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, so Nurse.org checked in with our fRNd to see what she's been up to and what we can look forward to from her business this year.
Connection and Collaboration
Mel’s Crafty CorRNer is a business that sells nurse-created custom apparel and accessories, ranging from stickers to its popular "Be Kind to Your Mind" line of mental health-themed products. Mel works with nurses or healthcare facilities to create custom and group orders as well. So, nurses can order things like stickers or T-shirts for Nurses' Week or upcoming events (or just for fun!).
Mel notes that her first Nurse.org award helped catapult her business into more connection and collaboration and even generated custom orders for different units nationwide. "Obviously, as a nurse first, they don't teach us any of this in nursing school, so a lot of it is trying different things, seeing what works and maybe what doesn't," she says.
She's recently joined up with other nurses in the online space, such as ICU nurse Ashely Atkins (@ashleylorenaadkins), who collaborated with her on the ICU Crew design.
Having received so much support herself, Mel has also been focused on giving back as much as possible through outreach and fundraising efforts.
"We hope to just help our nurses and tragedy and other healthcare workers feel seen and supported and appreciated because they might not be getting that from their hospital, and I know what that feels like, not feeling supported from a hospital and my organization," Mel shares. "So if there's anything that I can do, even if it's as small as getting a T-shirt, then that's what I'm going to do."
Learning on the Job
Mel works hard to keep her products affordable for her customers, offering sweatshirts ranging from $35 to $50, T-shirts between $25 and $30, and custom designs starting at just $50.
She is a one-woman entrepreneurial show right now, which she enjoys, but she also admits is a challenge at times.
"Nurses know that there's not enough time today to do everything that you want to do within a shift, and it's kind of trickled over into my business world here," says Mel. "So I really learned a lot of grace this year too, in that I'm only one person. Just like we can't take care of our patients and families without taking care of ourselves, I can't serve my nursing community without getting myself the time that I need."
Part of serving her nursing community, Mel hopes, is a renewed focus on connection this year—the transition from working directly with patients to working from home has left the self-declared "social butterfly" craving more in-person interaction. So this year, look for Mel's Crafty CoRNer to hit the road with more outreach and on-site events like conferences, craft fairs, and gatherings. (Her recent vision board party was a huge success!)
Spreading Hope
Mel's Crafty CoRNer is heavily centered on cheerfulness, positivity, and mental health, with bright colors, rainbows, and sunshine. Mel is deliberate in this focus because, as she shares with Nurse.org, she knows what it’s like to struggle.
The business began out of a dark period in her life, following an injury that occurred when she worked as a floor nurse. While moving a patient without the proper equipment (the hospital failed to provide it), Mel hurt her back. Initially, the injury felt like a mild soreness. However, later that night, when she bent over to place a pizza in the oven, Mel recalls hearing a "pop" in her back.
As it would turn out, Mel had injured both her L5 and L6 vertebrae, putting her out of work as a nurse for six months. During that time, the foundation of her business was born.
Aside from the necessary income it provided at a vulnerable time in her life, Mel believes her business provided a "beautiful thing" to focus on, ushering in positivity and purpose for her. Today, Mel openly shares her battle with chronic pain as a result of her injuries and relies on the message of her business to help her stay positive.
"I thank my lucky stars every day," Mel says. "I joke about this, but Mel's Crafty CoRNer saved my life in more ways than one."
And it's that same singular beam of positivity and hope that Mel hopes to instill in other nurses, no matter what their struggles may be.
"I always say that my primary mission is to help my friends look and feel their best on or off the floor, whether that is with a piece of apparel, whether that's with one of my free digital downloads or a sticker on their water bottle or a Motivational Monday video that they can just watch," she says.
"I really know the struggle of working at the bedside, not feeling supported by your peers or your team," Mel adds. " I don't want anyone to feel that way in my corner of the internet if I can help it, and I really just want to help my nurse friends feel seen, heard, and appreciated. They deserve it."
🤔Nurses, would you rock some of Mel’s inspired designs? Share your thoughts in the comment section!
If you have a nursing news story that deserves to be heard, we want to amplify it to our massive community of millions of nurses! Get your story in front of Nurse.org Editors now - click here to fill out our quick submission form today!
