‘This year I learned to dance in the rain’ – MVintage Founder Krystle Penza

For many in Malta, Christmas is a time for the 3 Fs: family, food and fun.

Krystle Penza, Founder and Managing Director of jewellery store MVintage, is certainly no exception, as she makes sure to devote time to all three during the holiday season.

“Christmas is very traditional in our family. We get together with our close family, spend all day eating, enjoy time with the kids playing and running around, take nice pictures of all of us together,  share great laughs and of course Christmas gifts,” Krystle tells us.

On the subject of gifts, Krystle says the best gifts aren’t necessarily material items.

“The most precious gift is my time; I am very lucky to be surrounded by family and friends who appreciate the simple things in life and the most valuable is being together and building memories.”

Nor do gifts have to be expensive or elaborate, as long as there’s some thought behind them.

“The best gifts are always the handcrafted ones my daughter brings home from school full of glitters, loving hearts and ‘Love you mummy’ messages I see them as trophies for being an appreciated mum, which for me is the most important achievement.  I also really appreciate the tokens I receive from my employees. It’s an amazing feeling when your employees do gestures of appreciation towards you as their boss, manager, leader. It need not be something fancy – a few nice words on a card are very heartwarming.”

Asked what her favourite – and least favourite – moments of the past year were, Krystle replied:

I like choosing to be a positive person, so my least favourite moments are actually my favourite ones.  The toughest moments of this year have made me realise I have many good friends who love me and will always be there for me.

“At work, difficult situations have given us the opportunity to experience the team come together, to fight together. We have really bonded through the COVID situation – even if we were laying exhausted on the floor after days trying to find solutions, we stuck together, supported each other, and after we laughed about it and we came out of it stronger than before!”

Turning to what lies ahead for the retail sector in 2022, Krystle says that, over the past two years, Covid has weeded out weaker players from the market.

“This is bringing a lot of changes in the competition on the market. Having an online presence has become increasingly important, and this requires huge investment to keep up with the continuous fast-paced changes. “

The end of the year is also a time to reflect on one’s own personal development over the past 12 months. According to Krystle, challenges and hard times have to be accepted as part of the journey of life.

“The most important lesson I have learned this year is that life is all about learning how to dance in the rain. I always look forward and search for the rainbow after every storm. Similarly, in our lives there is so much we can learn from every challenge, and this is what makes us develop into stronger, better people.”

And the end of the year wouldn’t be complete without a New Year’s resolution.

 “My New Year’s Resolution is to improve on my work-life balance- to make more time for my family and myself.”

This interview forms part of a series by MaltaCEOs.mt that catches up with the country’s business leaders to get a glimpse of how they’ll be celebrating this holiday season