Emily Carriveau’s enviable energy and creativity highlight her “small town” life in Delano. Photos: Chris Emeott
Delano local shares her hobby farm, garage sale escapades, craft room exploits and more with a growing number of fans on social media.
“Okay, seriously, you guys.”
Emily Carriveau holds her phone in her hand, camera on and stands in front of her full-length mirror. Carriveau is about to do a quick check-in with her one million-plus social media followers. Her Minnesota accent is instantly recognizable (with fast vowels and a hard “s” on the “you guys”), and she looks into the camera with an engaging earnestness that makes the viewer feel like they’re talking with a friend.
Next, she might chat about her recent fashion finds—her signature looks include chic designer items right alongside staples from Target—or give an update on her latest craft project. Then she might take her followers along as she checks on her chickens, alpacas, cats or her donkeys, Lucy and Ethel.
Followers can keep tabs on Emily Carriveau’s hobby farm exploits, even viewing her chickens swinging or feasting on watermelon at their specially crafted picnic table.
Carriveau, who lives in Delano with her husband, Jeff, and their three sons (ages 19, 16 and 13), is, frankly, pretty new to social media. A couple of years ago, she set up Instagram and TikTok accounts on a whim and started posting pictures of her outfits and the occasional video about her garage- and estate-sale hauls. “I had gotten this Prada purse that I’d had my eye on forever,” Carriveau says. “I decided to do an unboxing of this Prada purse and talk the entire time, and it went pretty well.” She flouted the norms of popular “unboxing” videos, where influencers use curated background music and picture-perfect setups. Carriveau’s authenticity—her Upper Midwest Chatterbox Craft Mom vibe—turned out to be a hit. “All of a sudden, I had 100,000 followers on TikTok,” she says. “Now, I’m a lifestyle influencer.”
Carriveau invites her followers on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok into her everyday life: tending the livestock on her hobby farm; organizing and decorating around the house; visiting the construction site of her family’s new cabin; running errands with her 13-year-old, Brady, who is game to be an occasional guest host; and working in her beautiful, fully-stocked (understatement) craft room, where she makes viral videos about scrapbooking and (next level) gift wrapping. “I was trying to come up with things to share,” Carriveau says about her craft videos. “I was wrapping up a gift for my niece, and I set my tripod up in my art room, talked the whole time, and it kind of took off.” The comments started pouring in: “We could watch you wrap gifts all day!”
Emily Carriveau expertly wraps a gift for one of her subscribers.
So what is it exactly that makes Carriveau’s content so appealing? “I think it’s because I try to be as authentic as I can,” she says. “That is so important to me. If I can be real, and if I can be as authentic in everything, that’s what I want to do. I love the comments I get [from fans] who say, ‘You brighten my day.’”
And, Carriveau adds, her lifestyle content is relatable. “I live in the same small town I’ve always lived in—I moved away very briefly for college,” she says, getting a degree in marketing from the University of St. Thomas. After graduation, she got her real estate license and worked in commercial leasing for a while.
When Carriveau’s oldest son was born, she became a stay-at-home mom full time. She volunteered in her kids’ schools, something she still does a lot of (bringing a megaphone to playground duty) and kept crafting. “When your children are young, you’re giving so much and doing so much,” Carriveau says. “But it’s also important to stay true to yourself and be fully authentic. When I started on social media, it didn’t work until I stepped out of the comfort zone of trying to be what everyone else was.”
Emily Carriveau brings on the silly with her sidekick and “occassional guest host” her son Brady.
Carriveau is a bona fide influencer now. Her TikTok account, @emilycarriveau, has 772,000 followers and counting as of this publication; her Instagram account, @smalltownme, has more than 130,000; her Facebook page, Small Town Me, has more than 187,000. She gets recognized almost every day—in the Dairy Queen drive-thru, at the grocery store or at the coffee shop. “It’s really fun,” she says. “I love meeting all these people. I always ask why they follow my page, and everyone has something different to say and I think that’s awesome.
Daily activities provide plenty of content for Emily Carriveau’s social media platforms.
One on One
Carriveau’s favorite back-to-school tradition is taking each of her kids on a shopping day, just with Mom, at the end of the summer. “It’s all about making it fun,” she says. “You can’t burn them out trying on clothes and shoes all day long.”
Here’s how to treat your kiddo to some quality time, Carriveau-style:
Start with breakfast out, and let them choose the restaurant.
Give your child an amount of “fun money” that they can spend during the day—maybe that’s on treats, a toy or a special piece for his/her wardrobe.
Bring back window shopping! Carriveau says she and her son, Brady, love to wander around toy and game stores, even if they don’t plan to buy anything.
Sprinkle in the necessities for back-to-school (shoes, clothes and supplies) without making it feel like a chore.
Add a fun activity to create some memories, and let your child choose what to do. Carriveau suggests classics like mini golf, a stop at Legoland or a jaunt to the pool or playground—just the two you!
Small Town Me
Facebook: Small Town Me
Instagram: @smalltownme
TikTok: @emilycarriveau
