Hey Shopkeeper! is a behind-the-scenes look at some of our favorite places online to shop for gifts. It’s a celebration of stores that make discovering the gift just as fun as giving it, and part of the story you tell when you do.
ReForm School is one of those places. With an unique mix of art, vintage finds, hand-crafted accessories, books and more, owners Billie Lopez and Tootie Maldonado have built a shop that is charming and well loved by customers around the world.
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There are two reasons we love papernstitch. First there’s the delightful hand-picked selection of artists and makers that we might otherwise never learn about if not for the site. And second, the sweet husband and wife launch story—a scenario we always have a soft spot for.
Brittni and Jeff started papernstitch in October of last year. He’s the web guy and she’s the writer/curator.
The pair met in a figure drawing class in ’05 and had always wanted to collaborate on a project together. Brittni, an artist herself, saw opportunity where many find frustration. She was struggling to get her work seen and didn’t have the means to do so. She figured that other creative people were likely having a tough time too, so Brittni and Jeff created an online exhibition where artists, makers, crafters, and indie labels could be seen and celebrated.
papernstitch is curated monthly by Brittni from a pool of designers and makers from all over the world. The site is constantly updated with new shops and products. It’s all about discovery, allowing you to peruse the goods in a cleanly designed online space and click through to buy directly from the independent sellers.
In addition to the exhibition site, Brittni maintains the awesome papernstitch blog and is a contributing editor for Blosem Kids and Scoutie Girl.
It was a privilege to catch up with Brittni and talk to her about papernstitch for this interview. In addition, we’ve picked some of our favorites from the newest exhibition that started yesterday (shown above) and include some of her picks below. Enjoy!
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We love anything that encourages dreaming big. Every day we read the stories of makers who see a way to create something better and strike out on their own to prove it can be done.
An Awesome Book combines both. Dallas Clayton wrote a book for his 6-year old son to encourage his fantastical imagination, and in the process found that there are people all over the world, of all ages, who love being inspired to dream without restraint.
Dallas shares his experience in this 3min video:
More in our interview with Dallas, after the jump.
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Jenna Park and her husband Mark Sopchak hit the ground running in April 2008 and founded Whimsy & Spice, a line of handmade sweets with a distinctive twist—savory herbs and spices in the recipes.
Mark, a former pastry chef at popular New York City restaurants and Jenna, a talented art director and designer decided to do something they’d dreamed about and start a business together. The timing was unexpected and the transition, naturally a little scary.
As the parents of two little girls, the decision was influenced by their desire to have more time together as a family (restaurant hours didn’t provide a very family-friendly schedule). Jenna has been able to continue doing freelance work for clients the likes of Daily Candy and the Smithsonian. And while the family business has provided them a flexible lifestyle, it’s certainly a busy one.
Mark does all the baking and Jenna does the branding, design and web work. Each day’s surprises from their life in Brooklyn and the ups and downs of the business are captured on sweet fine day, a blog full of stories and photos going all the way back to the beginning.
We were thrilled to catch up with Jenna as things heat up for Whimsy & Spice again this fall. And we were even lucky enough to snag a delicious hot cocoa recipe from Mark.
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A simple thought—combine ruled lined paper with grid paper. Clever!
That was the idea Chad Doane had back in 2005. We’d come across it then, downloaded the pdf (the only version available at the time) and waited anxiously for a notepad of the same design.
Five years later and the Doane Paper line has grown into an impressive collection of pads, journals and notebooks that make writing and sketching on the same piece of paper a breeze.
We wanted to hear the whole story. Here he tells us how Doane Paper started and about the new products just launched this month.
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From a great business story comes inspiration. From a glimpse into the people involved, we make a human connection. And through these tales behind the things we love we gain meaning, understanding and appreciation.
In a nutshell, that’s the oomph behind our new feature section.
We reached out to Vivian Leung, founder and principal creative at 9SpotMonk Design out of Glen Rock, NJ, to learn more about her printing studio and her diverse collection. Lucky for us, she agreed—and was quite a privilege to collaborate with.
9SpotMonk has a design philosophy that we find irresistible, “You will either agree with the following statement or not: Design matters. If you agree, then you’ll be quite happy with the work of 9SpotMonk Design.” In addition they describe themselves as craftsmen, artists, a tinge perfectionist, and just as focused on the tactile aspects of their products as the visual.
Over the past couple years 9SpotMonk has implemented a Green Focus commitment with great success. The studio recently launched their ecoModern® Custom Wedding collection with initiatives that include 100% cotton paper as their primary stock, purchase of wind power energy credits equal to the shop’s usage and participation in the Plant A Billion Trees program.
As you’ll see 9SpotMonk is quite the talented small team. Sold nationwide and abroad, from your favorite local stationer, to great kids stores like fawn&forest, to seasonally at Urban Outfitters. Nearly ten years in, and the collection screams personality—much of it, courtesy of Vivian…
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