You've probably read by now that we're dedicated to supporting American and fair trade makers by carrying their products. But as our construction process is winding down, I've been reflecting on how we've been trying to incorporate that ethos into the store itself, not just into our product selection. We've kept an eye on the sources for the store fixtures and furnishings themselves, too.
Take this chair, for example. Right in the middle of the store is what we call the "living room." It's a place for you to sit for a minute and think about the objects surrounding you. You might be looking at the glass and pottery displayed in the front window and contemplating how a particular piece would fit in your home. Or you might just be waiting while your partner picks out some soap from our soap wall. But you'll be sitting in one of these chairs. It's from Bradington-Young, a North Carolina furniture maker for over 30 years.
Speaking of that soap wall, you'll find the soaps displayed in a honeycomb being made for us by Haase Handcraft in Wisconsin. Bees build their honeycombs out of hexagons because it's one of the most efficient shapes for stacking. We thought we could learn something from them. And many of our soap makers use honey in their soaps, as well, so it was a natural go-together, as my mother would say.
We liked them so much we bought 40 of them!
We're keeping an eye on this whenever possible: the recycled paper shopping bags we're using; the Bulman wrapping paper dispenser; the Chemetal letters that will spell out our definition on the back wall. All of them are made in the USA. That's not to say every element of our store was. But we're paying attention to it.