Renaissance

Renaissance
Over the weekend, I attended a Renaissance festival at Hammond Castle in Gloucester. I was still on vacation, so I really wasn't thinking about work (much). I certainly didn't go looking for new vendors. But I was pleasantly surprised to find a number of makers at the fair who create more than...

Introducing: Brass and Unity

Introducing: Brass and Unity
We're launching a new corner of our Website: The Source. This will take the place of our Featured Maker section, although you can still read our Featured Maker archives here. First up, we're introducing Brass & Unity. Kelsi Sheren founded her company after returning as a Canadian veteran from Afghanistan with...

Ready to Travel

Ready to Travel
We're past Memorial Day, which means that summer travel is upon us! My kids aren't out of school for another three weeks but we looked at the calendar and realized that every weekend between now and the end of August is booked. It's not all travel, but some of it...

Celebrate mothering

Celebrate mothering
Mother's Day is May 14, which is two Sundays from now. I am a mom, as you probably know by now. But my friends and family know that for the past several years I have been advocating for an expansion of this holiday. To me, "mother" is not a noun,...

What if you could change the world...

What if you could change the world...
...just by how you buy your clothes? Fashion Revolution Week is about this exact idea. On April 24, 2013, there was a catastrophic building collapse in Bangladesh at Rana Plaza, a clothing manufacturing facility. 1134 people died and thousands more were injured. And a fashion revolution began. When you purchase...

Step Up Your Bar Game

Step Up Your Bar Game
Ah, Spring is finally getting here! Time for refreshment. The plants renew themselves, you do a little spring cleaning around the house, clean out old junk. And then you're ready for entertaining. I personally can't wait to have cookouts on the deck again, invite people over for a few beers...

Self-Care: Why, and More Importantly, How

Self-Care: Why, and More Importantly, How
Self-care. Hygge. Treat Yo Self. aka Quinstance. How many times have you heard "you can't take care of anyone else unless you take care of yourself first"? There's been a huge upswing in the media urging people — mostly women, let's be honest — to take time for themselves. Maybe...

Love, Love, Love

Love, Love, Love
Valentine's Day is around the corner. And while we certainly can show you wonderful items for your sweetheart, that isn't the love I'm celebrating in this space.  The love I want to share with you – the love I hope you'll share with others – is the simple, interpersonal humanity we...

End of the year wrap-up

End of the year wrap-up
I feel obliged to write something to cap off our year. I could tell you how much we've grown: from handling just shy of 1600 orders last year to over 2700 this year. Or I could put it in terms of manpower: from three full-time employees last year at this...