It's been quite a year. We have a lot to celebrate, both big and small.
Here are a few notable moments from our 15th year in business at Walnut Studiolo.
January: We Survived an Internet Outage!
In January 2023, we lost the internet at our rural location for over a week. Our best-laid power outage plans kept us well-prepared! We were able to keep up operations seamlessly using our mobile office in our minivan. This cozy little mobile office was Walnut HQ for a week.
February: We Launched New Products!
One of our greatest joys is bringing our new product ideas into the world.
We developed and launched 2 new designs in 2023 with the help of our friends: a photoshoot with Lindsey Rickert.
- Oswego Leather Wrap: An innovative design for handle, bar, and rail wraps using old-fashioned vegetable-tanned leather for an unbeatable patina and handfeel.
- Flanders Handle: A classic leather handle with elegant minimalism, two points of contact, and a slim profile for smaller center-to-center holes.
March: Cooperative Business Graduation!
As the Interim Treasurer of Artisans Cooperative, Valerie attended and graduated from the Start.coop Cooperative Business Accelerator Program in Washington DC (front and center in photo below). The program came with $10,000 in seed money from the AARP Foundation and brought cooperative start-up knowledge back to rural Oregon.
April: New Installation Video!
We recorded a new how-to video with our long-time friend and videographer, Michael Ward. We now have a total of 24 videos on our Vimeo (ad-free) and YouTube channels.
Video: How to Install the Oswego Leather Wrap >>>
June: We Hired a Mathematician to Calculate Your Project Wraps!
Trying to figure out how many sets of wraps you need to cover a project is not as easy as you'd think! We hired a PhD in Mathematics to help us derive a usable project calculator using our new Oswego wraps. The thickness of the leather, the amount of stretch and flex, the ramp-up and ramp-down of the ends, and of course the length and circumference of the bar all make a difference!
Read More: Leather Wrap Calculator Tool >>>
July: Walnut Becomes a Founding Member of Artisans Cooperative
Artisans Cooperative officially registered as an Oregon cooperative corporation on May Day (a day of labor history significance) and launched its first membership drive.
Walnut Studiolo became one of the first founding members of Artisans Cooperative. The capital campaign doubled its initial goal, raising $50,000 to launch an online handmade marketplace as an alternative to Etsy.
October: Walnut Joins the Newly-Launched Artisans Cooperative Marketplace
We are now listing our original products in three places: Etsy, our own website, and the Artisans Cooperative marketplace! The marketplace is slowly, organically growing and was fully shoppable in time for the holidays, achieving our goals for the year.
As part of the marketplace launch, Valerie was interviewed in several publications:
- Shareable: Artisans Cooperative: An Etsy Alternative, Owned and Run by Artists and Makers
- Maximum Fun: Co-optober Interview with Artisans Cooperative
- Tech Workers Coalition Newsletter: After the #EtsyStrike, Crafting a Co-op Alternative
Happy New Year!
We have a lot to be proud of this year. We started this business in 2009, and now we're winding our way through the 2020's. We can't describe what a privilege it is to work with you, our amazing customers who this year sent us kind and encouraging words all year round.
It's a wonder of the internet that we can all connect from so many places around the world over our shared values and appreciation for fine craftsmanship. We can't wait to see what our 15th year in business brings!
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