A Bespoke Theme
Find What Truly Matters
Now in our 10th year of existence in our hometown of Minneapolis, MN, we reflected on who we are and what makes us who we are. Here is our story.
The seeds were planted a decade ago…
By pure chance when I moved my custom furniture business into a humble workshop backing up to the railroad tracks. Across the street in a run down home we called the “Fight Club House” lived enthusiastic entrepreneur Joe Mansfield. He was somehow running a very successful laser engraving and digital art business out of a spare bedroom. We soon became friends and would often throw a football around in the street—endlessly tossing creative ideas back and forth dreaming up the next big thing. One hot day in the summer of 2009, our studio was born. There was no business plan or much deliberation, only a moment where we went all in to “make cool stuff and have fun doing it”. We never expected it would turn into what it is today, with global reach and a great crew of fun-loving, hard-working trailblazers.
Over the last eight years, we’ve been on a winding path to navigate the chaos of the human experience. Through luck, skill, and hard work we have been able to carve out our own version of happiness, with no investors breathing down our necks. It hasn’t been easy, and we have nearly gone under a few times, but we embrace the journey, learn, and get better. The challenge never ends, yet here we are, a team aligned and pushing hard to make great product on our own terms.
We wouldn’t want it any other way…
“The beginning was two friends and our spirit to create. Now we are so much more, a team.”
WILLIE NELSON
CEO & Co-Founder
Our Origins
As makers and small business owners, Ken and Joe shared a common bond. In their late twenties, they were just as happy to talk about potential projects as they were to finish current ones. They discussed their dream projects over extended lunches, and when the weather permitted, tossed an old football back and forth across the street.
Why we’re different:
- We unapologetically obsessed over making the best writing tools we could for your workspace.
- Designed for your desk, it’s here to change the way you work.
- It’s a pen that’s always there when you need it, at home in its prominent stand.
- no need to collect a cluttered mountain of pens and pencils.
We’re located in the Central Eastside Industrial District, nine blocks from the Willamette River. Natural light streams in through the windows and a cool breeze rolls in through the wide open garage doors. Our typical day begins with the whole team huddling up at 8AM sharp. Portland native Victor Nguyen gets us started with a round of enthusiastic applause and random noise making. He goes through his production updates and gives everyone a chance to speak. Then he motions us to put our hands in the middle and leads a loud cheer “1-2-3, TEAM!!!”. So starts the day.
We hustle to our desks and workbenches. We do design, manufacturing, customer service, finance, and marketing all under one roof—there are many different kinds of work to do and so little time to do it.
“We start the day together, as a team. I always finish the huddle feeling confident that it’ll all get done”
ALI NEJATIAN
Owner & Founder
We discovered that you, our fans, come from all walks of life and from all corners of the world. The diversity was stunning. But we also learned that a shared purpose unites us all—to do great work and to live intentionally, caring and thinking deeply about who and what we choose to associate with. We are so proud to contribute even in some small way to your path.