Meet our Makers: Our Local Vendor Gift Guide
Posted by Jessie Jacobson on Nov 12th 2021
It’s gift giving season and the assignment is clear this year. Give gifts that are meaningful to you and the recipient. Heck, even give meaningful gifts to yourself. Read the stories of our local vendors. They and we get to do what we love because of all of you. When you buy locally made products, you are investing in our community, ingenuity, and the entrepreneurial dreams of artists and creators.
Buttermilk Ceramics
Lex Lazarewicz
@buttrermilk_ceramics
How did you get started?
I first fell in love with pottery in high school. I remember throwing a big raku pitcher and having the time of my life firing it in a trash can. I briefly majored in ceramics in college but ended up taking a long hiatus when I transferred into the sciences. After college I got back into it by taking a class at the Northern Clay Center in MPLS. That class, along with an extremely supportive partner got me thinking about starting a business and after throwing 200 cups for my own wedding, to sort of shake off the dust, I started Buttermilk Ceramics and it has been going better than I could have imagined.
Where do you find inspiration?
I follow a lot of potters on Instagram. I love seeing what people are doing, what techniques they are using and then seeing if I can make those techniques work for me.
Next steps for you?
Next steps would include mixing new glazes, building a studio on top of my garage, and getting a new kiln! Hopefully all of those will happen in 2022.
Sandwich Ceramic
Francis Pineada-Fischer
@sandwhich_ceramic
How did you get started?
After taking a ceramics course at The University of Minnesota I had a desire to go deeper and learn more. Post-graduation I made it a priority to find a studio and continue my practice. During that time, I juggled multiple jobs within the clay world, like teaching classes at Fired Up Studios, The Workshop, and working retail at Continental Clay. This was key in promoting continual learning while also being able to keep financially stable. Just recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to have consistent demand, allowing me to work exclusively as a ceramicist. Since then, my passion for ceramics has only grown and fueled my desire to keep making functional, meaningful, and intentional objects.
Where do you find inspiration?
When designing and making pieces I’ve always leaned toward “less is more”; taking inspiration from minimalist forms and functional use. Knowing someone will be interacting with my pieces in their everyday lives is what drives me to keep pushing these principles and better understand what they mean for daily use.
Next steps for you?
In the near future I’ll be opening a showroom and by appointment retail front at my new studio in St. Paul. I’m also hoping to focus on revamping my dinnerware lines with greater availability.
Mossify
Lucas Picciolo, Founder &CEO
@shop_mossify
How did you get started?
Mossify started with a problem. Our founder Lucas was working on a residential home development, and he saw the amount of wasted wood that goes into building one house. After seeing tons of perfectly good "waste" wood going to the dump, he wanted to figure out a way to use this wood and give back by planting 1 tree for every order.
One day Lucas was working on his car on the driveway and saw moss in the cracks. He thought "What if I put moss in a piece of wood...". So he got a hammer and chisel and tried it out. The feedback was great, so we kept going!
Then.. Covid hit.
Once covid hit, we rebranded and reinvested back into the business. On May 18th, 2020, Mossify was born. Since our rebranding we have focused on being the leader for bendable plant supports and premium plant accessories.
It was just an idea that started in Lucas' garage... now we are happy to say we have helped support 20,000 + plants around the world!
Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration for Mossify comes from many places. Our love for planet earth is our biggest motivator along with other amazing companies like Tesla, Apple, Roots, and Patagonia. Another determining factor for our motivation is what is currently available on the market for plant loving people. The house plant accessory market has not had a lot of improvement until recently.
We strive to provide new and innovative products for people and their plants along with outstanding service. One of the most rewarding feelings about all of this is hearing our amazing community's feedback. It truly keeps us going! When people thank us for creating our products, we know we are doing something right and makes the hard days a bit easier to get through. This community brings so much positivity out and we are just so happy to be a part of it!
Next steps for you?
We are excited to continue to lead in plant support innovation and other fun/useful products for people and their plants. Our team is growing, and we have definitely got some inspiration from Tonkadale’s team! We want to double down on our content output to show people, we work hard and like to have fun while doing it. We will continue to use as little plastics as possible and only use sustainably farmed moss.
Excited to pull up some of your plants!!
Hope you all continue to stay positive and spread the love and joy all plant people share.
Let's be sustainable, together!
Brett Monahan Pottery
Brett Monahan
@brettmonahanpottery
Each piece that Brett creates is made one pot at a time in his studio in Northeast Minneapolis. “I have taken a few different approaches to clay throughout the years, but always strive to make the best pots I can and hope they are used and appreciated by the folks who eventually own them.”
How did you get started?
I had taken pottery classes in high school and college but growing up in South Dakota led me to assume making pottery wasn't something you could actually do for a living. I loved it and was pretty good at it, but it never crossed my mind that I could be a potter. Fast forward to 2012, I got a job in Red Wing, MN working for a production pottery. I was in Red Wing going to school for guitar building and repair, and I fully intended to pursue the dream of becoming a luthier. After completing the guitar program though, I started to realize working with clay is what the universe had in store for me.
I have since worked at other potteries in the twin cities, where I learned many valuable skills related to making pots and running a business in general. As of the last two years, I have been fortunate enough to be able to work for myself full-time, making the pots I want to make.
Where do you find inspiration?
What inspires me most is simply being able to create quality, handmade objects that people enjoy having in their homes. It might sound cliche at this point, but I believe having handmade things in your life (whether it's pottery, wooden spoons, furniture, etc.) can add value and meaning to everyday life, connecting the maker and the user in a way that mass produced products cannot.
Making this value, meaning, and connection accessible to more people is important to me, and is something I try to achieve by keeping my prices as reasonable as possible. This is an ongoing puzzle that requires me to rethink and improve the labor-intensive process of making pots by hand. Another crucial part of making it work has been partnering with local businesses that value local and handmade products. I am extremely grateful for the strong community of businesses and customers that value what I do.
Next steps for you?
I always have a few ideas on the back burner at any given time. Right now, they involve some new glaze colors for my planter pots, and possibly reintroducing some pots I have made in the past: coffee pour-over cones, mugs, bowls, etc. I genuinely enjoy making the same pots over and over again but working on new pots or glazes keeps me engaged with my work on a different level. Evolution and improvement are necessary parts of making anything by hand.
Funky Fibers
Ashley
@funkyfibersmn
In 2017, I discovered my love for macrame when I created my first plant hanger. I found I was drawn to the calming process of macrame and knew I had found a new creative outlet. After a few years of practice and confidence building, I felt a strong desire to create different forms of fiber art, making them more modern, and separating my art from more traditional forms of macrame. That was when I started working on my hoop wall hangings. I love that these hoops have completely different vibes depending on the design and colors used.
I live in Stillwater, Minnesota with my husband, Chad, our 2 daughters, and our dog, Rhett. Thanks for stopping by to support my small business. I look forward to creating something special for you.
Sol Soils
John Porter and Travis Thein
@solsoils
How did you get started?
Sol Soils is a small, Minneapolis-based company founded in 2021 by friends and plant aficionados Travis Thein and John Porter. Travis developed a deep interest in cacti and succulents during the pandemic of 2020 and realized quickly that all the mainstream specialty soils available retained far too much water for his indoor, potted plants. He spent over 1,000 hours researching, designing, and testing different soil mixes for his own plants. The goal was to create faster-draining mediums to help his indoor plants thrive. Since then, he has been regularly consulting with soil scientists and botanists to perfect the mixes. John was fascinated and impressed with the whole process, and during a trip to Palm Springs—while browsing a cactus nursery—the two decided to create a business to share these mixes more broadly. Sol Soils was born.
Where do you find inspiration?
We love the teaching component of our work and educating fellow plant lovers on the value of using truly higher-quality soil. People tend to overlook the importance of soil to the health of their plants and their long-term success as plant parents. We often hear “Oh, I kill all my indoor plants!” or “I didn’t know these plants were supposed to flower,” which is honestly what made us start this business in the first place; it’s not their fault! Nearly all soil mixes on the market—even “specialty” aroid, tropical, succulent, or cactus soils—are predominantly composed of peat moss, which makes it too easy to accidentally overwater your plants and creates an ideal habitat for pests like fungus gnats. So, guiding friends and strangers alike toward a greener thumb through smarter soils is incredibly satisfying!
Next steps for you/your company?
We have been operating out of our own homes for the last six months and have just recently secured a new skyway space for office, manufacturing, and retail! On January 1st, Sol Soils will open shop in the 330 South Second building (Suite 250) near Spyhouse Coffee downtown. The business has quickly grown this year and we are excited to expand our operations to bring better soils to a wider community. We are also focusing on improving our shipping capabilities to help us reach new markets across the Midwest and the country!
One more thing!
Sol Soils proudly partners with One Tree Planted, a global non-profit on a mission to help reverse the massive detrimental effects of deforestation. “For every bag of soil sold, we plant a tree.”
Each quarter they also engage with their Instagram following to decide which specific project and part of the world our donations will support.
Houseplant Journal
Darryl Cheng
@houseplantjournal
How did you get started?
I just bought a few plants and became fascinated by seeing how they grow, which is probably what led me to making time lapse videos. I also received thousands of questions about how to take care of plants, which made me realize that old-fashioned tips and tricks weren't really working for people. I started writing about houseplant care, encouraging people to be more precise about light and to have realistic expectations on how plants grow. This eventually caught the attention of a literary agent and she helped me find a publisher - that's how my book 'The New Plant Parent' came to be.
Where do you find inspiration?
As dry as this may seem, I like reading technical documents on how commercial growers grow our favorite houseplants. Much of this knowledge comes from the University of Florida but I also enjoy reading articles from greenhouse production websites. The inspiration comes from taking in that knowledge but translating it into useful actions that can be taken at home for one's own houseplants. It won't all be applicable, but part of the fun is evaluating what's feasible for a home setting.
Next steps for you?
I've got two big things going on right now: 1) writing a second book and 2) in the process of designing and manufacturing my own light meter device - it will also measure temperature and humidity! My hope is that with a standardized tool that people will actually want to use, the sharing of knowledge around light will become easier and more meaningful - and plants around the world will be happier!
Darryl even offers a course called The Essentials of Houseplant Enjoyment: The smarter, sensible approach to houseplant care.
Buy Darryl’s book, The New Plant Parent at Tonkadale!
With beautifully crafted, outstanding product, no shipping, less waste in packaging, sustainable production, we nothing less than thrilled to feature their wares for your greenhouse home. Just add plants!
Happy Holidays!