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Today’s article by Anthony Ha at VentureBeat discusses our mission here at CustomMade.com and how we differ from other marketplaces for hand-crafted and/or customized products.
We’ve said it before and we say it again in the article – we believe custom is a service, not a product. What do you think?
When my partner Seth and I tell people about the company we are building, they often say, “Custom woodworking – that’s an odd business for two guys from Boston…are you guys woodworkers?” Our answer is, of course, no. We are website marketing guys.
So why are we involved in a company that is the online source for anything custom? The answer is we both LOVE custom stuff. We are buyers of custom furniture, custom suits, custom jewelry, and other custom items. If I could have everything in my life custom made, I would be a much happier consumer.
Why do I love custom? Well, for one, there is a value proposition to custom. I’ve found that you can get much better quality for your money. In addition, when you buy custom you’re buying a service, not a product. You buy something made by someone with whom you can build a relationship, whether that someone is an individual or a company.
Mike Salguero, President of CustomMade.com
In terms of woodworking, the value of buying something custom rather than a product made in a factory overseas is apparent in the end result. Many of our woodworkers can make you a piece that will last a lifetime, not just a few years or until you move to another home.
Here is a photo of me in my favorite custom item: a leather and sheep’s wool jacket that I had made while I was visiting my father in Montevideo, Uruguay. I talked to the maker of this jacket, gave him my specifications, and purchased exactly what I was looking for!
I bet you have stories about things you’ve had custom made – isn’t sharing them part of the fun? You can do that here – it could be furniture, of course, but anything custom is fair game – clothing, jewelry, shoes, drapes, artwork – anything! Go to the Comments section and “Leave A Reply” – upload a photo by clicking on the “add images to your comment by clicking here” link just below the “Submit Comment” button. You can then copy and paste the URL for your photo! (NOTE: your photo must be online to be uploaded).
C’mon fellow Custom Made evangelists – share!
-Mike
Launch Party!
Well, it has been almost a year since we purchased the original CustomMade.com from Ted!
In that past year, we have made a lot of changes, have met many challenges, and have grown closer together as a team and as an organization. Our launch party was a time for Employees, Consultants, Woodworkers, Investors, and Family to get together for one night in celebration of the hard work we have done and the even harder work we need to do!
A Nice Selection of Wine From Jonathan Edwards Winery!
We had a wine tasting with Jonathan Edwards, a family owned vineyard in North Stonington, CT.
Jonathan Edwards is a fairly new winery that embodies some of the same values that CustomMade stands for, including family, supporting small businesses, hard work, and dedication to your craft. If you have not been to their winery before, please check out their website, they are great!
Your Co-Founders Seth Rosen and Mike Salguero
Mike and Seth both spoke about how thankful we are that we have all of you, the subscribers, workers, and consumers of CustomMade! We believe the world is changing, and consumers are taking notice that customizing the things in their life is the new way to shop.
Seth and I have been extolling the virtues of purchasing local and custom for years now; we are just so excited to have the opportunity to run a website that believes in the same things!
We had a really great turnout (about 50 people), and we asked every member to keep us in mind as they were doing their holiday shopping this year!
We are continuing to work hard here to make the best possible CustomMade marketplace!
Thank You to all of you who have helped make this happen!
-Mike
Mike with his proudest supporter-- his Mom!
While our cropping tool is scheduled to be modified in our next site revision, we think that the current version is simple to use and yet it’s sophisticated enough to tell you if you have attempted to upload a file that is either the wrong format, or is too large to upload. If that’s the case, you’ll get a warning asking you to upload a different file.
That being said, you can upload any standard JPEG format (the file name will look like “filename.jpg”) image file that is 2 megabytes or less and the system will upload it for cropping. Then once uploaded, you will see a to-scale version of it with a cropping window superimposed on it. Use the “handles” (the little boxes) at the corners and sides to adjust the crop to your liking. You then click the “Crop Image” button to approve the crop and add the image to the item listing. This will also create the other images needed, like the smaller thumbnail images used for navigation on the item listing detail page of the site, as well as the icon image used in the galleries and search results.
You’ll notice when cropping, that the relative proportions of the cropping tool are always the same. This to fit the standard image proportions of the site design. We do recommend that you keep the crop within the limits of the image area to avoid creating blank space within the image when it appears on the site. Also please note that if the image appears too small in the cropping tool, that your file may be too small to show your item properly. Uploading a slightly bigger file will solve that.
Each sample item listing gives you the ability to upload three 340 pixel x 317 pixel images. In general when uploading the three photos for each sample item, it’s best to use a main image that shows the whole item in context within its background for scale, then to use the other two images for detail or close-up shots showing 1 or 2 features of your unique item. This may be done by cropping sections from a single larger image, or by using multiple image files of the same item.
If you have a designer on staff, or have access to someone else who is already using an image editing application like Photoshop, they may want to create files that are already sized at the correct 340 x 317 pixel dimensions. In that case, the image upload works the same way. Once you upload the image, it will display your image with the cropping tool completely outlining it. You then approve the preview by clicking the “Crop Image” button and you are set.
CustomMade.com will be holding a vendor booth in the AWFS conference seeks to help you get information to stay competitive in a tight economy, which falls The goal of the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers is to focus on representing the interests of companies and individuals who supply home and institutional furnishing industries.
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The results of our recent subscriber survey suggest that the overwhelming majority of our existing community is either satisfied or very satisfied with their membership. Your personal endorsement is important to us, so we
Last January, we put together a survey of then current subscribers to CustomMade.com. Our results were a really good indication of our level of service, and the value that we add to each of our subscribers.
The highlights:
These were very encouraging and exciting metrics. We are so happy to be providing great value to our subscribers and the woodworking community.
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