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?

Every Thursday, interior designer Sally Henninger shares her thoughts on design, furniture and the custom made world.

Mahogany Sheraton Elliptical Breakfast Table

Am I the only one left completely in love with breakfast tables?!

Think Sunday morning, the New York Times, and a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice next to a window with sunlight streaming in.  I am loving this Sheraton style breakfast table by WM Thomas – stunning inlay and workmanship and I love the castors.  This piece is sure to be in the family for years, passed down from generation to generation.  I can imagine around it a set of skirted, upholstered Parson chairs in a neutral fabric – comfortable and a nice contrast to the wood.

French Provincial Table

Another all time favorite of mine is a French farm table.  This one by Tomlinson Fine Woodworking is stunning.  I love the cherry wood.  This table is an extremely durable classic that gets even better with wear.  Customize the size to fit into your breakfast nook!  I can imagine it with white lacquered bamboo chairs for an updated look.

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About Sally Henninger

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Sally learned to cultivate her design aesthetic at an early age.  After attending Boston University and holding numerous design internships, she ventured out on her own in 2007.  Her style is sophisticated classics with an updated sensibility.  Her taste lends itself to classic interiors that are timeless and suited to her clients’ needs.

To see more examples of breakfast tables, Sheraton tables, bamboo furniture, or French country or provincial style pieces by our artisans, browse CustomMade’s galleries.

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

Wired Magazine says we’re “The New Industrial Revolution”

Wired Magazine - Feb 2010

This weekend I received my Feb 2010 Wired Magazine in the mail and was thrilled to see the cover story, “The New Industrial Revolution” written by editor-in-chief Chris Anderson.  Informative and inspiring, it portrayed custom makers and designers of all different types as drivers of the new economy.

The article focused mostly on the designers who have used the democratization of the web to band together, come up with ideas, and crowdsource designs in unique ways.  Anderson also discusses the manufacturing companies, both domestic and abroad, that are now better equipped for “small batch” (aka Custom) orders.

“[Small Batch] can broadly refer to businesses focused more on the quality of their products than the size of the market. They’d rather do something they were passionate about than go mass…Walmart, and all the compromise that comes with it, is no longer the only pathway to success.”

Whether you call it small batch, CustomMade, artisanal or something else, it’s a movement, and it’s happening now. Consumers feel it – purchasing Custom is a fulfilling experience. Makers feel it – relying for years on hit-or-miss marketing, they can now unite on websites like our own to grow the entire market.  Designers and “Garage Entrepreneurs” feel it – developing new ideas and selling them on the mass market level, an accomplishment not previously thought possible.

One surprise was that so much of Anderson’s article talked about Chinese manufacturers.  If small batch custom products are in fact the “New Industrial Revolution”, then the United States needs to make sure they’re keeping pace.  Luckily, we already have artisans across the nation handcrafting quality work, as well as innovators such as Local Motors of Wareham, MA (featured in the article) eager to lead the charge.

How can you take part in the revolution?

1)  Buy local. Find someone in your region to handcraft your designs. On our site, you can always search by location to find local artisans to support.

2)  Slow down.  Don’t rush out to buy poorly crafted products from stores that don’t actually meet your needs.  Take the time to think about what you want and purchase small batch and custom items you won’t have to toss after a year.

3) Share. Custom products always tell a great story so share those with friends.  Be an advocate for custom manufacturers online and offline.

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!

This weekend, we travelled to the Fine Furnishings & Fine Craft Shows at the Rhode Island Convention Center. We enjoyed touring around the show and seeing many examples of Custom Furniture, Custom Furnishings, Living Room Furniture, Dining Room Furniture, and many other furnishings. We also were able to hand out flyers to each of the 1200 attendees. These flyers urged the attendees to visit CustomMade.com so that all of our members could get exposure even if you could not make the trip down to Providence.

Artisans of the Valley, a member of CustomMade.com for the last 8 years was featured on EBRU-TV’s “Blank Canvas” – the second artist profile in Episode #4 at the link below.

Check it out if you get a chance – click this link, scroll down to the show icons below and pick Episode 4 to see the full video! (start at 12 minutes)

In the video, Eric points out that we are creating the antiques of tomorrow. The pressed board pieces of furniture that can be purchased at cheap furniture stores will never last long enough to be treasured keepsakes. This is a really wonderful video that helps explain the importance and history of keeping custom woodworking.

You can check out all of Eric’s work on our website at: http://www.custommade.com/gallery-profile.php?u=211