life in my garage...is changing

I was suddenly struck by just how different life is about to be for us and how right it all feels.  You know how timing just doesn't feel right sometimes even for good things? Well, it almost feels like things are right with the universe now for whatever is in front of me.

As you all know, I'm transitioning from being the one-woman manufacturing center to the one-woman designer and manager of Mod Mom.  And it couldn't come at a better time.  I've mentioned before how I have some issues with my hands due to repetitive use from the constant building, sanding, and cutting I've done over the past few years.  Well, yesterday I was sanding something and then went to send a text on my phone and my darn thumb wouldn't stop jumping round.  I couldn't even text, it was so twitch-y. That's it.  If I can't text, there's no use in going on. :)

The past few months have been interesting, that's for sure.  It's laughable now (and all in perspective, believe me, I know we could've gone through FAR worse...so many people are) but check out this list of events:  unemployment/lack of money, cancer, cancer again, Shark Tank prep and filming, rat infestation in our house, cars breaking down, kids' school issues/concerns, lice, and three deaths in the family.  At one point, Scott and I said we should just sit down with a bottle of two dollar wine and wait for the locusts to come.  We did sit down with wine but instead we watched the sun set over the ocean.  Much better than locusts, I have to say.

As it is with all things, change and obstacles are learning experiences.  I learned to charge ahead no matter how tired and scared I felt.  I'm still learning that one.  But what I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt is that life in my garage is changing and I'm ready.  Oh, and I can also tell you that the lice are gone so if you see me, don't freak out.  No lice here. :)

New Owyn Table and Chair Set Coming Soon!!

Check out the new Owyn Collection that's coming soon!!

The table and chair set will be the second piece for sale along side the Owyn Toy Box in the coming month.  We'll  work on getting the rest of the collection launched ASAP!

The Owyn Table and Chair set has a lift off lid where you can store crayons and such.  It's the perfect companion for the Owyn Toy Box.

(These designs are registered copyrights of Mod Mom Furniture (California USA).
Owyn –1-478569381)

The Czar of Mod Mom Furniture East

One of the absolute joys of moving manufacturing to an Amish shop in Ohio is that my parents live there!  Well, not with the Amish but in Ohio.  As most of you know, my dad built much of our furniture growing up.  He was a football coach/PE/Health teacher who taught himself to build traditional furniture and I had the pleasure of seeing him do it.  And learning from him, that I could teach myself almost anything if I wanted.  No need for fear.  It's just a table saw, after all. 

My parents drove over yesterday to L&J Woodworking to approve a few samples for me and take photographs.  As you may have guessed, working with an Amish manufacturer takes a bit of creative thinking to make up for the lack of ease of email, internet, digital photographs, etc.  We've come up with a great system where I send a fax via internet/email to their fax machine which runs on steam-powered electricity.  But when it comes to approving samples, either I have to fly in or my dad heads over.  I'm so thankful that my parents are willing to make the four-hour one way journey for me.  And it helps that dad knows woodworking.  A lot!!

Check out this great picture of dad taking notes while writing on the top of the NEW Owyn Table and Chair set! You'll recognize some of my other designs around him. (Photo credit goes to my mom, Cheryl Parsons.)

15% off Owyn and Bertie through Jan 31st!!

The “If I step on another freakin’ toy?!?!”...“Toys are TAKING OVER!”...“When did our house turn into kid-land?” POST HOLIDAY SALE IS HERE!!!

Get 15% off when you order an Owyn Toy Box and/or a Bertie Toy Box now through the end of
January!  Shipping is included in the price with the exception of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and
international.

Simply contact Kiersten at kiersten@modmomfurniture.com and your new toy box will be at your doorstep in 4-6 weeks.  Credit, debit, paypal and checks are accepted. Initial deposit (half of the total) upon ordering.

(Discount only valid direct through Mod Mom Furniture.  Disount not valid on other toy box styles.)

Happy New Year!

Holy. Cow.  2010 has been a helluva year.  On a good note, lots of great stuff - like expanding production in Ohio and getting a chance to pitch to the Sharks on the TV show SHARK TANK- has made the year a phenomenal one.  On the flip side and on a personal note, we've endured my husband's layoff and my mom and grandmother's cancer diagnosis and treatment.  I don't think we've ever had a year where there were so many drastic highs and lows. One thing I know for sure, 2011 is really going to be a pivotal year in our lives.  

I'm so very grateful for your support and encouragement over the past four years.  I've met so many wonderful people from all over the world through writing about Mod Mom Furniture.  I now have dear friends that I've never met in person.  Friends that comment on posts and send messages that have no doubt kept me building and sawing on those days when it seemed like the best option was to just hang it all up.

All my love and best wishes go out to you and your families.  I hope you know just how much you've influenced my life and kept me positive.

Happy New Year!

Babybot

A few years ago, a lovely woman by the name of Renee from Calgary ordered an Owyn Toy Box for her daughter.  She was one of the first from Canada to order. Fast forward to now, and this amazing woman who has killer taste is the co-owner of Babybot, Canada's premiere place to go for all things modern kid.

She just placed her second order from me for Babybot consisting of  seven toy boxes:  3 Maude Toy Boxes, 2 Riley Paige, and 2 Owyn.

Check them out!  They have toy boxes IN STOCK -- no waiting!  And they're really cool people running an awesome store.

And join their Facebook page to keep up with lots of deals and special offers!  

Entrepreneur Spotlight: Patrick Caneday: Damn Good Writer

 Patrick Caneday, also known as surrogate parent to my daughter Grace when her mom is busy building in the garage, is my very talented writer neighbor-friend.  He has a column in Burbank Leader as well as the Glendale Press  called SMALL WONDERS.  He's too modest to tell you that his writing is really, really good.  In fact, so good that Al Martinez, a Pulitzer Prize winning Los Angeles Times newspaper columnist said this about Patrick's book:

"I love Patrick Caneday's work. He seeks out the humanity in us and writes about it in the kind of seamless prose that any author would envy, in a style that only a few can achieve. I have always looked forward to reading his columns and now I have them at hand to consider them in pleasure. Thanks, Patrick, for the immensity of the gift you have given us and continue to give."

Patrick is raising money to self-publish his book Crooked Little Birdhouse: Random Thoughts on Being Human and is doing it in such a cool way.  Through Kickstarter, he's trying to raise $2,500 in 30 days and if that $2,500 isn't raised in 30 days, he gets nothing.  It's literally all or nothing.  He put together a fantastic video explaining what he's trying to do as well as what you, the very gracious donation giver, gets when you make a pledge.  Please take a moment to get to know Patrick and his writing....

Check out the link HERE:

Mod Mom Furniture Hats, Courtesy of Mod Mom Furniture's Dad

My awesome dad showed up at the airport when I was home inking the deal with the Amish manufacturer wearing one of the twelve hats he had made locally in Defiance, Ohio. 

My hat is off to my very cool, very sweet, CZAR of MOD MOM FURNITURE EAST. 

Love ya, Dad!

ATTENTION: BIG NEWS!!! REALLY BIG NEWS!!!

While some things have stayed the same in our little Hathcock family life (I'm still the messy one, Scott's still the clean one, he's still out of work, etc.) lots of other things are changing for the better!  First off, before you get all "OMG I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON SHARK TANK" because of what I'm about to write, let me just say that it has nothing to do with Shark Tank other than the ball started rolling when I was prepping for the show/pitch.  In no way did the outcome of my Shark Tank pitch have to do with this amazing news.....

I am moving manufacturing of the toy boxes (and eventual bedroom collections) OUT of my garage and into an Amish furniture manufacturer in Ohio!  Here's why this is unbelievably great all around - for me and for my customers/retailers:

• I'm from Ohio so the thought of putting money back into the state and keeping manufacturing here in the US thrills me beyond belief. 
  
  
• Ray Yoder, Jr., owner of L&J Woodworking, is equally as excited about this partnership as I am.  His shop, which employs 17 workers, is known for quality and Ray is a gem of a person. We actually have a lot in common as he started his business from his small workshop years ago. He'll be doing something few Amish furniture makers do which is make modern furniture. 
  
  
• Each piece will still be eco-friendly, look the same as if I made them in my garage using eco-friendly Baltic Birch ply, and will be built by skilled craftsman who've been building furniture A LOT longer than I have. The finishes on the pieces are incredible!!  He's also able to do some things that I can't do.  Like use a router.  Damn thing scares me to death.
   
• I can only build three toy boxes per week. Any more than that means I don't see my kids, my husband, I don't shower, and I am in a constant state of building.  Ray and his team can build 50, 100, even 1000 per week, if need be.
  
  
• The average wait time for a new order (until the order ships out) is normally 12 weeks.  People are waiting 3 months for a toy box currently.  With L&J manufacturing, clients/retailers will only have to wait 4-5 weeks for a handmade, US-made, eco-friendly toy box! 
  
  
• The pricing will remain the same because he can build them for roughly the same cost as what I pay to build them in my old garage.  Most furniture companies have to resort to manufacturing in China, Brazil, etc and shipping the goods back to the US.  I'm so happy that I can keep the pricing the same, continue to have a quality product, AND keep it in the United States. :)
  

With the manufacturing in place, I'll finally be able to stop turning retailers away from all over the world. I've had to keep my retailer list small because I feared I would run my business into the ground since it was just me building everything.

I can't quite believe Mod Mom is where it is today.  I'm so grateful for your support and encouragement over the past 3 1/2 years.  There were a few times when I thought I wouldn't make it, physically and emotionally.  And I'm so glad I didn't throw in the towel.  

When I was standing there in Ray's office saying goodbye, his eighteen-yr-old daughter came in to tell me how much she loves my designs and that when she has children, she wants one for her kids.  It's so amazing to know that the designs resonate with so many people across all different walks of life.  It makes me realize that my crazy idea to build furniture in my garage wasn't so crazy after all.  Well, maybe just a little crazy. 

A shot of the shop from the road.

Just a shot of a tiny portion of some of the work that is ready to ship out. 

One part of the massive workshop + massive warehouse.  The staining station.

See the tall thin looking things in the back.  All of his equipment is powered by steam. No electricity.

They finishing station using a sprayer.  My finishing station is in my living room next to the couch.

I'm alive!

So you know from my previous post that I was buried in Shark Tank prep but filming is over and I'm knee-deep in saw dust again. If my segment gets picked to air, I should know before it does so I'll keep you posted for sure! The new season of Shark Tank starts again in January 2011 on ABC primetime.

Now, back to normal everyday stuff. Like the fact that a big Hollywood celeb recently purchased two toy boxes from me. I know, that's not really fair because it's not normal but it's fun to write. :) I'm continuing to plug away on orders and settle back into family life. Took one day off yesterday to get a massage (thanks Katie and Scott) and regain my strength. I'm so glad I did because I feel back to full furniture-building strength again. I'm settling back into family life again, too. My poor kids and husband have been without a mom/wife for the past month. Thank goodness for husbands who cook, clean, grocery shop, do homework, polyurethane boxes, shuttle kids to and from school. No doubt I picked a good one back in 1997.

More adventures to come from Mod Mom but for now, I have to get back to power tools and saw dust.