 |
| Image from Walnut Studiolo |
Geoffrey and Valerie Franklin, husband and wife, and co-owners of Walnut Studiolo, sell handcrafted bicycle accessories out of their home in Portland, Ore. The couple has worked together since 2009. Geoffrey designs and creates the company’s bike accessories while Valerie markets his work. The couple works well together (thank goodness!) and has garnered quite a following in the sustainable biking community.
Courier Magazine recently featured the co-owners in an article that appears in the March/April 2013 issue. Below is the full interview with Valerie and Geoffrey. Read on to discover why Geoffrey loves working with leather and wood, and why he and Valerie enjoy working together.
Courier Magazine: Do you both cycle, and has it always been a way of life for both of you? And have you both been a part of, or at least supported, the indie/sustainable/small business community before jumping into business?
Geoff Franklin: Growing up I had a number of bikes: BMX, Freestyle, and eventually a Mountain Bike. But it wasn't until I started riding centuries on my road bike that cycling changed the way I looked at the world. When I went away to college, I left my car at home and took my bike. Before starting my own business, I had no experience being an entrepreneur. My dad worked for Nike for over 10 years. He instilled a respect for local businesses like Intel, Gerber and Columbia Sportswear. But for me, small, indie business came into my life in Eugene, Ore., while going to school. When I moved back to Portland, Ore., I was ready to set out on my own path.
Valerie Franklin: My family always cycled for weekend recreation. We had an annual tradition of doing the New York City five-borough ride every year when I was a teenager, but it wasn't until I moved to Portland that I got into bicycles for daily transportation. I think my awareness of sustainability and the importance of small and local business have evolved and deepened over the past 10 years. I worked at a food co-op when I was in college, and that really opened my eyes to the truth of ‘voting with your dollars,’ a vote that I have been careful to exercise ever since.
CM: Any initial concerns with working together?
Geoff: You really have to like each other to work and play together all the time.
Valerie: Yes! But we actually work great together. We have such complimentary skills, so it's not like we're stepping on each other's toes. I think it helps that we have separate areas of responsibility and even separate physical working areas.
CM: Do you have a background in business management and marketing, or did you grow into it?
Valerie: I was a liberal arts major (anthropology) in college, so business wasn't my area of study, but I learned from the school of hard knocks. After graduation I worked for non-profit organizations in management and then in project management for a large corporation. My understanding of business definitely grew more sophisticated at the large corporation, which increased my interest in it. Now I really love learning more about business and I have a robust self-learning program of periodicals and business books. I enjoy applying my concepts and theories every day to our work here, in a way that really aligns with my morals and beliefs, in striving to make our business sustainable and just.
CM: The company seems to have grown incredibly fast. Do you typically get orders from individuals or small courier businesses interested in outfitting bikes?
Valerie: We are growing fast, but in a controlled, healthy, steady way. Most of our orders come from individuals. We are in a few brick-and-mortar stores around the country and I hope to increase that number this year. A list of them is on our website.
CM: How do you approach selling the business or does it just sell itself through word of mouth?
Valerie: I believe in the products that Geoff designs first and foremost -- my job marketing them is actually pretty easy because he makes such darn good stuff. His work sells itself because of its design and quality, and thanks to our incredible photographer, Erin Berzel, that manages to come across online. Her photography really does an incredible job communicating the texture and feel of his work. Because of that, we rely mostly on word-of-mouth and blog coverage. We don't really spend money on advertising, but we do try to support and be involved in the bicycle, beer, and craft communities.
CM: What’s the best-selling product now?
Valerie: The six-pack frame cinch, a multi-purpose belt designed to hold anything somewhat narrow to your top tube, like a coffee thermos, or an umbrella, or a six-pack!
CM: Any plans on expansion?
Valerie: We definitely want to grow more this year, but we also want to stay true to our roots and beliefs. This business is a lifestyle business for us. We love working from our house, so we've got plans for this year on how to rearrange our existing space to squeeze in some additional hands for help. We've also got some fun ideas about how we might expand into teaching leatherwork, maybe holding classes, or an online video series.
CM: Why are you drawn to designing with leather and wood? Is it mainly the durability of the materials, or how well the materials work together? Have you ever considered using other materials?
Geoff: I don't know exactly why I'm drawn to the material pallet I've chosen. It's likely influenced by the time I've spent on my family's ranch; growing up with horses in the country. There is just something special about wood and leather -- the tactile senses it awakes. Both materials are quite durable yet require a little maintenance to look their best. My use of leather and wood could just be a subconscious backlash to the inundation of synthetic materials. I would love to add metal work to my line-up.
CM: Where do you get your materials from (I see SCRAP is one of your suppliers)? How did you find these organizations/companies?
Geoff: All our leather comes from United States-tanned hides of U.S. beef cattle, which is important to me because I consider that leather an upcycled product {taking a product scrap or old item and repurposing it} -- if it's not turned into leather then those hides get landfilled. It's taken me a long time to find these organizations! I found them eventually over time through word-of-mouth and the Internet. We ship all of our products in upcycled packaging when we can find enough of it, and SCRAP {scrappdx.org} is a local craft and office supply upcycling center that we use for packaging products, like one-sided paper, used envelopes, or bubble wrap.
CM: How long does it take to design a new product?
Geoff: It can take anywhere from a few days to a few years. I have literally experienced both ends of that range of time. The Frame Handle was in R and D for two years. But more often than not it takes me a season of riding with a product before I am comfortable selling it.
CM: Are you working on any new designs? Do you get product requests from cyclists?
Geoff: I always have a few designs simmering on the back burner. Many are my own ideas -- I always design things that I want to use. But I am also lucky to have such amazing customers. They come up with great ideas! We get product requests all the time. I'm not able to make all of them, but I love working on them. Sometimes they turn into products for us, and sometimes they are just one-of-a-kind.
No comments:
Post a Comment