With our recent brick and mortar shop opening, we have had the great fortune to be interviewed by various media outlets. A common question is, “How did you start Flourish & Foundry?” Our answers vary in length depending on the context, but something that is consistent is our desire to create something that centers people in our process. We recognized a gap in the home goods industry, were inspired by passion for design, and driven by our desire to do things differently.
In 2020, amid global fear and cultural shift, we asked ourselves questions like, “What really matters? Or Why do we do things this way?” We realized that for too long our time and talents were exploited by corporations. We reckoned with racism in the United States in a very raw way. We had conversations, made commitments, and set a new path forward. Something that was abundantly clear is that pushing existing businesses and organizations to change was difficult. Many made statements, relied on their Black workforce to shed light on how we might evolve, and tweaked things in hopes of making lasting change.
Starting a business from scratch during this time meant we could do what we wanted, and to do it differently meant relentlessly staying true to our values and a lot of really hard work. One aspect of this has been developing our maker network with intention. Rather than doing what seemed like business-as-usual or what may have been familiar, we sought and continue to seek makers whose values align with ours. We develop relationships with makers whose identities often differ from what you might typically see in other home goods stores (especially the BIG ones.) We celebrate Black creativity, women entrepreneurs, collectives supporting heritage craft with Fair Trade wages, folks from small American towns, queer people, artists, and family-owned businesses. They make up the building blocks of what we do rather than act as flashy, one-time marketing campaigns. Something these makers have in common is their commitment to their craft and continued improvement. There is no half-assing it. There is no corner cutting.
As we settle into this phase of running a business, we reflect on what we’ve created so far and look forward to building upon our purposeful foundation. The diverse collective that creates the products we sell to you means so much to us and will continue to grow. We proudly showcase them right when you enter our shop. These relationships matter. We uplift voices that have been left behind for too long. We unapologetically stand for something as we do business — a way to do it better.
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