Today we’d like to introduce you to Arra David and Anne Johnson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Arra and Anne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We started Sea Stones in 2003 as a creation between two friends who connected through a love of nature, craftsmanship, and stone. Beginning with just one item, Coast Hooks, we began offering our work to local gift shops and galleries around Boston and Cape Cod. Working out of our studio nestled in the woods of New Hampshire, Sea Stones grew to employ local stone artisans and woodworkers. The success of Coast Hooks led to the creation of many more nature-inspired gifts and home décor items as well as wonderful relationships with many retailers of fine craft. Novel design, eco-friendly sourcing, innovative problem solving, and quality craftsmanship are the foundation of this unique business. Now in its 14th year, Sea Stones proudly sells in over 800 galleries and gift shops in the United States and Canada, as well as many online retailers and catalogs.
Has it been a smooth road?
Small businesses face unique challenges, and Sea Stones resolves them resourcefully. We minimize risks during lean times by constantly creating new work that meets current trends. Sadly, the recession had an impact on small craft wholesalers and although that was not a banner time for anyone, Sea Stones grew through it. We constantly improve our techniques for efficient production methods, environmentally friendly sourcing, and new product development.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Sea Stones crafts high-quality gifts and home décor from natural stone and hardwoods. We source our granite from local kitchen cabinet remodelers and hand-collect stones from New England rivers and beaches. We work with only Forest Stewardship Council approved hardwoods and are environmentally conscious in all of our decisions.
One of our most popular item is On The Rocks, solid granite drink chillers for chilling scotch, whiskey, or any other fine spirit without watering it down. Our Touchstone Wine Glasses have a beautiful ocean-smoothed stone magically set into the stem to add beauty, identity, and stability to an otherwise ordinary wine glass. Another example of our mission at work is, On The Other Hand, a clock with a fresh design made from solid cherry hardwood and beach stones. All our designs focus on user experience to purposefully enhance usability and solve problems.
Our work is available through fine gift shops and galleries, catalogs and online retailers. Our website has a store locator so you can find our work close to you.
Our success as a local, handmade in America fine craft company sets us apart from others. There are many things that need to be in balance for this to happen and we have found the right recipe for our business to survive and thrive. We are excited when we receive a kind word or thank you note from a customer that is as passionate and sees the same beauty in stone that we see. We are proud that we can support and employ specialty stone and wood artisans as well as creative individuals who genuinely care about our products. And most of all, on days when the whole workshop is alive and loud with the sounds of tools and machines that we custom-make, when the entire company pulls together to meet a big shipment deadline, and when we can all stand back and look at our collective work, we are proud of our accomplishments.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
New England’s seacoast and forests deeply influence our work and are the original inspiration for our products. Without such passionate support from our local partners, we never would have reached out nationally and made the connections that are now the bedrock of our business. We have a very special relationship with our local galleries and love walking in to see the owners who are always eager to have a look at our newest work.
The winters are a killer in New Hampshire and tend to add stress to our production schedules, but we can’t change the weather and who can say no the occasional snow day?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sea-stones.com
- Phone: 206-202-1092
- Email: info@sea-stones.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/Sea-Stones-129874383715744/
- Twitter: twitter.com/seastonesnh
- Other: http://www.sea-stones.com/shopsite/storelocator.php
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