Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Rubenstein.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
After graduating in 2012 with a graphic design degree, I chose to stick to the one thing that I have always been obsessed with: SHOPPING. Some would call it ‘user experience design’ or ‘retail strategy,’ but I’m not into getting lost in the technical terms. Shopping is everything from getting a beautiful email in my inbox, to the design of the packaging when the product arrives at my door.
My love for shopping has given me the opportunity to work at high-fashion e-commerce destination, RueLaLa, and brick & mortar menswear start-up, Blank Label. While working full-time at these desk-jobs, I started a project on the side with my brother called ArtSnacks: a monthly subscription box for art supplies. Two years in, my brother and I took the biggest risk of our lives – we quit our desk-jobs to pursue ArtSnacks full-time! The company is now five years strong with 3 different subscriptions options, an online store, and an online community network for artists to thrive.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has not been smooth! I could sit here all day and talk about the ups-and-downs of building something out of nothing, but one challenging component that stands out to me is shipping and logistics. If a customer doesn’t get their monthly box in a timely manner, we hear about it (sometimes in the form of a tweet)! We pay close attention to the fine details of a positive shopping experience and manage our customer’s expectations accordingly.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with ArtSnacks – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
ArtSnacks is a subscription box of unique, high-quality art supplies, with a mission to inspire people through the discovery of amazing art materials. Every month, subscribers discover new products, limited-edition tools, exclusive supplies, and useful techniques through our service. Subscribers are encouraged to create an original work of art using only the supplies in their monthly box, and share it with the rest of the ArtSnacks Community – we call this the #ArtSnacksChallenge.
Within the last year, we’ve launched two quarterly subscription boxes: LetteringSnacks and WatercolorSnacks. Each box comes with an online class, hosted by a professional artist who will walk you through how to use the products in the box, and a watercolor or hand lettering practice project.
One of the greatest perks (and one of our proudest creations) of being a subscriber to any of these boxes is your personal invitation to join our private online artist community called ArtSnacks Mix. It’s an app that lives on your smart device where you can post artwork, get feedback, meet like-minded creatives, and see exclusive behind-the-scenes moments from the ArtSnacks Team. I’m updating my status and posting photos on Mix regularly!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For the last few months, we’ve been planning in-person events with one of our favorite art supply stores: Artist & Craftsman Supply. We call these events the “ArtSnacks Pop-Up Snack’n’Draw!” These events are open to the public, so we welcome all creatives to come grab a bite to eat, get some drawing in, and meet the ArtSnacks Team IRL! We have at least three more of these events planned for 2018. They’ll be in Portland, OR, Chicago, IL, and Miami, FL.
Pricing:
- A monthly subscription to ArtSnacks for US residents starts at $24 (includes shipping)
- A quarterly subscription to LetteringSnacks for US residents starts at $89 (includes shipping)
- A quarterly subscription to WatercolorSnacks for US residents starts at $89 (includes shipping)
Contact Info:
- Website: artsnacks.co
- Email: support@artsnacks.co
- Instagram: @artsnacks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtSnacks/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/artsnacks
Image Credit:
Roxanne Coble, Tucker Friend
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
