Borderline Kitsch...
Brooklyn based makers and manufacturers, Amy Stringer-Mowat and Bill Mowat, made their first cutting boards for their 2010 wedding. It is rumored that the groom was actually finishing the boards on the day of the wedding... The two wanted a personalized and sentimental way to display cheese, and came up with state-shaped cutting boards for each of their home states (Michigan and Connecticut), with hearts on their hometowns. Delightfully, other people wanted the boards and they are now made for all fifty states. Each board is made in the USA of bamboo. AHeirloom listed their original state shaped cutting boards on Etsy in May of 2010 and by the end of that year, a business was born.
Amy and Bill met at Amy’s birthday party when both were getting their Masters in Architecture at Columbia University. Bill walked by, wished Amy a simple and sweet “Happy Birthday,” and the two have been collaborating off and on ever since.
The love of food, design and housewares began with Amy's work at Zingerman's Delicatessen in the mid 90's and also with Monmouth Coffee Company, in London England. Merging these interests with Bill's background in design, his years of experience with project management and skill at fabrication, have made for a good combination on their latest venture.
Today, Amy manages the AHeirloom family business and takes care of the firm’s newest member, Henry, born in September of 2011. Bill handles the production of their orders and is a partner in a successful fabrication shop in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn.
Amy and Bill believe in their small business and manufacturing in the United States. The pieces are designed to be cherished and passed down -- to engage those who use them and resonate with each use. Their quality comes not only from the design and materials, but from Amy and Bill’s belief in new manufacturing techniques. Whether things are made by hand or by machine, they can be timeless -- like these cutting boards, which serve as reminders of where you came from, or where you’d like to be.
We wrote an article about our business strategies here! - https://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2013/grow-what-you-know-how-to-prep-for-a-new-product-line/?ref=fp_blog_title
