from our little world to yours...

Factory Handbook is the work of two madly-in-love sweethearts, Carrie & Mike, now happily sharing our life together for nearly 20 years. Recently, when 2010 found us looking at two highly successful but unfulfilling career paths in New York (Carrie in a corporate position as a women’s clothing designer, and Mike at a well-respected architectural restoration company), the realization dawned that we were ready for a major change. Our professional ideal, we knew, would be a way to incorporate both of our talents, interests, and personal aesthetics into one grassroots business venture.

Native Southerners, we decided that our home state of Kentucky made the perfect staging ground. By the Spring of 2011 we had made the move to Louisville, established our inspiring studio space, stocked the shelves with beautiful vintage inventory…and the story of our Etsy store had begun.

Obsessed with vintage clothing from the pre-teen years onward, it was a keen interest in creative alteration (under the watchful eye of a very sewing-skillful mother!) that pulled Carrie toward a career in fashion. Co-authoring the book ‘Fashion DIY: 30 Ways To Craft Your Own Style’ (Sixth & Spring Books, 2006), earning her degree in clothing design from F.I.T., and ultimately working on the design team for a contemporary New York brand – can all count that insatiable love for vintage clothing as their point of origin. Currently, life as a vintage dealer means the fruition of many dreams come true.

For Mike, the chance to flex his skill & ease behind the camera lets the visual artist inside him keep his creativity fueled. Meanwhile, his precision-oriented personality suits nicely to the wide array of customer-service and shipping details that are an everyday part of our business.

Together, we have also been developing a line of furniture, lighting and home textiles that can be viewed online at factoryhandbook.com. Sharing every aspect of the design process in creating these objects, we work hard to offer eccentric yet beautiful pieces balancing form, function, and ethically-sourced materials. The goal is for our ideal environment to overlap with our customers' - by bringing our personal perspective into the day-to-day life of their home.