Today we’d like to introduce you to Jolene Kraus.
Jolene, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We started Park Studio in 2014 in the dining room of our small apartment in Los Angeles.
Ben was in production and between shows, so we decided to make lights and sell them on Craigs List. We would sell a fixture, make a new one and then sell it. Quickly we realized this could be a business, but we needed a name, website, brand and several designs.
Insert Park Studio (fun fact, our name was originally Park Collective, but the reason why we changed is too long to type). My background is design and sales, and Ben’s background is photography and film. Together we are able to run all aspects of the business from sales to customer service to design and manufacturing.
Over the last four years, we have made it a point to make sure everything is made right here in Los Angeles, something we are very proud of.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. Luckily we never let the failures or disappointments stop us from moving forward. If we learn we can’t do something a certain way we always find another road to travel down. When we first started, we were only a lighting company, but I always had this gut feeling we needed to make hardware (door pulls and knobs).
We had no idea where to begin doing this. We kept hearing that we would need to get a mold made similarly to how jewelry is made, but every time we reached out to a company to get a quote for the mold, it was upwards of $50,000.
Yes, $50k! And that was for one design! Not having that kind of capital to put down, and after more than a year passing, we finally found our local Los Angeles machinist to help with our vision and designs. We’ve been using him ever since.
Please tell us about Park Studio.
We are a husband and wife team who designs and manufactures lighting and hardware here in Los Angeles. We are known for our decorative pendants, sconces, and hardware.
Our most proud moment as a company was winning the Best of Year award is given by Interior Design Magazine in the hardware category in 2017. We are able to offer affordable to design to everyone and are truly proud of the fact that from raw material to finished product, our product is handmade in LA.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Jolene – Growing up on a farm in the middle of Iowa, there were many memories, but my most favorite is experiencing summer rainstorms.
Ben – Any time he was able to go fishing with his Dad.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parkstudiola.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @parkstudio_la
Image Credit:
Lauren Bauer.Ben Kraus
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