It's Greenjeans' Birthday!

Greenjeans turns 3-years-old today!!!

It's hard to believe that on a cold, sunny day much like this one (but, well, 3 years ago) we made the big push to finish the first manifestation of our shop and gallery, opening the doors that afternoon to our very first customers. I am always amazed at how sparse the space was then! (That's a shot taken day one, below left, and then more recent pictures further down.) Yet still we managed to start catching people's attention and even made some sales.

Looking back three years later, I'm simply overwhelmed by how much has happened and how we've grown. We've met scores of wonderful people, overcome loads of challenges, worked an absurd number of hours, and traveled from the woods of Maine and the farmlands of Wisconsin to downtown Baltimore and back to Brooklyn. Oh yeah, and we got hitched!

Inside the shop, we've grown from 4 artisans when we opened to nearly 60. The sawhorses and reclaimed French door that served as our original display table is gone, replaced with beautiful custom display case built by my Dad and a nice glass-topped table designed by Jae. But we still sit in the antique pressed wood chairs at the red painted table that my parents had when they were first married, and we still write every receipt by hand.

This year will be an important one for us. We've built a strong foundation, but now we have to bring Greenjeans to the next level, letting more people know we're here and developing a broader customer base. It's very challenging, and sometimes harrowing, but we are more than up for it because we thoroughly believe in what we're doing and our passion for craft and for artists and artisans has only grown over these three years.

We feel so fortunate in the amount of support and encouragement we've received from the craft community, as well as the ever-increasing loyalty of our wonderful customers in Park Slope and beyond. Three years ago, we would never have imagined we'd accomplish so much. Thank you!!!

So what are our plans for the coming year? Well, first of all, starting next month we'll be taking Greenjeans to the streets with a booth at the much-anticipated Brooklyn Flea, where we'll show work by different artisans every week and offer some special deals. We're also making it easier for folks planning their wedding to register at Greenjeans, and we're assembling a juicy collection of artisan-made wedding bands. We will continue making exhibitions (the next one a thematic jewelry show coming this summer), and scouring the country for the best handmade work we can find. Oh yeah, and blogging! (I'm 10 posts shy of 400...)

Tomorrow we'll take on the next chapter. But today, we're just going to enjoy the sunshine and visits from our wonderful customers and friends on this special day! Thank you again to everyone who has helped make it possible!

Posted by Amy Shaw for Greenjeans. Top photo by Isaiah L. Others by Greenjeans.