Meet the owners of Sazerac Stitches June 28 2021, 0 Comments
Hello and welcome to our very first blog post! Since it's our first endeavor into the blog writing world, we want you to get to know us a little better. And what better way to do that, than with an old Cosmo style 10-question interview!
We sell lighting and home decor, so what's with our name, Sazerac Stitches? In 2012, Sazerac Stitches started as a small sewing company that made mustache flags, holiday stockings, candles and other fun stuff. Over time, we shifted our focus to from sewing to creating mid-century moderns and vintage inspired lighting and decor. Although our products have changed, our passion for creativity have remained constant. Every day we strive to create things we love and we hope you love them too!
Where did the idea to sell lighting come from? Well, shortly after we got married, we bought our first home together and of course, wanted to update everything in it immediately. The problem was, that costs money and we were broke. So with our engineering background (Matt), and creative brain (Kirsten), we taught ourselves how to make all of the lights in our home.
Drawing inspiration from a vintage light we bought, powder coated and rewired from a thrift store in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans, we decided to make our first two chandeliers, Napoleon and Annunciation. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Shop the Napoleon & Annunciation Chandeliers
Want to get to know us even better? Here are 10 questions we’ve been forced to answer by our team so you can learn a little more about us:
Ten Questions with Kirsten
What is your favorite Sazerac Stitches light? Did you design it? What was your inspiration?
Although I always have a crush on a few of our newest lights, my all time favorite fixture is the Arcenciel Chandelier. When I designed it, I didn’t really know how a large rainbow chandelier would be received. Luckily it’s been really popular. Creating it opened my eyes to all the other color combinations we could and should make.
Shop the Arcenciel Chandelier
What is your perfect Monday like?
Lots of caffeine, no emergencies, weekend gossip and going home early.
What’s your favorite holiday or season?
Is Jazz Fest a holiday? (editor's note - yes! in NOLA is absolutely is)
What is your favorite light to make and why?
All the easy ones. I’m the queen of sweeping up the easy orders from our queue after noon. (editor's note - this is so true)
Music or TV at work? What is playing?
TV or a podcast. Bravo is great when you want to think about nothing. "Hidden Brain" podcast or "The Daily" is perfect for cerebral moments.
You’ve come up with light designs, you’ve come up with resin bears, resin trays and jeweled jackets. Where do you get your random inspiration from?
Honestly, the last year has been weird so I think I gravitated towards the idea of making things that were colorful but far less serious than lighting. Having these limited drops helped time pass quickly and it was exciting to see if they would do as well as I hoped.
Shop Trays
What do you do during periods of stress?
I watch old episodes of The Profit and then buy things online.
What’s your favorite type of wine or favorite thing to drink?
A good margarita is pure heaven. But I’m also looking forward to rosé season.
Shop Planters
I’m not sure exactly what it will look like in 5 years, but the goals are to (1) make fun shit, (2) build a business that supports its employees and plays to their unique strengths and (3) rock at customer service.
Ten Questions with Matt
What is your favorite Sazerac Stitches light? Did you design it? What was your inspiration?
My current favorite light is the Hendrix Chandelier. I designed it over the course of months, as we collected the powder coated parts to make it. I drew inspiration from Kirsten’s passion for colorful lighting and was looking for a way to incorporate the 2" powder coated rods that were not yet used in any designs.
Shop the Hendrix Chandelier
What made you decide to leave the corporate world and put 100% into Sazerac Stitches?
My plan was always to leave the corporate world and work for Sazerac Stitches at some point, though we never defined the date. I have always helped Kirsten in evenings and on weekends. But, over the course of the last year, Kirsten has done an amazing job growing the company to the point where we needed additional help. It was the logical choice, and honestly who doesn’t want to work full-time for their own company?
Music or TV at work? What is playing?
Is Kirsten in the office or not? If she is, then whatever she has on. If not, probably the news if I want to catch up on what's going on in the world. Otherwise it's my Pandora, which is admittedly odd and not necessarily up to date. (editor's note - think 90s rock)
What is your favorite light to make and why?
A Loa Sconce. Kirsten always beats me to them so I never get to make them. But really, it's whatever the next order is on the list.
Shop the Single Loa Sconce
How has working for Lockheed Martin (NASA) and being a project manager for Electrical Utilities prepared you for owning and running your own business?
I think it is a combination of a lot of things. Learning how to be a good boss and how to treat your employees is one of the most important things I've learned. I try very hard to make the work environment enjoyable, stress free and accommodating to the needs of everyone. In one word, I've learned to be flexible.
What’s your favorite thing to drink?
During the day (or working), sweet iced tea.
At the end of the day, a Local IPA or an Old Fashioned.
French Quarter Fest or Jazz Fest? What’s the most memorable music act you’ve seen at that fest?
Jazz Fest. French Quarter Fest is great, don’t get me wrong, but I love posting up at “the best stage of the day”, tossing out the blanket and chairs, waiting for the rest of our friends to show up and just jamming to music all day.
My most memorable act at Jazz Fest was basically an entire weekend: Dave and the Boss headlined the first weekend of the first Jazz Fest post Katrina in 2006. It was a weekend full of amazing music that I will never forget.
What specifically are you excited to organize or improve as far as the workflow for Sazerac Stitches goes, and why?
I really want to dive head first into our parts inventory and procurement processes. Improving that, I believe, will have a cascading effect on everything else.
What is your favorite holiday?
The period of time in New Orleans from January 6th (the first day of Carnival Season) to the end of Jazz Fest. Give me that and you can keep every other holiday.
Five years from now, what are you most looking forward to for the business?
It’s pretty simple: I'm looking forward to whatever crazy ass idea Kirsten comes up with next!
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That's a wrap! Thanks for getting to know us a little better. Stay tuned in the future for all of the latest things going on at Sazerac Stitches.