Ep. 03 – Jeremy Estill of Roost Artisan Home

Episode 3 of Build Things Better features Jeremy Estill of Roost Artisan Home. While known primarily for custom furniture, Roost Artisan Home aims to be a source of home goods of all types. Jeremy has built furniture, crafted lighting from found objects, and even made quilts. Don’t try to put Jeremy in a box; he doesn’t quite fit.

While on a holiday trip back to Omaha, taking a break from his study of applied design in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jeremy learned about Bench in a strange turn of coincidence. As Jeremy describes it, Bench was exactly the type of creative community he had been looking for. He was hooked after his first visit in 2013.

Having spent much of his formative years with his grandparents, Jeremy was influenced by their resourcefulness and their desire not to see anything go to waste. This idea finds it’s way into Jeremy’s design as he incorporates pieces that might cast off by other builders. The result of this philosophy is a clean, modern, if somewhat eclectic aesthetic that works well with many design styles.

Listen to episode 3 to learn more about Jeremy Estill, his background, design philosophy, and his answer to our favorite question – “Cake or Pie?”.

Ep. 02 – Joy O’Connor of EARTHENjoy

This week we chatted with Joy O’Connor, owner of EARTHENjoy. Joy makes jewelry and home accessories out of earthenware clay (hence the name EARTHENjoy).

Joy got her start making Christmas ornaments with her mother-in-law, crafting “Ho H0 Hot Mess” and “Ho Ho Holy Shit” ornaments and quickly realized there was a market for handmade, clay home accessories and jewelry. While she is known for her Nebraska necklaces, bright colored earrings with gold leaf, and beautiful, faceted hanging planters, Joy has been exploring more muted tones and branching out into new home accessories, including vessels for hand-poured candles.

Give this week’s episode a listen to learn why Joy has a hard time answering our favorite question: “Cake or Pie?”, how she came up with the name for her business, where she draws her inspiration from, and much more.

Ep. 01 – Introductions

This week we interviewed…each other. That’s right, we are starting out with introductions. We hope you will join us for this conversation to learn more about us, and why we want to highlight Midwest makers.

Ben Petersen is the founder and owner of Bench, a collaborative workshop space in downtown Omaha catering to makers of all sorts. Ben started Bench in a 2,500 square foot storefront in 2012 with just a couple of makers. In its 5-year life, Bench has moved into more than 10,000 square feet and provides private studios and access to shared workspace for more than two-dozen makers. Bench has become a creative community that connects makers and supports the maker community. In addition to running Bench, Ben also owns Timbersmith Goods, a custom furniture shop, which operates out of a private studio at Bench. Timbersmith Goods focuses on handmade furniture and fixtures for homes and businesses. Whenever possible, Ben likes to use material milled on his family’s farm about an hour from Omaha. Ben is a maker and a supporter of other makers with a passion for building things better.

Zach Reinhardt is not what you would think of when you think of a maker. That is probably because he doesn’t really make much (aside from bad jokes). While Zach may not, currently, be a maker, he does fancy himself a bit of an evangelist for the Midwest maker community. He loves knowing who made the candle in his living room, the jewelry his wife wears, and the furniture in his home. The story behind the product, and the person that made it, is as important to Zach as the product itself. Prior to starting a career in real estate development, Zach spent 10 years as a screen printer and freelance graphic designer. In 2015, he and Ben started a screen-printing business, Meadowlark Print Co, as a creative outlet from the hours spent staring at spreadsheets. While that business ran its course and has since been closed, Zach still enjoys finding new ways to flex his creative muscles.

Please join us as we kick off a new series, Build Things Better. We’ll be chatting with makers from Omaha, Lincoln, and all-over the Midwest, learning the stories behind their products, and whether they are team cake or team pie