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WHO
are we?
WHERE did we come from?
WHAT
do we think about. . . ?
WHERE
to next?
Mission
Statement
Philosophy
WHO
are we?
loose
ends is the creation of the husband and wife
team of Art and Sandi Reinke. Both have previously owned their
own small business, a construction company for Art and a retail
store for Sandi. The concept of the retail store out grew the
capacities of our small town and so, loose ends was born! When
asked "what do you guys do?" there is always this awkward
moment as we try to scramble for a definitive answer. We are a
difficult company to pigeonhole. We design, manufacture and source,
both domestically and internationally to create the loose ends
look.
WHERE did we come from?
We began in 1987 as a true cottage industry (nobody dared turn
on the oven since it housed all of our invoices). Since those
humble beginnings, loose ends has expanded into a company with
a 528 page, full color catalogue, stuffed full of products, ideas
and design tips. Our focus is on accessories for the home and
garden, with a very strong emphasis on the natural and organic.
We also feel strongly that being involved in the creative process
is really what it is all about, and in that spirit, we produce
many items that are unique to our company that can be used in
almost endless ways to create your own personal statements.
WHAT do we think about. . . ?
It seems to us that the sharp lines that have separated work,
leisure, recreation, hobby and vocation have blurred into a fuzzier
focus. There is an obvious movement to improve the "experienced
quality" of our lives - this is evident in the concern for
environmental issues, in the pursuit of personally relevant values,
and spirituality, and in the increased focus on our homes and
gardens as the place of choice for spending both extra time and
money. There is a new definition of everyday experience - with
the emphasis on EVERY DAY. No longer a term for the mundane, everyday
is EVERY DAY, in the sense that "today is the first day of
the rest of your life", and it should be filled with things
that give you pleasure. It is with this in mind, that we design,
source, and produce the stuff that we do!
WHERE to next?
We have SO MANY PLANS! We anticipate that this site will be a
continuously emerging and becoming thing - as we grow, so will
it, and as new inspirations hit us, up they will go! Right now
we have a number of things on the drawing board, so here is what
we currently have in mind for the immediate future:
1.
First of all, is the challenge of getting our entire catalogue
on-line ("challenge" may be an understatement).
2. Once the catalogue is up, we have all those OTHER ITEMS.
Since we are continuously designing and producing new things,
we plan to make our web site a place for early previewing of things
that are not yet in our catalogues. Look for "Coming Attractions"
in our "ON-LINE ONLY" area for those first looks.
3. In addition to the actual categories of products, many
of our things are designed to create a particular ambiance, a
mood, a romance of the spirit, and so we also are creating our
Themes and/or Collections pages. Depending on how our products
are used and what they are combined with, you can create almost
any look. Here we will offer a sampling of ideas to help "jumpstart"
your imagination.
4. Art and Sandi travel worldwide to design and produce
most of our products. They frequently find themselves in strange
and unusual places, and in the presence of interesting, but highly
limited items. Since it is not in their nature to pass such goodies
up, they usually find a way to bring these things home, but the
pieces are usually too limited in number to put in a catalogue,
so the web will be the obvious choice for these offerings. This
will be in our "ON-LINE ONLY" area with categories for
"Limited Editions", and/or "Vintage Finds"
if the treasures happen to be old (which is often the case).
5. We will be developing an area for our projects, including
many of the ones that you have seen us do on television or in
a magazine.
6. We will be posting a Media Calendar that will list all
of our personal appearances on the different television programs,
including their segment numbers and projects that were shown,
various television programs (when known) that feature projects
with our products, and the different magazines with what issue,
and the products and/or projects that are featured. In addition,
we will be posting upcoming appearances, features, etc. in advance.
As soon as we know, you will know!
7. In the works are plans for live video, demonstrating
some of the different techniques we use to create the highly unique
loose ends look.
8. And, of course, there will be a place for you, our friends,
customers, and frequently our contributors, to go to ask questions,
discuss ideas, exchange inspirations, etc.
9. And that's just the beginning. We have so many ideas
(as you can imagine) that it is often hard to stay focused, but
we are really excited about where we are, and, of course, where
we are going - so, WELCOME. We are delighted to have you along
for the journey!
"Life is always giving us gifts if we will take the time
to notice"
MISSION
STATEMENT
With
a primary focus on natural materials, organic fibers and unusual
products, our goal is to provide the materials and information
to enable people to create a living environment that expresses
their creativity and personal style.
PHILOSOPHY
Loose
ends is a product company, but we are also an attitude, a state
of mind and a lifestyle. We are committed to:
..Providing
education
..Extending exceptional customer service beyond the expected
..Bringing exciting and unusual products to the marketplace |
