Katie is an artist, graphic designer, and on-the-spot inventor who loves to blend her rustic country upbringing with her eye for clean and elegant lines. Nick is a business-minded, former event planner with an eye for detail and a dedication to customer service.
We love collaborating with them and were so honored when they agreed to let us ask them some questions to get to know them a little better. Go ahead, meet the maker!
Meet The Maker
Why did you turn to your handmade craft and business?
We launched June & December with the belief that life is for living and for sharing! Leaving our traditional careers behind, we decided to make our own path and share our love of adventure, design, and quality products with customers all around the world.
What inspires your craft?
We draw inspiration from many sources with a few of our favorites being: adventures, nature, nostalgia, her children, a pattern or color, and life’s special moments.
What are a few benefits and challenges of being a handmade maker?
The benefit is clearly the flexibility in being (mostly) your own boss and (mostly) making your own schedule. We say “mostly” as of course our customers remain our true boss, and we are constantly striving to not only meet, but exceed their expectations!
Another benefit is the flexibility we have in being nimble and bringing new products and designs to the marketplace. We can respond immediately to customer demand and expand our design collections, with the mindset that we’re not working “for” our customers but “with” our customers.
Our biggest challenge is finding the right balance between inventory and demand. Cash flow is one of the most important aspects of any small business, so we’re striving to find the right balance of maintaining adequate turnaround times while not breaking the bank with a surplus of inventory.
Do you have a favorite memory surrounding your craft, company, and customers?
It’s hard for us to say we have a favorite memory, but what really keeps us going is the meaning behind the name and brand. We chose June & December for all it symbolizes – two months that could not be more opposite, but are a part of a greater whole. They’re the months our two children were born and the months in which Michigan is like two homes: frigid and quiet in the wintertime, golden and ebullient in the summer. Life is about finding balance between contrasts and celebrating the happy accidents in between. We think memorable design is a bit like that, too.
