Partnering with the Nelson Atkins Museum
Last week, I was able to take a giant leap for the toy division and we honestly could not be more excited! After a few email exchanges, I met with the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City to discuss having our product in their museum store. The three products we thought would go with the museum’s product line were Block City, the newest size in the dollhouse collection, and last but not least, the bookshelf.
Block City is a set of interlocking blocks with the book “Cities by the Sea.” Throughout the book, it shows significant monuments around the world and then how you can replicate those monuments with the interlocking blocks.
In the past few months, I have started to develop a new size for my dollhouse collection and I think I have perfected it. I call it the “Tiny Dollhouse.” It can still fit a range of sizes of dolls but is extremely light in weight. The dollhouse collection comes in finished and unfinished birch. The unfinished version allows for customers to paint directly onto the dollhouse to allow a personal touch but the finished version gives a final overall look for the product. In the past few years, half of my customers have wanted finished and the other half as wanted unfinished so I just went for it and decided to do both.
Then for our bookshelf, one of the main things the museum store loved about this product was that you can choose the overall look of the product by how you place the curved edges. I love doing every other (like the picture to the left) but no matter what, you can choose for yourself.
The meeting went absolutely amazing and I could not be more excited about the partnership with such a well known and respected art museum. We now are discussing an event that will be coming up this fall at the museum where I will be able to display my products and explain the process of making the toys.
This toy business takes a lot out of me but it is my passion and I love every single second. Thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far and thank you to the museum store and the Nelson Atkins for your partnership.
Signing out, I am Chris Heston and this is Chris’s Corner
Welcome to Chris's Corner
Hi there! My name is Chris and I have been a cabinetmaker in Mid-Missouri for over twenty years.
In the pre-planning for this blog I knew I had to start with the perfect name. You ready?
Well, welcome to Chris’s Corner.
My days consist of building, measuring, and perfecting each and every wooden piece I make for my clients. For each of my products, I place four main priorities above all else:
Quality
The products I am building are for everyday living and for that reason I want to provide my customers with the utmost quality from the wood I choose to my process for building products.
Value
Going hand-in-hand with quality, a product with high value is exactly what my customers deserve. These are the kitchen cabinets that will be opened and closed a thousand time during Thanksgiving dinner. These are the dollhouses girls and boys will play with for hours on end. Because of this, value is a top priority.
Individuality
If you have a look in mind, I will work with you from start to finish to make that look a reality. This is for your home and your life and I want to help you get that product from your mind to a reality.
Craftsmanship
For me craftsmanship entails measuring three times and smoothing for that extra five minutes.
This extra effort is what sets me apart. I believe in quality craftsmanship so my clients
have a valued product.
And that’s me. I would love to meet with you if you have an idea for
an upcoming project or just want to learn more about our businesses.
-Chris
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