Artifact

WHY DO WE MAKE IN AMERICA?
It’s a question with more than one answer.

KNOWLEDGE ALSO LIVES IN THE HANDS.
Manufacturing isn’t simply following instructions. Skill, experience and judgment accumulate in the people doing the work—and that knowledge is worth keeping.

MAKING IS PART OF DESIGNING.
A drawing or prototype is only the beginning. Materials behave differently. Construction presents problems. The act of making teaches us things we couldn’t learn on a screen.

BETTER PRODUCTS START CLOSER TO THE WORK.
Our products are designed and made under the same roof. When something isn’t working, we see it. When we find a better way to make it, we can change it.

GOOD PRODUCTS EVOLVE.
We’ve made some ARTIFACT products for more than a decade, and we’re still refining them. Feedback, repairs, wear and thousands of hours of production all find their way back into the design.

WHO MAKES IT MATTERS.
ARTIFACT products are made by people we know, working alongside us here in Omaha. Their judgment and skill are part of what you’re buying.

MADE IN AMERICA ISN’T JUST US.
Finding products still made in America isn’t always easy—especially if you’re looking for smaller, independent manufacturers.

Crafted With Pride has done the homework. Their well-researched directory brings together American-made companies and the products they make. ARTIFACT has been included since the first edition, and we’re proud to be included again in the third.

If small-batch American manufacturing matters to you, this directory is a must-have. That’s why we carry it in the ARTIFACT shop.

I’ve been thinking a lot about why we make things.

Are there universal reasons?

In the ARTIFACT studio, I make things because I love transforming ideas and sketches into physical objects that solve problems—things that work better, organize better, or simply make everyday tasks a little easier.

I make meals for my family and friends because there are few things better to share than good food with people you love.

I’m seldom interested in shortcuts because they often rob you of the process.

Process is where I find meaning. Outcome is my report card.

Why do you make things?

We’ve been following knitwear designer Alicia Plummer for some time and have always loved the easy, timeless quality of her work — classic patterns with a distinctly casual East Coast sensibility.
So it was especially fun to see one of our ARTIFACT totes make its way into the photographs for her newly released Summer Stripes pattern.
Alicia designs from Maine, and her work feels perfectly at home there: relaxed, useful, nostalgic and meant to be lived in.
If Alicia isn’t already on your knitting radar, she should be. You can find Alicia Plummer and Summer Stripes on Ravelry.
Alicia Plummer

We’ve expanded personalization. Now 15 thread colors and block or script lettering (up to 10 characters) in addition to monograms. Small batch handmade in our Omaha, NE studio.

We just made our No.325 Workshop Aprons w/ cotton waist ties removable for easier cleaning and replacement if need be.

Our No.175 is back.
Built for bigger days — in the garden, on the go, or for a quick getaway.
Now available with an optional shoulder strap for added ease and style.
Handmade in our Omaha, NE studio.

For all his innovation and pioneering, surprisingly little has been written about Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma. Merchant of Sonoma glosses over parts of his personal life, but it nails the chronology of his rise as a tastemaker and entrepreneur — and sets him firmly in the cultural currents of his time.

Why Chuck Williams is the GOAT of Home Goods Retail

1. He invented a category.
2. He mastered curation over clutter.
3. He married authenticity with scale.
4. He turned the WS catalog into a cultural engine.
5. His long view ensured the brand’s longevity.

Fun Facts / Why He’s a Badass

1. Raised by another family during the Depression, he worked on their California date farm as a teen.
2. Served as a WWII airplane mechanic (Lockheed) in India and East Africa.
3. Contractor and carpenter — he personally designed and built his first three homes.
4. Bought a Sonoma hardware store in 1953 and converted it into a French cookware destination.
5. Opened the first “Williams-Sonoma” cookware-focused store in 1956.
6. No formal culinary training, yet wrote/edited over 100 cookbooks.
7. Lived to 100 (1915–2015).
8. Attended the reopening of the original Sonoma store at age 99.