Pimp Z auto

My good friend Pete Zorich took care of the Jetta in grand style while I was laid up with the ankle business.  Not only did he clean the crap out of it, he surprized me with this super sticker replacing the dealer's logo.  

Much better.

A Simple Thing Done Well

I had chosen the line, "What's Inside?" as the catch phrase for the KBC.  People seemed to like it.  I had read that a big part of the lure people have to boxes is the mystery of, "what's inside".   

I have to admit though, that I am not totally sold with this phrase.  I just doesn't sum it ALL up.  

A few weeks ago, maybe months, I came across a description in a magazine of, "A simple thing done well".  It hit me hard, that that is exactly the summation of what motivates me in just about everything, not just the KBC.  

Simple is by no means meant to imply easy.  Quite the contrary.  Simple comes from the philosophy of imposing limits on what you do, and then doing it better than anything else.  Physical mastery comes from repetition.  "A simple thing done well" is the culmination of a singular focus done with physical mastery.   This is a strong principal to me.  

Here are a few examples of what I aspire to.  First up, Kramer Knives.

His work speaks for itself.  I'm in awe.  Not much else to say.  Check it out, www.kramerknives.com.

Next, Richard Sachs.  Richard is an icon in the bicycle frame building arena.
His work is highly sought after and has a five year waiting list.  This man has been a big influence on me and how craft as a business should be.

Lots to read about Mr. Sachs here: www.richardsachs.com.  

Enjoy.

-Steve

Today, part 2

Then there is the 2D art side of the KBC.  I will have my original oil paintings and limited edition prints linked to the main website.  The first painting completed under the KBC header is a 4' painting of my logo, the winged wheel.  

On the easel right now is the super cool and secret project of poster art specific to the Iceman Cometh Bicycle Challenge that takes place here in Michigan every November.  Stay tuned...

Two weeks ago I started a late morning commute to work on my new H-D Nightster.

To spare you all the details, this awesome beauty was totaled that day with only 800+ miles on it and I got a broken ankle out of it all.  I'm in great spirits and am very grateful that I only have an ankle on the mend.  I had to also put my newest pride and joy on hold, a Soulcraft Dirtbomb.
Sean www.soulcraftbikes.com has been great and patient.  I can't wait for this bike!  Not sure what I am going to do about another motorcycle yet.  I have plenty of time to think about it all.

So that brings us up to date.  The KBC is going to be slow for the next two months as my ankle heals.  But, man, the future is bright!

-Steve

Today

So, here we are today.  2330 is ready to be power-washed and painted.

My sweet babies are all growns up!

You've seen the Barrel Back, now the Executive and the Chairman are getting close to being complete.
The business plan for the KBC is to have a few classic standards and then to add the most comfortable and well-built chair you can imagine.  It's on the drawing board right now, just begging to be made.  I can feel the warm supple leather already...

The Barrel Back Box

I figured that if i was going to have a shot at making a viable  business out of the kbc, I'd need a few staple designs to use as a base for the business.  I wanted to hit on designs that would first and foremost be of the best aesthetic and construction quality designs that I could create.  Uncompromised inspiration.  The first piece was always going to be teh Barrel Back Box.

The initial inspiration came from a box that my brother gave me for Christmas in 1994.  Inside the box were two Swedish rifflers (a very big deal to me at the time).  Awesome gift.  I loved this box right away, for multiple reasons, and it was an obvious choice to grow the inspiration from it.  Here is the box that Tim gave me for Christmas:

It's big enough to hold a few pens and pencils, a watch, etc.  I used the proportions and curves, made it bigger, used a wood lining to secure the lid in place and added a larger radius to the top  I added in mitered dowels to anchor the corners and a few other tweaks and the Barrel Back was born.
Using Spanish Cedar as the lining gives this box a wonderful aroma when opened.  And, the construction method paired with the cedar allows this box to function as a 3-4 cigar humidor.  An attractive multi-tasker.

The Tap Root of the KBC

In 1994, I read a book by Rick Bass titled, "Platte River".  I was so consumed with this book that I immediately sought out anything else written by this guy and spent money I really didn't have to buy them all.  I devoured these books.  I read them multiple times, underlining sentences, writing down quotes, disecting it, savoring the words as well as trying to figure out the details of why it was so good.  I eventually broke the spine of, "Platte River" having read it so many times.  I was so taken that I decided to write him a letter.  I wanted to know what made him tick, and I thought maybe he'd be willing to read something I had written to give me a critique.  I didn't know his address, so I called the closest Post Office I could find to Yaak Valley Montana.  The lady that answered the phone said, "Oh, he comes in here a few times a week.  Just send us the letter and we'll give it to him."

So I did.

About four days later I received a hand written letter scribbled onto torn notebook paper.  He said he'd be happy to look at a story of mine, though he was very busy and it might take a while.  Then came the golden nugget:

"The only advice I have on writing is short and simple: write stories so good that nobody can't publish them.  That's the only way, the good editors will find them.  Make the stories better".

I was disappointed at first.  I was 23 years old and was expecting some juicy nugget that would ensure my success.  But no.  There is no juicy nugget.  I now know that.  

Today that is the premise for all things done KBC:  Make it better.  Do work so good that people must, "publish" it.

The flagship piece of the KBC is the Barrel Back Box.  It is inspired in design.  I will tell its story next.

-Steve

The Beginning

The day after Thanksgiving in 2005 the idea for the Kalamazoo Box Company came to me with such ease and clarity that I couldn't believe that I hadn't come up with it sooner.  

For years I'd been working on art and furniture, but it felt sort of aimless.  With the idea of the Kalamazoo Box Company (KBC), I now had a lightning rod for all the different pursuits that I'm crazy about.  Throughout the rest of 2005 and all of 2006, I thought non-stop about the KBC and how to make it work.  My "real job" was rather invasive that year and kept me from putting much rubber on the road.  At the beginning of 2007 I moved into a fantastic new workshop (rental), my job mellowed out and I had nothing but potential in front of me.  I also got these two:

Sam and Bear.  Plenty more of them to come.

Later into 2007, I resurrected an interest in buying my own shop.  An opportunity came about and pursued.  In September, I closed on this building:
Nice landscaping, eh?

But, the KBC got a home.  Still lots of activity, but not much progress on the business side of things.  

Now, in January 2008, I am fully moved into the KBC at 2330 S. Burdick.  The website is up, and I am more passionate than ever to really make this happen.   It's going to be a long slow road, but someone said that it's all about the journey...