Thomas, Web Applications
Welcome to Shop Talk, our regular series highlighting some of the fantastic Brooklyn-made products (and their makers) available in the BHS Gift Shop, open daily from 12pm to 5pm!
When it comes to handmade crafts, Brooklyn takes the gold medal. You can find almost anything made by hand, from soaps, to earrings, to cutting boards. Today, we get to know David Shulman and Terence Arjo, Brooklyn makers who specialize in DIY water tower models, magnets, coasters, t-shirts, and key chains. Much of their success is attributed to their ability to provide a product that is historic and beautiful, but their water towers offer something more: they are interactive, making the customer feel like creators themselves.
We caught up with the masterminds behind Boundless Brooklyn to find out who they are as a team and what the future holds for BB…
Who initiated the collaboration and how did you meet?
We met in graduate school at NYU. We were both students in the Interactive Telecommunications program, which mixes design, technology and art.
Before graduate school, David had a line of Brooklyn-centric t-shirts, which featured the original Dutch names of different parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan (ex: Breuckelen—Brooklyn; Konijn Eiland—Coney Island, etc.)... which also happen to be for sale at BHS! He was doing well with them, but with grad school it was too much to do both. But he always kept an eye out for opportunities to represent Brooklyn in unique ways. One day David realized that there was something so ubiquitous around us but we never saw it represented in ways other than atop buildings: water towers! They were the perfect distillation of Brooklyn spirit.
We met up for lunch on Smith Street (Zaytoons…yum!) and decided to give the water tower model a go. As a product designer specializing in tangible objects, I (Terence) was excited—the iconography is so strong and appealing that it felt as though most of the work had already been done. We just needed to find a way to scale the tower into something that would work in the home. Terence has always loved model kits—architectural models, scientific, what have you—so this was an opportunity to design something for an audience that includes people like me.
How long have you been creating together?
About six months! We launched our first product, the Mini Water Tower Kit, in December 2013.
What is the most challenging aspect of sharing a collaborative business?
The biggest challenge for us is finding the time to do the fun stuff, things like developing new designs or visiting our retail partners. A lot of our energy goes into production and fulfillment. As a small company, we do everything, so when you buy one of our products, we’re the ones who package it up, and in some cases, deliver it to your store.
What do you each bring to your business?
David has a great feel for developing products and knowing what people want. He has a background in advertising, which has no doubt helped him fine-tune his consumer radar. He has also launched several businesses, so he brings that know-how with him.
Terence has a background in industrial design, so he has a lot of experience in designing 3D objects and getting them into production. He’s also a bit of a creative polyglot: he likes to design everything from packaging to branding to trade show booths to websites. He even art directed—and starred in!—our How-To video.
Walk us through a typical Boundless Brooklyn day.
We typically start with a quick meeting to go over things, set a plan, and see if there are any fires that need to be put out. We also go over any emails that came in overnight. David usually handles the orders, so he might fill a few and ship them out. He also tries to reach out to at least one of our retail partners to check on how things are going and to see if they need anything from us. I’m busy with the new designs we are cooking up, and I handle any updates to the site or to our marketing materials. I also respond to press inquiries, so I do interviews like this one! It’s a little different each day, and we have to wear many hats.
What is your current inspiration?
Terence is always keeping an eye on the “maker” community, whether on Etsy or Make. Although it’s only tangentially related to what we are doing, it’s inspiring to see what creative people are doing in that DIY space. David has been looking at a lot of tagging and street art. He’s not actually doing any, but he’s really digging that scene, and the water towers are generating a lot of buzz in that community. We’re working on putting together a show of street artists who have tagged Boundless Brooklyn water towers, so keep an eye out for that later this summer.
How has the city shaped what you make, and how you make it?
We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing without New York City! We are steeped in its history, but also living in its latest dynamic incarnation. We are also fortunate to be part of a great art and design community here in Brooklyn.
Where do you live in the city and what do you love about your neighborhood?
We’re based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It’s perfect: hip, funky and diverse. Fort Greene is also home to BAM, the Brooklyn Flea and the Pratt Institute, so it’s a creative hotbed that keeps us inspired daily.
For more Boundless Brooklyn products, visit our Gift Shop! Open daily from 12pm to 5pm. You can also learn more on their website, www.boundlessbrooklyn.com.
When it comes to handmade crafts, Brooklyn takes the gold medal. You can find almost anything made by hand, from soaps, to earrings, to cutting boards. Today, we get to know David Shulman and Terence Arjo, Brooklyn makers who specialize in DIY water tower models, magnets, coasters, t-shirts, and key chains. Much of their success is attributed to their ability to provide a product that is historic and beautiful, but their water towers offer something more: they are interactive, making the customer feel like creators themselves.
We caught up with the masterminds behind Boundless Brooklyn to find out who they are as a team and what the future holds for BB…
Who initiated the collaboration and how did you meet?
We met in graduate school at NYU. We were both students in the Interactive Telecommunications program, which mixes design, technology and art.
Before graduate school, David had a line of Brooklyn-centric t-shirts, which featured the original Dutch names of different parts of Brooklyn and Manhattan (ex: Breuckelen—Brooklyn; Konijn Eiland—Coney Island, etc.)... which also happen to be for sale at BHS! He was doing well with them, but with grad school it was too much to do both. But he always kept an eye out for opportunities to represent Brooklyn in unique ways. One day David realized that there was something so ubiquitous around us but we never saw it represented in ways other than atop buildings: water towers! They were the perfect distillation of Brooklyn spirit.
We met up for lunch on Smith Street (Zaytoons…yum!) and decided to give the water tower model a go. As a product designer specializing in tangible objects, I (Terence) was excited—the iconography is so strong and appealing that it felt as though most of the work had already been done. We just needed to find a way to scale the tower into something that would work in the home. Terence has always loved model kits—architectural models, scientific, what have you—so this was an opportunity to design something for an audience that includes people like me.
How long have you been creating together?
About six months! We launched our first product, the Mini Water Tower Kit, in December 2013.
What is the most challenging aspect of sharing a collaborative business?
The biggest challenge for us is finding the time to do the fun stuff, things like developing new designs or visiting our retail partners. A lot of our energy goes into production and fulfillment. As a small company, we do everything, so when you buy one of our products, we’re the ones who package it up, and in some cases, deliver it to your store.
What do you each bring to your business?
David has a great feel for developing products and knowing what people want. He has a background in advertising, which has no doubt helped him fine-tune his consumer radar. He has also launched several businesses, so he brings that know-how with him.
Terence has a background in industrial design, so he has a lot of experience in designing 3D objects and getting them into production. He’s also a bit of a creative polyglot: he likes to design everything from packaging to branding to trade show booths to websites. He even art directed—and starred in!—our How-To video.
Walk us through a typical Boundless Brooklyn day.
We typically start with a quick meeting to go over things, set a plan, and see if there are any fires that need to be put out. We also go over any emails that came in overnight. David usually handles the orders, so he might fill a few and ship them out. He also tries to reach out to at least one of our retail partners to check on how things are going and to see if they need anything from us. I’m busy with the new designs we are cooking up, and I handle any updates to the site or to our marketing materials. I also respond to press inquiries, so I do interviews like this one! It’s a little different each day, and we have to wear many hats.
What is your current inspiration?
Terence is always keeping an eye on the “maker” community, whether on Etsy or Make. Although it’s only tangentially related to what we are doing, it’s inspiring to see what creative people are doing in that DIY space. David has been looking at a lot of tagging and street art. He’s not actually doing any, but he’s really digging that scene, and the water towers are generating a lot of buzz in that community. We’re working on putting together a show of street artists who have tagged Boundless Brooklyn water towers, so keep an eye out for that later this summer.
How has the city shaped what you make, and how you make it?
We wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing without New York City! We are steeped in its history, but also living in its latest dynamic incarnation. We are also fortunate to be part of a great art and design community here in Brooklyn.
Where do you live in the city and what do you love about your neighborhood?
We’re based in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It’s perfect: hip, funky and diverse. Fort Greene is also home to BAM, the Brooklyn Flea and the Pratt Institute, so it’s a creative hotbed that keeps us inspired daily.
For more Boundless Brooklyn products, visit our Gift Shop! Open daily from 12pm to 5pm. You can also learn more on their website, www.boundlessbrooklyn.com.
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
Post a Comment
While BPL encourages an open forum, posts and comments are moderated by library staff. BPL reserves the right, within its sole discretion, not to post and to remove submissions or comments that are unlawful or violate this policy. While comments will not be edited by BPL personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates our comment policy.
eNews Signup
Get the latest updates from BPL and be the first to know about new programs, author talks, exciting events and opportunities to support your local library.