Midwest Maker: Adam and Kori Fuerst of Retrospekt

September 10, 2019 Annie D'Souza

If you had told Retrospekt’s Kori and Adam Fuerst a few years ago that they would be running a Milwaukee-based company refurbishing thousands of vintage Polaroid® cameras every year for Polaroid®, they would’ve thought you were out of your mind.

Midwest Maker: Cortney Heimerl, Quilter and Community Builder

August 4, 2016 Tori Szekeres

Milwaukee quilter Cortney Heimerl knows her quilts won't last forever. She's okay with that.

"If you don't use a quilt, you can preserve it and the quilt will last more than a lifetime. But if you begin to use it, that small pressure of fabric between fingertips and fabric laying across laps will slowly wear it out. If you really use a quilt and you sleep with it or use it to mop your tears up during a sad movie or drape it on someone you love when they are sick, it turns into something else. It develops this patina of use, which I think is beautiful," she says.

Midwest Maker: Kathryn Sieve of Winsome Goods

June 24, 2016 Gia Bellamy

On a bright Sunday afternoon, we had the chance to sit down with Katie from Winsome Goods, peruse her clothing design studio and sip on rosé — the only acceptable drink for a Sunday afternoon interview.

Midwest Maker: Menswear Designer Cory Allen Linsmeyer

April 30, 2016 Brontë Mansfield

Over the cacophony of clinking cups in a small Chicago coffeeshop, Cory Allen Linsmeyer greeted me with his usual affable charm and a warm hug. It was an especially bitter winter morning but he was well-prepared for the cold, with a sweater and jeans of his own making — and the blood of born-and- raised Midwestern.

True Blue: Annabella Sardelis of Indigo & Snow

November 30, 2015 Gina Czupka

Annabella Sardelis has painted her toenails blue. She’s in a blue dress — crisp cotton, embellished with white embroidery, clearly mint-condition vintage. And we’re here in her sun-drenched home studio, ultimately, to talk blues. Not Leadbelly-Robert Johnson-Bessie Smith blues — a more universal blue: indigo.

Midwest Maker: Little Korboose

July 30, 2015 Guest User

I hope you have room for another crush in your life.

Meet April Nemeth of Little Korboose. She’s one of those lucky souls who turned her passion into a career and authentically wears her purpose like it’s a (100% organic cotton American-made) t-shirt. Oh, and she was doing the whole modern minimalist thing before it became your favorite Tumblr aesthetic.

Midwest Maker: Smooth Hills Weaving

July 14, 2015 Annie D'Souza

Over the years, Mandi Smethells of Smooth Hills Weaving has bounced around the Midwest, from her hometown of Winona, MN to the Mitten State and finally settling in St. Paul — which is where she stumbled upon her craft.

Road Trip: Franconia Sculpture Park

July 8, 2015 Annie D'Souza

Franconia, MN. Population: 1,805 human beings and 104+ sculptures.

Midwest Maker: Douglas & Co. Detroit

April 8, 2015 Annie D'Souza

The story of Douglas & Co. Detroit is a classic one. Boy meets girl. Boy marries girl. Boy and girl make beautiful bags together.

In Good Spirits with Du Nord

April 2, 2015 Gia Bellamy

We’ll gladly thank Prohibition for two things: modern day speakeasies, and the end of saloon bro culture — which means us ladies can now sip Old Fashioneds wherever we damn well please. Thank you, bold women of the 1920s.