Our first official year is in the books filled with business and personal achievements and misadventures. Of course, the most significant event was having a baby and somehow keeping our infant business going at the same time.

A look back:

I don't know if a sane person would start a business when we did. Kate was three months pregnant, our kindergartner learned remotely in our living room, and our three year old treated our house as her own personal art studio/jungle gym/social network. As Dickens noted, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," but life is full of excuses not to begin. 

We started small with only Facebook and Instagram accounts to promote our products and mission. Our network of friends and acquaintances built our confidence as nice reviews and comments began to trickle in. We then took our product to the streets of Bath for the first series of Friday Art Hops. A wonderful experience that we hope will repeat next year with even more artists, music, and visitors. During the fall and early winter, with a newborn at home, we took on our biggest challenge and attended the Maker's Market at Thompson's Point in Portland. This event made us optimistic that our products and business model resonated with customers. 

A look forward:

In 2022, we are planning for healthy incremental growth. We will be introducing a line of new designs, which Kate is very excited about. I look forward to more items migrating back into the Patches Project, and to try my hand at sewing. We are exploring running our first advertisements via social media and putting our name out there for editorial gift guides in local publications. Along with these, we will also be doing more in-person markets and explore placing our items in a few boutiques.

On a personal note, we are optimistic for a new year of joy and hope. We are grateful for our family, friends, and community, and welcome the challenges ahead. 

Finally, 2021 has reveled that there is no more time to wait for immediate climate action. On a near monthly basis we witness so-called "hundred-year weather events" while governments seem incapable of making the necessary changes needed to mitigate this global threat.

We started Peace House Studio because we want to do everything we can to take up this fight. As the farm to table movement has taught us a better way to eat, the circle economy is teaching us there is a better way to consume. When we buy locally made items we not only support our fellow citizens, but we actively decrease pollution and our carbon footprints. Unfortunately, individual actions are still not enough, but they are a start, and enough people partaking in change will build momentum that even plodding governments can no longer ignore. 

Together we can make 2022 the beginning.

Nick B.

P.S. And thank you everyone for making our first a year a success, I wouldn't be writing a year in review blog if it wasn't for you.