Cincinnati-based design company Such + Such has been selected as one of 20 finalists for popular home furnishing retailer West Elm’s national “We Love Local Small Businesses Grant” contest. The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 and mentorship from West Elm while three runners-up will have their products featured in West Elm stores during the upcoming holiday season.
“The fact that we were chosen to move forward in this competition has blown us away,” said Alex Aeschbury, co-founder of Such + Such, in a press release. “We couldn't have gotten here without the support of Cincinnati, and it’s fitting that Cincinnati will help take our brand to the next level.” Such + Such’s founders Aeschbury and Zach Darmanian-Harris, former students at University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, have provided design and fabrication services for a variety of clients nationwide, as well as some of Cincinnati’s local favorites Neon’s Unplugged, Sloane Boutique and the Cincinnati Art Museum.
Coinciding with the contest, Such + Such in August launched a product line featuring hand-crafted furniture and home decor pieces including coffee tables, stools and wall clocks. All of the pieces from this inaugural line are sustainably made from naturally felled ash wood locally sourced from the Ohio Valley.
Such + Such joins 19 other small companies from around the U.S. whose creations include pottery, hand-dyed textiles, organic soap and skincare and handmade novelty goods. These finalists will be judged based on online votes, originality, design, story, commitment to local production and depth of product assortment. Public voting is open through Oct 14, and can be done here. The winners will be announced Nov 19.
There will be a voting party hosted by PB&J, a local PR and design firm that merged with Such + Such in 2013. The party will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. tonight at the PB&J offices at 1417 Main St. 1A in Over-the-Rhine. Rhinegeist Brewery will be providing refreshments.
