Peep the shop at: shop.peanutbutterdynamite.com
BC: Peanut Butter Dynamite is the perfect name for your brand, how did you come up with that?
PBD: The name came about when a friend and I were brainstorming over a possible company name one day. And I blurted out “It’s gotta be something ridiculous like peanut butter dynamite?” We started chuckling, but it really sank in.
BC: Can you explain the process of initial design to final piece?
PBD: My mom is amazing at crochet. If I can think it, she can do it. Basically we will come up with an idea, like say the owl. I will then draft several cartoon versions (that are crochet-able) in illustrator. We will go with the best looking one and then my mom gets to work on crafting the piece together. From there the trial and error begins. Whether it’s tweaking the face again, resizing the eyes or readjusting the placement of all the appliqués etc. Sometimes they come together right away while other designs can take a couple of weeks to get right.
BC: What benefit do customers get from buying directly from independent artists?
PBD: I think for most unique things, you’ll find that the majority which stick out, are done by independent artists. Whether they are mass-produced or not, it’s often obvious if they’ve been altered by men in suits in some boardroom or not. Another benefit is transparency. You can almost always contact the artist directly with questions and get insights that big companies are simply not able respond to or share. Personally, I also prefer supporting people who create things from a purely creative perspective. It just feels better, being a struggling artist and all.
BC: What new products do you have in the works?
PBD: We are working on several things right now but are most excited about our character pillows. They are really fun and have a modern flair while still being adorable. We honestly want to create a whole world of PBD things that are just real fun and easy going. These pillows are a step into in that direction. If anyone wants to know more, sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you updated.
BC: How has Big Cartel helped build and establish your brand?
PBD: Big cartel supplied the perfect platform for us at the time we were starting out. We were looking for a clean and easy to handle shopping cart and BC gave us that and more. As PayPal is established worldwide and has more or less become a global practice of paying or being paid online, it definitely feels like we’re doing the right thing here.
BC also allowed us to customize the shop for a seamless integration with the rest of our site. This was important to us as we didn’t want it to feel as if you’re browsing different sites when jumping between sections. It ended up working real smooth I think. All and all, I’d say BC has definitely helped us in establishing our brand with making it so easy to get up and running fast. We’ve been able to focus on getting our brand out there rather then dealing with some complex and obsolete e-commerce system.
