Because if not, you really should.
I have been KILLING it lately. Or at least I think that might be a result of having had aboutttt 5 hours of sleep in the past 48.
Delirium=Cracking Ones Own Self Up.
And if you don’t follow me on Instagram you have missed the play by play of our trip to the factory to watch our fabric get printed. I cannot even properly describe the past 48 hours. So I am going to let the pictures do the talking. But I will say this to set up the situation:
We were told to arrive at the factory at 8am Monday morning and expect to spend approximately 24 hours a day in our “client suite” that would have a bathroom, TV, couch, desk, and wireless internet. None of those things turned out to be exactly true. We did have to spend 24 hours a day in the factory, but only for 36 hours, not 4 days. THANK GOODNESS. Because omg was it trippy. Like Willy Wonka meets Norma Rae? I don’t know. Isabel thought of it more like The Shining and kept explaining to me all the ways we could be murdered, like any second.
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. And if you already follow me on Instagram, I apologize. This is kind of like when your teacher gave a pop quiz because only two people in the class did the reading, and you were one of them. Just consider it an easy A! AND I promise there are some doozies to come that you haven’t seen yet!
And if you don’t follow me on Instagram, grow up and do it. @BaileyQuin Word.
Monday 9:00 am “Our home for the next 4 days…”
Another view of the room. The much-hyped TV.
Sneaking about the factory.
Monday 11:30 pm “Supply run to make it through the all mightier.”
Monday 11:31 pm “All nighter*. Point proven.”
Tuesday Morning 2:30 am “Guess which one of these items remains unopened?”
3:00 am arts & crafts time.
Getting snuggly to watch a little Katy Perry: Part of Me for inspiration.
Tuesday 8:40 am “Made it through the night…a little worse for the wear.”
Tuesday 1:20 pm “I want that cake cake cake cake cake cake”
Tuesday 1:45 pm “Things got weird for one of us last night during arts and crafts hour. I’m not going to say who.”
Tuesday 6:15 pm “From where we were to here, talk about a Cinderella story. Thanks for the rec @JamieMeares.”
The End.
Except not really.
So this is what it was like. We got there and met the guys who would be running our prints. They brought us the first strike off for approval, and it was like CHRISTMAS!!! Finally seeing the real thing, feeling it, rubbing it on our faces after working so hard to get there. I signed my approval and they spent the next two hours printing it. Then they brought us a strike off of the second print. We needed to adjust some of the colors so we selected a few pantones, described the changes, they went back into the factory did some magic, brought it back out 30 minutes later, we signed off and they spent the next two hours printing it before bringing us the third pattern. And so on and so forth 13 times. Straight through the night. Through a shift change. Through the point where Isabel or I were really of sound mind but it was so exhilarating because we were really doing it. Not just talking about it. Not talking ourselves out of doing it. It was happening and it is happening and I am SO. Effing.Tired.Right.Now. And happy.
So when they told us we would be done Tuesday morning instead of Thursday night as predicted and prepared for, we changed our flights to today and decided to drive from the middle of absolutely nowhere to Raleigh for a fluffy night to celebrate…I guess not celebrate our success yet. Counting chickens and all that. But our hope for it. And all of the work that got us here.
And also, how lucky we are that we got to go to the factory and really experience this. The guys were SO nice and SO passionate and SO enthusiastic about what we are creating and their work in the process. And the reason we got to be there is because we are doing this all in the good ol’ USofA. Which I think Isabel and Christina and I all vaguely understood was good and important. But now we really know why.
Being in this beautiful ghost town was really eye opening. 
The factory we are printing at was established in 1942, grew to occupy over 1 million square feet and at one point employed 1,500 people. They now have less than 400 people working there and much of the facility’s capability is unused. And I know there are a lot of reasons for that. BUT I will also say beyond our initial reasons for wanting to keep production local, we were blown away by the passion and gratitude exhibited by everyone we met.
And whether or not that means anything to any of you, you will be able to see and pre-order our goods November 2012.
It’s alllll happening!
You got me with that last paragraph– I recognize where ya’ll were. My business is buying up, lacquering, and re-selling all the stuff made in this area in the 50′s and 60′s. On one run to a totally ramshackle house in the sticks to pick up a fantastic faux bamboo set, I got a tour of their house, and there were some TRULY outstanding pieces of furniture there. Because I’m me, I (tactfully) asked about them– turns out the entire family, three generations, all adult members– is employed by Baker, and they had been slowly buying up the “seconds.” To put in a mobile home. They were so vocally grateful for the fact that Baker has not cut US production in the way other companies have. Their pride in the quality work they do was so evident– it made me teary. I work with a lot of older guys who were employed in the furniture industry and now… aren’t. Folks without much education but with a very strong work ethic are left without many options–it’s sad and demoralizing and just all-around kind of suck-o. Good for you for giving them your business… can’t wait to see the goods!!
Congrats!! What a MASSIVE achievement! So cool that you gals are keeping it in the good ole U S of A!
SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED for you!!!
Well, for all of us, actually, cuz Biscuit is gonna be huge.
Very, very cool stuff, and props to you on the local sourcing.
ag
PS – Nice artwork
Congrats to all of you and kudos on keeping it in the US. I’m am positive your prints will be a hit, and will take off quickly, so remeber those folks in the factory when your demand rises and help them out with their excess capacity. Really proud. Great post.
Your photos always make me laugh, I love following along with your unopened Tracy juice!
So excited about Biscut!!
I’m so glad you came to the Carolina’s to produce, especially in this world where going to China is much less $$. I’m dying to know where you are!
Congrats! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger right? Can’t wait to see the final results!
I am SO excited to see your goodies, and seeing the hard work behind it is so endearing. Wishing you ladies all the success!
Love that you are printing in America…moving into a fancy new Apt in October and might have to hold off on linens until these are ready
This is so exciting and such a big deal – congratulations on all your efforts!! We’re looking for new bedding right now but I’m waiting to place orders until Biscuit!!
Love that you’re using the local labor in my neck of the woods! Thanks for the support! Can’t wait to see the finished product.
it makes me tired just reading this post! WAY TO GO, GALS!
I think its amazing that you are printing in the US. (For you (hands on) and for the workers (prideful, quality work getting done) and for all of us(amazing product made here, supporting small business!)….) Yay you! Everybody wins. I really and truly believe that it is small creative businesses that are going to turn things around here…and you are a part of it.
This is so exciting! My mom is an interior designer here in Houston so pretty interiors have always been a part of my life and I love reading your blog
I grew up in Houston but went to LSU and just moved back. My roommate is an interior design major (works at Kuhl Linscomb now) so she loves it as much as I do and will be just as excited as me for the store to open! We are still trying to finish up decorating our apartment in the museum district and would love to get some “delicious homegoods” from yo store to help the completion. Best of luck to y’all and we will definitely be supporting the line yahoo!
Thanks for keeping things in perspective. Sometimes we lose sight of what is important. I am a native of NC and appreciate your kind words of our people. We may have remote cities and people, but you can find that in any state. Cannot wait for your product. Love everything you do, and you make me laugh! That is what I really like!
This is awesome. I work in print production in LA for a CPG company, and I’ve spent many long days and nights on press in janky client rooms. Welcome to my world (except I’m not printing my own products so what you’re doing is on a whole different level)! And kudos to you for keeping your production here in the States. Print is an amazing, supremely difficult industry… the people in our country who do it REALLY love what they do, and they appreciate every single job that they get.
Go ladies! I try to support local businesses and smaller family businesses when I can. I’ll definitely be waiting for your line to arrive so I can support you, and the families who helped create the linens.
Sounds wonderful. Hope you got some photos of the terrific people who are producing the linens for you. We’d love to be introduced to some of them on your blog. It’s always nice to meet the makers behind the vision.
So awesome that you decided to keep in in the good ole US of A! Walking the talk or whatever that cliche is.
Holy exciting!!! First, I’ve been following on Instagram so thank you for the recent entertainment. Second, hooray for having your goods made in the USA! I really enjoyed hearing more on that. It seems like a lot of folks don’t understand how much outsourcing affects people’s lives ya know. Anyway, super excited for Biscuit!!
So, so, so exciting! I cannot wait for Nov and the pre-order. Your story is so inspiring Bailey! Now when are you going to dive into children’s bedding?!? Congrats girl! xo
I loved this post! I’m a native North Carolinian and work in an economic development capacity for the state, so it really means a lot to me that you used a business located here (I also recognized your fancy location in your last picture- I live in Raleigh)! I love your blog and design ideas and will hopefully be ordering your products this fall!
Bailey (longtime lurker here), so excited you are following your dreams and doing so in a way that keeps production local. That is AWESOME. I was already going to check out Biscuit because of your sweet design taste; now I will earmark and recommend you guys because I know you’re doing what you can to keep jobs in the States. And I can’t wait to see the goodies!
So exciting to see all of this take shape. I know the designs will be as authentic and beautiful as the girls who created them. Waiting until Nov. to buy bedding for my daughter’s “middle school bedroom” re-do
first up, congrats. must be feeling pretty real right about now. second, and more importantly, thank you for sourcing in the US. As a lean manufacturing guru, and later as a consultant to small and mid-sized manufacturing companies, I have spent many sleepless nights in countless factories advocating for those folks who actually do the work (and do it passionately) and helping the owners keep their factories and towns in business. You gals are doing a great thing, however big or small.
Congrats to you! Sourcing out your product in America. It does not go unnoticed by me or hopefully my purchasing contemporaries. I think it’s so important.
Great post! Congrats on the progress! THANK YOU for staying in the US! Your move is very powerful! And it will inspire others to do the same. Best of luck with the launch of your store! I so enjoy your posts and humor and good vibe all the way from CT. Best!
The end of this post really moved me. Thank you for including those pictures and the commentary! Like you said, I’ve always known that buying stuff made in America is important, but this post helped me *understand* it in a much more meaningful way. Thank you.
P.S. This is random, but I noticed on Apartment Therapy the other day that they were reaching out to vendors for their annual Holiday Giveaway, which usually features pretty cool products. I thought it could be good exposure for Biscuit, if you’re interested: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/announcing-the-holiday-giveaway-2012-176995
The end of this post really moved me. Thank you for including those pictures and the commentary! Like you said, I’ve always known that buying stuff made in America is important, but this post helped me *understand* it in a much more meaningful way. Thank you.
P.S. This is random, but I noticed on Apartment Therapy the other day that they were reaching out to vendors for their annual Holiday Giveaway, which usually features pretty cool products. I thought it could be good exposure for Biscuit, if you’re interested.
i cannot wait to see this stuff! ah, so exciting. and GO AMERICA.
sweatshirt-weather.blogspot.com
So excited to see all that you’ve been creating! And so, so happy you are making it in the USA!! I don’t think many people take the time to understand how important this is and really appreciate you for bringing it to our attention in such a beautiful way.
I love it and I am SO proud of you for wanting to keep it local. It makes me want to buy your product and support you that much more!
Laura
http://www.HappyroostBlog.com
Hey Bailey!
Love the Instagram photos and showcasing the whole process.
Just started a website with a few friends called PosterFuse that creates a large poster of your Instagram photos (you can pick and chose which photos go into the collage). We have a Facebook feature as well that makes cover photo collages using your Instagram photos that would be great for your company’s page. Would love for you to check it out, use it and get your feedback.
Thanks and best of luck!
If this were on Instagram I’d “like” it.