May 6, 2016
Stay Home Club
Maker Spotlight
Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting history behind it?
It came from one of my favorite song titles: “Stay Home” by American Football, but also happens to describe the original intention of starting the business – giving myself the ability to work from home! Over the years we’ve grown into a team with a bigger office space, but the original spirit of Stay Home Club remains the same.
When/Why did you start working in this particular craft/field?
After finishing a university degree in fibres, I was still attracted to the field of illustration. Combining the two into a surface design endeavor seemed natural.
What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
A swath of small t-shirt/accessory companies have entered the market since we began in 2012, many with a lookalike aesthetic and similar themes. When we started putting out t-shirts with slogans like “Stay Home Club,” “Awful,” and “Boring is Best,” they were coming from a genuine place – I’ve always felt this way about the world, and strongly identified as a disdainful person in my early 20s who didn’t want to go out and party. It’s been slightly frustrating, but also amusing watching this attitude become quite a trend. I suppose I can say that the genuine sentiment behind our designs is what sets them aside from many other brands.
Have you sacrificed anything to create your business? If so, what was it, and do you have any regrets?
I never really wanted a social life anyway…hah.
What has been your proudest/favorite moment since creating your business?
Definitely when the company incorporated and I was able to put 3 other people on payroll. The feeling of having this business support not only myself but others, too, is pretty amazing.
How does the city you live in influence your work?
Montreal has a large artistic community which I think is in part related to our rent being cheap compared to most big North American cities. It’s a place where if you work hard, you can be self-employed and really live well.
