Unfortunately, if you are reading this small modular furniture company’s semi-quarterly newsletter, you are probably also reading the news. It’s not fantastic lately, I have always believed naively that the world, as a whole, is working together towards a greater sense of “progress”. While I am aware that it famously zigs and zags, right now feels like a yoink and not a zag. Recently, I saw a meme about how the world doesn’t look like Richard Scarry’s Busy Town and people are mad about this failed promise from childhood. 

I disagree with this notion. I think the world does look like Busy Town. In January a pipe burst in the shop. It soaked the raw material pile and the woodworking main machine. It was a stressful experience but our community of small business owners, designers, artists, and tradespeople made the cleanup process as smooth as it could be. It’s a crazy feeling to have new problems spring up every week and somehow have someone to call who can share in the experience of going through that same miserable process. 

We designed and made a shelf for Neon Newt in Becket, not a far stretch to say that it’s one of the best restaurants in the Berkshires. Making something for a hedge fund manager is one thing, but making furniture for one of your favorite restaurants is another. Lucca House is the byproduct of working in an environment where we made lamps that cost $40,000. I have always wanted to produce things for my peers and collaborators and I feel very lucky that we get to do that every day. Our shelves aren't “cheap” but I myself can afford one. The goal was always to make something local that can be purchased by the average consumer*, like a small modular furniture company owner. My overall point: it’s pretty cool that this fever dream of an idea made it out of the garage and our community has embraced it.

Closing ramblings, while the world is looking a little scary lately, take a note out of Richard Scarry’s book. Look around at your community and try to shop small. There are always tradespeople around you willing to help. And take that one step further, there are local businesses all over the place. We made a push to drop UL*NE and Ama**n and much to our surprise we found vendors that are cheaper and better, (a little less user-friendly and don't have one-day shipping but we’ll live). We’re happy to slow down work locally and relish in the little Busy Town we have here in the Bezerkshires. 

With Love from Pittsfield. 

-Lucca

*YES I AM AWARE THIS IS VAGUE! Median income is such a wide term, but for all intensive purposes, let's stick to census numbers 75-80k a year (56,600 to $169,800 according to some other internet-s)