Thursday, October 9, 2008

G Design





I happened upon Dan Giampetroni from Wisconsin of G Design while I was doing a seller name search on Etsy. Ok, I admit it- I was looking for shop names that were similar to mine- mine is DGDesigns and his is DGDesign. Needless to say it was a very happy accident because I discovered his concrete coasters and trivets and I fell in love with the modern and simple design- so my thing! He also sells black and white photography with coffee cups in them- very different!


What is your real life like?
Married with two kids, a yellow lab and an old house. If I won the lottery, I’d restore old homes and antiques. And buy a really old Ferrari.

What is your process?
I’ll mix a small batch of topping cement (small aggregate, higher portland cement content) and add pigment (charcoal) along with acrylic fortifier. With trowels, I’ll hand fill and finish the concrete in forms (PVC pipe sections or wood) and then seal them with an acrylic sealer when they have fully cured.

Business Goals and Vision...
I was downsized from my employer of five years at the beginning of summer. After the initial shock and feverish pitch of networking and job searching, I realized that I now had the time to do things I’ve always wanted to do. The concrete is a creative expression that I wanted to get out there, but I’d like to expand the offering and develop larger pieces like furniture.

How do you market your business?
Etsy is the only place for the concrete items.
Some coffee shops around the country have my pictures and cards.

Do you subscribe to any business related blogs, zines or magazines?
Entrepreneur
Fast Company
This Old House

What inspires you?
Great architecture. Coffee. Antique shops. Black & White. Wood. Italy. Fresh baked bread

Who is your favorite musical artist?
B-52s or U2 or the Beetles
What are two of your favorite things from your shop?
Concrete coasters
Pisa photo


Am a fan of these places...
The Ladders – I lost my job a few months ago so I’ve been using that sight pretty heavy http://marketing.theladders.com/
http://everydaysuperwoman.blogspot.com/
The Weather Channel –
www.weather.com
This Old House –
www.thisoldhouse.com
Love It List -
http://loveitlist.blogspot.com/

Find seller at...
www.dgdesign.etsy.com

15 comments:

moxylyn said...

Very nice shop! I love the Italian door knocker. Wonder if I should search names like mine?

Lisa Abdul-Quddus said...

Thanks for introducing this seller. I love b&w photography and the cement coasters are so nice. I also like the simplicity of them.

Plaidfuzz said...

I will definitely be checking the shop out! Very cool concept.

April Bourgois said...

Well, I never... What a neat idea!

April said...

great feature...his shop is awesome

Jonie said...

Awesome feature you did!! Love the coffee cup photography.

lifeworksbylaura said...

Great feature and looking forward to more.

amy@articulations said...

What a cool interview! He has a great shop.

Lisa at lil fish studios said...

Oh my goodness, those coasters are brilliant! Great find.

Unknown said...

the concrete coasters is the kewlest idea I've seen in a long time!! thank you for sharing this wonderful shop =o)

kimforbeads said...

Unique shop, it is so nice that you feature other artist. Fun medium Concrete- very original.

My Inspired Reality said...

Very nice shop and love the concrete coasters. Good interview too:)

Bagladee said...

Great blog :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing - I *love*the concrete work! Scared to consider what shipping to Canada would be though! *lol*

GreenSpaceGoods said...

Love the coasters :)

 

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