Today we’d like to introduce you to Carmen Olsen.
Hi Carmen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My daughters love to bake and help in the kitchen. When I tried to find fun, sustainably made kids’ aprons, I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I decided to start my own business making children’s and adult aprons, cooking companions and accessories all of post consumer, up cycled or repurposed materials. That’s when Park + Coop was born, named for my kids (PA and RK are my two eldest daughters’ initials and Coop is the nickname of my youngest child).
Our kids aprons are durable, practical, and fun and the kiddos look so cute in them! They love that they can use them safely and independently. We expanded to adult aprons and now are working on more products such as dinner napkins and tea towels. We are super excited about our mission of using rescued textile waste in all of our products and continuing to find innovative ways to extend our product line within that mission.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s not easy operating an environmentally and socially conscious business. Repurposing materials rather than using new materials takes a lot more labor, which means it costs us a lot more. Supporting our local economy by hiring domestic workers rather than just manufacturing overseas is also more costly. That means we have to charge a much higher price and find customers that care about our mission enough to pay a premium.
People have told me it’ll be hard to scale, hard to find sales, and hard to make a profit. That’s all true. But we have to stay true to what we believe in. Businesses that care have an opportunity to make an impact, and we care.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
It’s kind of funny that I started a business sewing products from used textiles given I’m not particularly creative and I couldn’t even sew a button on a shirt. I’ve worked a “day job” in the Information Technology sector for over 20 years.
But once I decided I was making aprons I dove in, started asking questions, began learning and surrounded myself with good, knowledgeable people that can fill in my deficits. Now I can machine embroider, appliqué, and somewhat intelligently order sewing supplies. I still keep my hands off the sewing machine and leave that to my talented team (gotta know when to stay in your own lane).
With 11 million tons of textiles going into landfills each year and 84% of donated clothing ending up in a landfill, Park + Coop is looking for ways to reuse textiles to make fun and functional products. Denim is our main staple since it is durable, abundant, and looks really cool even with wear and tear. We have new apron designs coming out shortly and are exploring a lot of new product ideas to expand our reach and increase our impact. When customers buy from us they’re making a difference in the fight against textile waste and supporting local businesses and local workers.
What do you think about happiness?
Working a full-time job, running a business, teaching a graduate school class, coaching volleyball, and being a wife and mom doesn’t leave lots of spare time.
So I’m ecstatic when I have downtime with my whole family (game night is my favorite) or can curl up with a good book. Some of my best memories are from traveling. Honestly, things get so chaotic with all we’re trying to do that I often forget to enjoy the journey. But I’m working on it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.parkandcoop.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/park_coop
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkAndCoop/
- Other: https://pin.it/2cE8Gf1
Image Credits
Amy Gregg Photography and Alex Clark Photo
