Hand-painted, vibrant hues; carefully etched inspirational phrases and imagery; and whimsical, wood-burned designs have become synonymous with Sticks, which for nearly 20
years has been producing handmade, heirloom folk art and furniture in Iowa.

Much has changed in that time. The Des Moines-based company, founded by Sarah Grant in 1992, has expanded its line from ornaments and candlesticks to dining sets, beds, and armoires. The company also has a strong custom-order business.

While Sticks has stayed true to its distinctive look, inspirations from the dozens of artists who handcraft the pieces in Des Moines, as well as customers, have influenced the line over the years, says Rachel Eubank, vice president of sales and marketing at Sticks.

“Coming into our twentieth year, it is always important for us to reinvent what we do,” Eubank says. “If you look at a Sticks piece today compared to one from two or three years ago, you can tell that it’s Sticks, but it is different.”

The business has also grown its retail presence in the Des Moines area, opening galleries in the East Village and West Glen Town Center, which together carry the largest collection of Sticks in the country. These stores, which act as test markets, also carry home, gift, and accessory items from hundreds of different lines.

“We try to pick artists and pieces that have a great story to go along with them,” Eubank says. Helping to share those great stories through art is one thing that has remained a constant at Sticks, she says. “The heirloom concept—the concept of telling someone’s story—is really at the root of what we do.”

How has Sticks’ product line evolved since the company’s inception?
Twenty years ago we weren’t doing a lot of furniture. Now dining tables are our most popular furniture piece. The move into furniture has also translated into so many other things. For example, a huge element of our business now is installation, including everything from kitchen cabinets or an island in a home to the interior of a hospital or corporate building.

What are the newest additions to Sticks’ line?
We came out with our fall/holiday collection in August. We emphasized more on design versus imagery and tried to interject more contemporary angles. There’s also use of fine woods—maple, cherry, and walnut—that have a very contemporary design edge to them. We’re playing around with clean-lined structures, where the construction of the piece is more modern compared to what you primarily see in our core line. We took that line to market in New York and it was received very, very well.

What types of holiday-themed items does Sticks offer?
The reindeer came out about a year ago. They were so wildly popular that we had to put in overtime to keep them going out the door. The first piece that Sticks ever made was the nativity set, so it is natural that we continue to create holiday pieces.

Sticks pieces have a very distinct look. How does someone choose a piece that fits his or her decor?
One of the best places to start is to visit our galleries and work with our retail staff to go through our extensive photo archive. We have 150-plus galleries around the country that carry our line, and each shop has its own niche. The collections that we make for each gallery are so different. So if you saw Sticks in Florida and then Sticks in Jackson Hole, you would know that you’re looking at Sticks, but they would look dramatically different. A big part of our designers’ jobs is doing research and taking looks and elements from those different places and making product that feels inherently local and authentic.

What is the process behind a custom order?
Customers can come to our galleries and work with our staff to make a custom piece. All of our retail staff are deeply trained in how Sticks pieces are made and created. They become the liaison between the studio artist and customer. The process begins by sitting down and talking about ideas and listening to what the customer is looking for. Our retail staff writes down all that information. A customer’s file at the very end may include pictures of pieces they’ve seen on the floor at the store that they like; pictures of spaces in their home, family, or travels; and lists of words or phrases important to them. When that file is complete and it comes to our studio, the structure is built and our designers, headed up by Sarah Grant, will read through the whole file to create something that’s completely organic and tailored to that customer.