Their Story
We know that there's a story behind every product. It's that of an emerging designer just introducing her work to the world; artisans working collaboratively in a low income country; or a seasoned artist crafting each of his pieces by hand. With your help, we're building a community of passionate people who love our products and connect with the stories behind them. We're growing not only our artist family, but also a strong following of customers who celebrate artists and delight in surrounding themselves with creative design.
Inspiration
In 1999, our founder Dave Bolotsky visited a Smithsonian Museum craft show in Washington D.C. and was captivated by the variety of unique handmade goods and the talented people behind them. He saw there was a significant public demand for beautiful design. At the same time, he realized that the artists working to make those pieces were often traveling great distances in order to sell their wares at the show. Inspired by his experience, Dave had a vision to create something that had never existed before—an online marketplace to connect makers and their creations with individuals looking for truly special goods, regardless of the physical distance between the maker and the shopper. Dave turned this idea into UncommonGoods. He continued traveling to craft fairs and trade shows, meeting artists and finding stand-out merchandise, while running the business out of his home on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Before long, the company had outgrown Dave's apartment, and moved through three successively larger offices in downtown Manhattan, eventually settling in our current location in Brooklyn, NY.
MY Review Items:
Thank you Uncommon Goods for sending me some product so I could conduct my review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. I was not paid for this review but was able to keep all products.
The first thing was shopping on https://www.uncommongoods.com It was easy to navigate and there were man items that made you thing, "oooo I have never seen that before." There are many great gift ideas to be found on this site for sure!
I was interested in so many items that it became difficult to choose what items to review. You can find some of the most unique items on this site!
So I selected some tea and coffee, mason jar flower kits, and a tea traveler mug.
First, the teas. The Cocktail Sampler set was very bold in it's flavors. They were enjoyable and steeping didn't take long at all. The Tea Pigs tea was not really my "cup of tea" the flavors were unique but not to my liking... my palate was just not used to the flavor combinations.
After sampling the tea it was coffee time. I used the Grogg for a cold brew. It was some of the strongest cold brew I have ever made. I could taste the flavor notes very well as a cold brew. Some will love it and some will hate it. I enjoyed it! I do have to admit that the coffee was more for my husband! I mean we all need to find gifts for men some place!
The traveler tea infuser had me super excited. I make tea for work very often and now it just got easier by using this infuser mug. The tea goes right in the mug and you just tip it over to infuse and then later you can dump it out. It is a very simple way to use it. I love it! However, I do have one complaint on it. There is a big sticker advertisement label on the front. It's paper so it looks like it should come right off but mine didn't come off very easily. I had to scrub it and it still is sticky. I scrubbed so hard that it left scratch marks. :( So the product itself is great they just need new labels that come off easier. 
The last item I received was the pansy and zinnia flower kits. I love the mason jar look and these looked beautiful in the pictures on their website.
The directions were very simple to follow and my flowers are just starting to sprout. I have the jars right in my kitchen window. I am unsure how big these flowers are going to get but I'm anxiously waiting!
Overall, this is a great site to shop from. I will be the first to admit that some prices seem a bit high. I also know that my shipping was not as fast as I expected it to be but not everyone can offer Prime like Amazon. This company also supports many charities so that always helps me feel good about spending money!
EXTRA INFO:
Highlights: B Corp: B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. We are proud to be a founding B Corp since the B seal means that we meet a rigorous standard on a wide range of issues, including wage levels, environmental impact, and giving back to our community. BizRate: UncommonGoods has been awarded for outstanding customer service every year since 2007. In 2015, we achieved the BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence award, out highest achievement level yet. Uncommon Collection: Introduced in 2015, the Uncommon Collection is an exclusive assortment of products that meet our highest standards for uncommon design, sustainability, and doing good. Studio Tours: An exclusive look inside the workspaces and minds of our uncommon jewelry artists and designers. Find the faces and inspiration behind some of our customer’s favorite gems. You can even take a step inside our own creative studio! Uncommon Knowledge: Is your DNA unique? Where does the growler get its strange name? Did Washington chop down a cherry tree? Find the answers plus dozens of other surprising stories and curious facts on our blog! Better to Give: As an independently-owned business, we have the freedom to support causes we believe in and to impact the world in a positive way. With every purchase you make, we’re proud to donate $1 to the non-profit of your choice. Since we started the Better to Give program 12 years ago, we’ve donated over $1Million to charities around the world! Our Non-profits: RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. American Forests protects and restores forests worldwide, helping to preserve the health of our planet for the benefit of its inhabitants. International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to refugees and families devastated by conflict and disaster. Reach Out & Read’s thousands of doctors and nurses promote early literacy, language skills, and school readiness to young children and their families in all 50 states.
Highlights: B Corp: B Corporations use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. We are proud to be a founding B Corp since the B seal means that we meet a rigorous standard on a wide range of issues, including wage levels, environmental impact, and giving back to our community. BizRate: UncommonGoods has been awarded for outstanding customer service every year since 2007. In 2015, we achieved the BizRate Platinum Circle of Excellence award, out highest achievement level yet. Uncommon Collection: Introduced in 2015, the Uncommon Collection is an exclusive assortment of products that meet our highest standards for uncommon design, sustainability, and doing good. Studio Tours: An exclusive look inside the workspaces and minds of our uncommon jewelry artists and designers. Find the faces and inspiration behind some of our customer’s favorite gems. You can even take a step inside our own creative studio! Uncommon Knowledge: Is your DNA unique? Where does the growler get its strange name? Did Washington chop down a cherry tree? Find the answers plus dozens of other surprising stories and curious facts on our blog! Better to Give: As an independently-owned business, we have the freedom to support causes we believe in and to impact the world in a positive way. With every purchase you make, we’re proud to donate $1 to the non-profit of your choice. Since we started the Better to Give program 12 years ago, we’ve donated over $1Million to charities around the world! Our Non-profits: RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that rapists are brought to justice. American Forests protects and restores forests worldwide, helping to preserve the health of our planet for the benefit of its inhabitants. International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to refugees and families devastated by conflict and disaster. Reach Out & Read’s thousands of doctors and nurses promote early literacy, language skills, and school readiness to young children and their families in all 50 states.
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