From side hustle to small business employing 10 people. From a 400 square foot garage to a 10,000 square foot industrial barn with a workshop, showroom, retail and office space. From Re:work Furnishings to Edgework Creative. The furniture fabrication company has seen tremendous growth over the last three years and now has a new name to go with it.
Founded by partners in business and in life, Alex and Lindsay Remley, “We’ve evolved so much from where we started,” Alex says.
Mulling the idea over for some time, it was Lindsay that first suggested a new name to reflect the evolution of hobby to business. Alex was hesitant. They had built their Re:work brand into a recognizable Columbus name with a long list of customers and a loyal social media following.
However, the word Re:work was eliciting a multitude of phone calls from people who wanted furniture refinished, refurbished, modified, “All the stuff that we don’t do and never have,” Alex says.
It was the tipping point that made them decide to explore a new look.
“It’s interesting,” Linsday says. “When we decided we wanted to rebrand, we didn’t have a name in mind yet.”
They had a feeling. Finding the business a new name started with a list of words that they felt represented who they are and what they like to build.
“We just kept coming back to the word edge,” Lindsay says.
The Remleys found a lot of symbolism in the word, representing the growth of their business, pushing it to the edge, and quite literally the edges of their pieces. Work calls on their previous moniker, combining to form a name in Edgework that’s both similar and familiar. The creative came from wanting people to know they craft original designs and custom pieces, with creativity being a major element to the operation.
Valuing working with other creatives, Edgework Creative called on the insights of Adam and Allie Lehman of branding firm the Wonder Jam. Lindsay says they played a big part in making them feel comfortable with the re-brand, asking the right questions like why they wanted to do it, what feeling they wanted to evoke, and what they liked and didn’t like.
“They were just really good and walking us through the process and they just nailed it,” Lindsay says.
It’s new name, same game says Lindsay. Edgework Creative will still be focused on turning out the stylistic pieces of furniture that brought them success, but also bringing more awareness to their growing list of capabilities. Right now, that’s metalworking. It’s something they have always done, but have recently invested in some additional equipment to up their game.
Edgework Creative will also continue servicing both residential and commercial clients. Alex says it comes in waves, but throughout the business’ evolution, Edgework Creative has gone from primarily residential to a nearly 50-50 split with commercial. They’ve worked with a multitude of local restaurants and retailers like Sweet Carrot, BrewDog and Watershed Distillery, as well as architecture firms like GRA+D.
Alex and Lindsay’s team has grown along with the business, now hitting double digits with 10 employees. They’re excited to be able to offer someone the opportunity to not only work, but be creative, and value that input on projects. They’ve also recently hit another milestone that’s been a goal since the beginning – offering their employees health insurance.
As for what’s next for Edgework Creative, they have a solid list of projects to start out 2018, but based on the whirlwind of the last three years, “It makes you wonder what three years from now will look like,” Alex says.
For more information, visit edgeworkcreative.co.
