As we continue to work on developing the CBI Maker Space, I discovered The Grommet www.thegrommet.com . It will be a great resource for some of our makers. From the website:
“A Grommet is an innovative, unique product that is created by a Maker with a story to tell. Often a Grommet is new to market or has not yet been broadly discovered. When we choose Grommets, they are ready to find a wider audience and our product launch platform gives them the amplification and attention they deserve.
The founders and creators of Grommets also tend to be building businesses that align with one or more of these values:
- Preserving a handcraft
- Solving a problem in a fresh way
- Creating jobs in a struggling or developing region
- Building a social enterprise
- Fostering green and eco-friendly practices
- Manufacturing in the USA
- Inventing a new technology
We also pay special attention to underrepresented entrepreneurs: People under age 25, people over age 65, and women of all ages.
Citizen Commerce
The Grommet is the birthplace of Citizen Commerce
We believe every purchase amplifies something in the world, good, bad or indifferent. At the Grommet we’re creating a place for people who want their purchases to have meaning – to support what matters most to them: whether it’s technical innovation, green or social enterprises, the creation of jobs, domestic manufacturing, or the preservation of craft.
And we’re rethinking the way people fundamentally launch, discover, share, influence and buy these kinds of products online. Given that our consumer purchases represent 65% of the US economy, that’s a pretty powerful place to start changing the world.
About The Grommet
Mission Statement: We launch undiscovered products and help them succeed; we call them Grommets. Grommets aren’t just things. Grommets are products with a purpose invented by people with stories. Buy differently.
The Grommet is a product launch platform. This means we find unique, undiscovered products and help them succeed. Our goal is to level the playing field so that best companies can win. In the summer of 2014 we launched a new Wholesale Platform at the White House Maker Faire to connect these independent Makers with Main Street Retailers, supporting both and ensuring their success.”
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I think we’ve found a new way to help blast some of our Makers into the market! Not every product is chosen to be a Grommet, but I look forward to working with our Makers to reach Grommet status!
Have a product idea you need to flush out or build a prototype of? That’s what we are here for. Call Bonnie at 931-456-4910 and schedule a time to come in and learn more about how the CBI Maker Space can help you!
Stay tuned to read about the CBI Makers right here. In the meantime, check out some amazing products developed by Makers at www.thegrommet.com
