Exploring Maker Monday: Rubia Rojo and Whitney
In 2015, Rubia Rojo was born. “A Funny story: we weren’t even trying to start a business. A few years ago, I was shopping for a baby gift for a friend who is a Kansas City native and having a "KC" themed baby shower. I was less than impressed with the options available and was venting to my brother about my lack of success in finding something acceptable. We had both spent some time back in our college days working at a local screen-printing shop and agreed that things would be so much easier if we could create and produce our own designs. A few drinks and Craigslist searches later, we purchased a 30-year-old, 4-color manual printing press which would find a new home in my basement.”
Around that time, Whitey was the art director for a corporate event planning agency. She designed and planned things from the Super Bowl to the Sundance Film Festival and The Masters. When COVID-19 brought the corporate event world to a grinding halt, it gave Whitney the nudge she needed to launch Northern Pine Design. A design firm to help small businesses create branding and marketing materials.
Rubia Rojo is mostly screen-printed goods, Tee shirts, sweatshirts, and tea towels. She also creates a few new products each season. “This year, we have added wrapping paper and are looking into producing some stickers that will be ready to launch when we put out our holiday items.”
“I like creating products with a funny or sarcastic twist to them. Things that make people smile or laugh when they see them.”
I asked Whitney what she liked most about owning her own small business and she said, “Having the freedom to create whatever makes me happy, as opposed to following the guidelines set by a client, which is what I do in my day job.”
Make sure you check out Whitney's booth on the first floor at Ugly Glass & Co.
You can also find her online at: https://rubiarojo.com/ or https://northernpinedesign.com/
Read our other Maker Monday Features at: https://www.uglyglass.com/blogs/news