One of the newest tenants in the Russell Industrial Center traveled a great distance to set up shop in Detroit.
Originally located on an island off the coast of Washington state,
Corbe Company is a ceramics design studio specializing in making housewares and custom products. Ryan and Kaitlyn Lawless (partners in business and life) started the studio three years ago, not long after graduating college. Kaitlyn has family in metro Detroit and the pull of the Motor City was too much to resist for them and their growing company.
"We outgrew our old space," Kaitlyn says. "A better opportunity presented itself here. The Russell Industrial Center has a lot of space so we seized it."
"Everything is happening in Detroit these days," Ryan says. "Artists and creatives are moving here, so we wanted to be a part of that."
Corbe Company now employs a staff of three people in the Russell Industrial Center. That team works on several projects, including its flagship line of products 50 United Plates. Each plate is made in the shape of one of the 50 states. Check out a video featuring the plates
here.
Corbe Company's products can currently be found online, at its studio, and in some local retailers like City Bird in Midtown. The Lawlesses plan to get their products into more retailers this year and expand its sales across the country.
Source: Ryan and Kaitlyn Lawless, co-founders of Corbe Co
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.
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