product development

We’re passionate about creative product design, so before bringing each new item into our assortment we make it a point to ask: “What makes this an uncommon good?”

Truly Uncommon Designs

The first part of that answer is easy. Every creation we carry incorporates an element of creativity. Truly uncommon goods meet this goal in more ways than one. We’re on the lookout for designs that serve a purpose, solve a problem, stun us with their beauty, or make us wonder why no one thought of it before.

We’re also proud to offer products that are handmade with impeccable craftsmanship and that are made from interesting, unusual, reclaimed, or recycled materials. While we welcome fresh designs with great materials stories, we don’t carry products made with fur, feathers, pearls, or leather.

People Behind Our Products

Our buyers don’t just evaluate new goods based on materials and function. They also take a deeper look at where each design comes from. We’re interested in how it’s made, who’s making it, and the process that leads to the finished product.

We proudly carry hundreds of handmade pieces, but some of our products are manufactured. Our team looks at new goods from many angles, and sometimes we decide to carry something because it’s truly unique, even if it isn’t physically assembled by individual artists. Many of our pieces start out as ideas in the minds of great designers and go through production before landing with us. Others are carefully crafted by hand—whether it’s by a collective of artisans in the US or abroad, a designer working with a team of assistants, or by a single artist painstakingly creating each piece.

Some of the people behind our products are right here, on our Product Development team. Our team is always working to develop innovative designs and to form partnerships with the producers, artists, and designers that help us make new exclusive goods.

Getting the Goods

As we work to grow our assortment of products designed in-house, we’re also making sure to balance our own designs with products from around the world.
When our buying team isn’t traveling the United States visiting trade shows, they’re scouring the web looking for new stuff. They’re searching blogs, crowdbacking sites, artists’ portfolios, and other nooks and crannies of the internet to find our next best sellers.
Many original pieces get discovered by our buyers, who look for everything from jewelry and accessories, to children’s clothing and toys, to art and home décor—to everything else uncommon! But in some cases, outstanding products actually come to us. Artists are welcome to submit their work for consideration through our online form at any time.

Growing Assortment, Growing Community

With every new creation we encounter, we continue to evaluate our products to make sure they meet our uncommon criteria. Whether the latest uncommon good is developed by our team with the help of one of the many artists we work with, discovered by the keen eye of a member of our buying team, or submitted through our online form, we know that selling the finished product is only one step in continuing to build a fantastic assortment.

We’re dedicated to carrying the most unique products out there, but we’re only as successful as our artists and designers. We know that we can’t bring the best designs to our customers without a strong network of people to create them—so we’ll never stop supporting the people behind our products, even as our assortment continues to grow.