There are lots of factors to consider when buying a new piece of furniture. Particleboard doesn’t last long, but it’s cheap. Designer is well made but can give you sticker shock. Start-ups are trying to fill the gap in between, giving customers options that fit their style without blowing the whole budget.
Arrister is one such company. Located in East Nashville, Tennessee, the company turned to Kickstarter today to help expand its custom furniture business, Parsonal. It began with founder Andy Chick’s frustrations over an inability to find the perfect end table, even after searching retailers, online, and custom-furniture stores.
In order to raise the $36,000 the company needs to move into a bigger space, Arrister is offering 500 units each of an end table, $200; a short bookshelf, $250; a sitting desk, $450; a tall bookshelf, $500; a standing desk, $550; and a dining table, $650. Everything is made from poplar and plywood. What makes this offering somewhat unique is that backers can use Arrister’s “configurator” to then customize their furniture in a number of ways, including height, width, and length. There are also a rainbow of finishes to choose from. It’s not quite like designing your own piece of furniture, as everything starts from a template, but the price includes both the customization and shipping.
In addition to the new space, Arrister hopes to improve its assembly process to make things easier on the user, as well as finalize its configurator technology. If everything falls into place, the team hopes to start shipping the customized orders in September.
