Meet Grace Rother of Bread & Butter Studio in Avondale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Rother.

Grace, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Bread & Butter Studio came into being 18 months ago. I had been selling knitwear and bits and pieces of art as a side hustle for years, so I named the new shop Bread & Butter in hopes that it would someday become my bread and butter. In January, I quit my day job and since then, I’ve had the opportunity to take on some larger commissions and experiment with new practices like weaving, wheel threw pottery (so hard!) and printing. Right now, the shop exists entirely online and at the occasional market or fair. I work out of my living room (and kitchen) and do everything myself.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running your own creative business is definitely bumpy. I think maybe it’s more like… off-roading. Off-roading in a Corolla. July was a particularly stressful month. I sold some larger work and spent a lot of time on a commission. In practice, it was my most productive and fulfilling month to date, but by the end of the month, none of the money had come in yet. I put the whole shop on sale, put out a call for help, and low and behold, friends and strangers popped up and bought enough of my work to pay rent two days later.

Since the shop exists purely online most of my traffic comes from Instagram, which is a mixed bag. The creative community on there is amazing. But being on the phone this frequently is not my favorite thing, so one of my upcoming goals is to find ways to branch out and not be so dependent on an app! I’m not yet sure what that will look like.

Bread & Butter Studio – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The shop is a mix of my smaller work (hand-knit hemp washcloths, zines, box tops, pot holders, etc.) and a few larger, more involved pieces (quilts, an apron re-sewn from an army jacket, etc.). Most of the work I do can be categorized as traditional women’s work. I make clothing, quilts, weavings and I draw and write mostly about women and food and clothing and memory. The majority of my cloth work is done with recycled fabric, which is a very old school practice that is regaining popularity. I cut up old clothes and repurpose them into quilts. I thrift vintage linen tablecloths and make them into the clothing of my own design. I have an indigo vat in my basement, so I do some of my own dyeings as well. I find practical things to be so beautiful and I strive to make pieces that will stand up to a good deal of use.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am so proud every time a stranger buys a piece from me. And I am so proud every time a friend buys a piece from me.

Contact Info:

• Website: breadandbutterstudio.com
• Email: grace.breadandbutter@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grace.rother/

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