Lots of aspiring entrepreneurs start lifestyle businesses with big dreams of selling their wares across the country. Woodward Throwbacks is starting to live that dream.
The small business that turns reclaimed wood into consumer goods can now be found in more than a dozen
Nordstrom stores across the U.S. The luxury retailer is helping the Corktown-based business launch its line of products nationally.
"They really like what we're doing," says Kyle Dubay, co-founder & CEO of
Woodward Throwbacks. "They like the authenticity of it. They think it's a great fit for their stores."
Dubay and his partner Bo Shepherd launched Woodward Throwbacks after they began making products from wood they found at illegal dumping sites across Detroit. The products ranged from bottle-opener signs to six-pack containers that resemble lunch boxes from the early 20th century. Prices for these products range from $20-48.
The four-person operation makes the items by hand at its Corktown studio. It raised $12,000 in a crowdfunding campaign last year to build out its new permanent home just west of Corktown. That project is still ongoing, but Dubay the business will move there within the year.
Nordstrom will sell Woodward Throwbacks products in 27 of its 118 full-line stores. They can be found in stores as close as the Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi and as far away as Anchorage, Alaska.
Source: Kyle Dubay, co-founder & CEO of Woodward Throwbacks
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.