A friendship formed in the Central West End has developed into a brand-new business venture—"Indie Mats," frameless mats made right here in St. Louis, see wall above. The creators, Anne Sommers, left, and Emma Hand, right, are launching their product tonight at Pi's downtown location (610 Washington) from 5 to 8.
The friendship began in 2008 when Anne's future husband, Chris Sommers (co-owner of Pi), lived on the same block as Emma and Carter Hand. Anne wore several hats in her days working at Pi, most recently a baker's toque. She learned her craft under the tutelage of local pastry chef, Matthew Rice.
Both women said they can remember the day they started to think about doing something together–August 9, 2011–and from then on they met twice weekly to bring Emma's concept of frameless mats to fruition.
It was Emma's love of working with photographs that led to the development of an earlier product, Snap Stories, clever do-it-yourself photo story books with titles such as "One Big Adventure" and "My Baby Face" (see earlier post here). With Emma's technical background and contacts from this first venture, and Anne's design sense and super-organization, the pair said they were on the same page 90% of the time. They came up with a color-coordinated set of mats they named Indie Mats, described by Anne as "independent free-spirited mats."
Anne and Emma would occasionally walk together in Forest Park when they felt overwhelmed by the process. It was during those walks that they came up with their best ideas, including naming the collection after Forest Park landmarks, i.e. Cabanne House, The Pavillion, and The Jewel Box.
When the design was finished, they first explored having the mats produced in China using Emma's contacts there. After months of delays and costs that were
prohibitive, they tweaked the design and searched for local
sources for production. The result is that four local companies are involved in the production of Indie Mats, including the packaging.
Each standard package of Indie Mats contains three color-coordinated frameless mats in sizes 16 x 20, 12 x 16, and 11 x 14, $39. There are also 9 sets of mini-mats (7" x 7"), $29. Each package of mini-mats contains 4 mats of the same pattern.
The tag line on the back of the box, "Indie Mats are made sustainably in small batches in St. Louis," is wonderful to see, isn't it?
Indie Mats are simple to use. Insert a photograph on the back and stick it to the wall using wall-safe mounting squares that are included in the package. There are also tabs on each frame should you wish to add a ribbon at the top. It's super easy to change the photograph and location of the mat, without worrying about patching holes in the wall.
The final photo, displayed in one of Indie Mats stylish frames, shows Anne and Chris Sommers at their wedding reception last October.
Meet Emma and Anne and get a closer look at Indie Mats tonight at the launch party at Pi, 610 Washington Avenue from 5 to 8. Or visit the imaginative website to order this product developed by young entrepreneurs right here in the CWE neighborhood.
P.S. – On a side note, Emma is a graduate of the neighborhood's Rosati-Kain, see Friday's post.
These are beautiful designs! I love the colors and patterns of mats.
I just ordered 3 sets of Indie Mats – can’t wait to get them. I’m going to try them out at home, then hope to order more for xmas & bday gifts. If i still had little kids i would use these to frame their ‘creations’.
brilliant concept and beautiful design. hope it does really well!