What began as a simple trip to an Illinois music festival not only became a romance but also evolved into a thriving business partnership.
Hidden in one of the many pockets of the Short North is the Tigertree boutique, which is also the manufacturing site for Maxine, Dear – a line of wallets, change purses and belt buckles designed by Josh and Niki. Like many shops in the Short North, Tigertree has a broad showcase of fashionable merchandise ranging from eclectic home decor to casual and sophisticated clothing and accessories.
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Niki is from Ohio and is an Ohio State graduate. Her other half, Josh, is from Illinois, which is where the couple met. Soon after they met Josh decided to move to Los Angeles, where he played in a band. The two continued their relationship by visiting each other monthly.
In addition to their monthly visits they both made and sent gifts to each other. The first gift was a picture frame made from the canvas cover of an old book that Niki made for Josh. Little did she know, using old books to make keepsakes would become a thriving business.
The two had been in a four-year, long-distance relationship when Niki decided to move to Los Angeles after graduating in 2005.
Maxine, Dear, which is the couple’s line of accessories, was established three years ago when Josh needed a wallet and decided to make one from the cover of an old children’s book. When he showed it to Niki, they immediately started working on more.
By taking the covers from long-forgotten children’s books and sewing them on leather Josh and Niki create unique wallets, change purses and belt buckles that have a personality of their own.
“A Brother The Size Of Me,” “Air Force Academy: Handbook” and “Train Stations of The World,” are just a few of the book titles.
“We also use pretty standard children’s faire like Silverstein, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys,” Josh said.
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Niki said it takes about an hour to make a change purse or wallet. But the book hunting is far more time consuming because the books have to be made of very specific materials with specific imagery, Josh said.
“We recycle every part of the book we can, we even make greeting cards out of the pages,” he said.
Wallets are about $52; while change purses and belt buckles are about $30.
Maxine, Dear is sold nationwide in small boutiques such as Tigertree. Their products are also featured in big retailers such as Fred Segal in Los Angeles and Bergdorf Goodman in New York.
“We have to be one of, if not the, smallest line they sell,” Niki said.
Almost two years after Niki moved to Los Angeles, tired of living in Los Angeles because of its superficiality, high rent and terrible traffic.
For Josh and Niki, moving back to the Midwest was not a hard decision.
“We loved the people of the Midwest; we felt like we would have a voice here,” Josh said.
The couple opened Tigertree nine months ago. Their boutique showcases various lines such as Le Tigre, Apolis Activism, WeSC, Heavy Rotation and Free People. Tigertree also carries sundry handmade jewelry from Sacramento and Chicago designers. Japanese designer Shinzi Katoh brings cute accessories and colorful totes to the boutique.
“(It’s) just really cute, quirky Japanese stuff,” Josh said.
Although a music festival brought these two together, their love for each other and passion for fashion has allowed them to creatively transform textiles taken from vintage children’s books into one-of-a-kind wallets.
Danielle Meadows can be reached at [email protected].
