I’ve always been intrigued by craftsmanship. If humans give up on this very privileged skillset god has given
us, we might as well give up caring about  fashion, style and beauty.  Why bother…. 
You don’t have to be a craftsman yourself. But you do need to understand what it takes to perfect a skillset to a professional level to truly appreciate craftsmanship.  I love to create myself.  Since I have been creating for a long time, I happen know the difference between a “crafter” and a “craftsman”.  Craftsman has an uncompromised mindset, and a high self-esteem.  What I love about them the most is their ability to connect their brain, eyes, and hands to transform their ideas into a highest reality.
So why am I writing this?
Because I met this wonderful woman,
Meredith.
Meredith and I connected right away over the concept of “craftsmanship”.
We must embrace this gift!  So we agreed to run her Shoe Making
Classes from Studio Crossings.  To me, investing in a value that lasts is genuinely“sustainable”.  Ask yourself , “Do I want to own 10 pairs of broken flipflops or a few pairs that I adore and take care of and do not go out of style? 

Who: Shoemaker Meredith Goldstein-Garniss is your guide through your journey to making your own custom footwear.
An independent designer, artist and entrepreneur, Meredith makes high-end custom shoes and manages her own fabrication shop in Lincoln, MA where she produces her own designs as well as manufactures custom components for bespoke and limited edition designers.
Meredith has been featured in The Boston Globe and NPR among numerous other publications. 

Let Meredith tell you about the class in her words.

How: To build a shoe perfectly tailored to you, we'll need to begin with a model of your foot. We'll take a cast of your feet the first day, and turn it into a wooden model called a shoe "last". A custom shoe last will ensure that your shoes will be a perfect fit, even for problem feet. What's even better is that the shoe lasts are yours too keep so you can continue to make shoes well into the future. A pair of custom shoe lasts typically cost a minimum of $150, but members of this class will get the lasts at no extra charge.

Why:  To Discover the joy of designing and crafting your own shoe. imagine being able to make a shoe look exactly the way you want. From selecting the materials, to the height of the heel and the shape of the toe, your shoe will be your own design.
For students looking to get into the field of shoe design, this class will be an introduction to designing a pattern on a shoe "last". And forstudents looking to make special occasion shoes, this course will teach you how to source materials and create a one-of- a –kind formal classic pump that will look as good as a the professionals make. This is a hands-on and action packed class, so we'll begin by designing our shoes and developing our pattern on week one, and will be building our shoes starting week two. Because of the fast pace of the class, we will focus on pumps.  The skills you learn will enable you to to make sandals, strappy  and more.

So if you want to embrace this uncharted world of Shoe Making with us this fall, please contact:
Meredith at hello@6smith.com or Takako
 

Back in March 2011, I met someone I trust. His name I wouldn't
disclose here but someone I knew I can establish a sincere professional
relationship with. This person taught me not so much about running a business
but how I shall approach it. He told me the most important thing I shall
remember is that everyone I encounter is one way or another, my adversary. While
I don't know if I have digested the true meaning of this statement, I love
everyone at Studio Crossings and I can clearly envision that we can be a true
working community! Each member, including myself, is a precious part of this
community. We help, joke around, and promote each other. So where does adversary fit in?  More in the operational side of the business.  You must be tough to protect your clients!

Back in March 2011, I met someone I trust. His name I wouldn't
disclose here but someone I knew I can establish a sincere professional
relationship with. This person taught me not so much about running a business
but how I shall approach it. He told me the most important thing I shall
remember is that everyone I encounter is one way or another, my adversary. While
I don't know if I have digested the true meaning of this statement, I love
everyone at Studio Crossings and I can clearly envision that we can be a true
working community! Each member, including myself, is a precious part of this
community. We help, joke around, and promote each other. So where does adversary fit in?  More in the operational side of the business.  You must be tough to protect your clients!

The day is winding down, I mean Labor Day 2011. While it feels sad to say good bye to summer in New England, I am definitely looking forward to fall this year.  All my life, I thought September meant back to school for kids.  This year I am learning that it is "back to work" month for adults. 

I must admit, Studio Crossings had a rather quiet summer.  Everyone told us, " It's summer, what do you expect?"
The longest vacation I have ever taken in my life is two weeks, thus, this was hard to believe.  But perhaps people were right!
Last week, J stopped by and signed up the next day!  Then T came by and joined us!  And today, Labor Day, C called to sign the membership agreement!  Wow!  Studio Crossings is starting to look cheerful, again!  My dream is to create a community that is SO cool that people WANT to be there!  Everyone is extremely nice and friendly and dead serious about their work. 
Let Studio Crossings be your work base that you will be proud of, a place you want to show off your clients and friends! 
That is our dream and mission.

Hi everyone. This is Takako at Studio Crossings.  Today, I want to talk about my
dream. My dream is to fill Studio Crossings (S X) with array of  different
professionals, independent and corporate. Back in winter 2011, I looked around
and so many colleagues and ex-classmates were out of jobs.  It was scary and
depressing.  But it was typical me, while I felt sympathetic, I didn't know how
to react. So days went on talking about how nice it would be if there was a
space where peolple can walk in and start working right away.
Then the tsunami hit Japan, my home country.  While I volunteered here and there to support raise funds. To my surprise, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the energy and smiles of those who were living through the disaster -a "hell", beyond
imagination.  Their determination to bounce back, their determination to simply LIVE struck me. So who the heck am I to sit around worrying about people around me? I liquidate my savings and started searching for a good location to start a
shared work space.  The term Cowork was not even in my system, yet.  I just had the vision for a space where everybody came to work independently, together.
It was late March and I found a lovely space in
downtown Waltham, Massachusetts. 

Hi everyone. This is Takako at Studio Crossings.  Today, I want to talk about my
dream. My dream is to fill Studio Crossings (S X) with array of  different
professionals, independent and corporate. Back in winter 2011, I looked around
and so many colleagues and ex-classmates were out of jobs.  It was scary and
depressing.  But it was typical me, while I felt sympathetic, I didn't know how
to react. So days went on talking about how nice it would be if there was a
space where peolple can walk in and start working right away.
Then the tsunami hit Japan, my home country.  While I volunteered here and there to support raise funds. To my surprise, I found myself completely overwhelmed by the energy and smiles of those who were living through the disaster -a "hell", beyond
imagination.  Their determination to bounce back, their determination to simply LIVE struck me. So who the heck am I to sit around worrying about people around me? I liquidate my savings and started searching for a good location to start a
shared work space.  The term Cowork was not even in my system, yet.  I just had the vision for a space where everybody came to work independently, together.
It was late March and I found a lovely space in
downtown Waltham, Massachusetts.