This morning, May 6, is an exciting day for us, and we are proud to unveil a new website for Little Colorado.com. Please tell us if you like our fresh vibe. At the heart of the redesign is an emphasis on displaying our furniture “in use,” with lots of fantastic toddlers. Our ecommerce partners call this style of photography “lifestyle photos,” and we agree that seeing real toddlers interact with our furniture helps you (and us!) imagine how Little Colorado products fit into your world. We had lots of fun at the photo shoots, and we look forward to scheduling them regularly in the future. Toddler engagement brings our website to life, for sure, but even better—it inspires us with exciting ideas for new products.

Our other big news is that the relaunched website coincides with new ownership and an enhanced vision for Little Colorado. In January, Noelle Baker and Bill Hare purchased Little Colorado from Cheryl and Dick Shaw, in large part to be closer to our son Lawton, daughter-in-law Krissy, and most of all, grandson Alexander. We had been looking to exit the Midwest for years, and Little Colorado was the perfect vehicle for our ambitions. Owning a furniture manufacturing company marries Bill’s last thirty years of business experience with his undergraduate degree in industrial design. The icing on the cake was Lawton’s decision to go all in and become a partner in the business, this fall.

We do want to point out a couple of highlights on the website. Don’t miss “How We Build,” “Giving Back,” and “Our Mission and Vision” under “About.” These pages are designed to give you a real feel for who we are and what we want Little Colorado to be. That’s the cool thing about owning Little Colorado—the buck stops with us—we own it! With the launch of the new site we are inaugurating a new policy that we think will engage our customers and comes very much from the heart. We will donate 5% of the net revenue from all website sales to one of three non-profits, and you—any customer buying a piece of furniture—get to decide where the money will go. Each of the organizations reflects a combination of one of our individual interests and the mission and vision of the business. The American Forestry Foundation taps into the ethos of Colorado, Bill’s inspiration to design wood furniture, and the elegant sustainability of our raw material. Reach Out and Read echoes Noelle’s love of books, her career as an academic, and the importance of books to toddlers. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation reflects Lawton’s career as a Green Beret, and our shared belief that freedom is not free.

Appreciation for our customers and our exciting new venture in toddler furniture extends backward as well as forwards. We owe a huge shout out to Cheryl and Dick Shaw, who founded Little Colorado 28 years ago in their Golden, Colorado garage. Without their initiative and perseverance, we would not have the opportunity we see today. They created a great business and a loyal following of customers. We are enthusiastic and honored to build on their legacy—and through our website to give back to children, soldiers, and stewards of the earth. When Lawton joins us this fall, Little Colorado will be a family-owned business, manufacturing exclusively in the USA, for at least another generation. Dick and Cheryl stayed loyal to manufacturing in America, and today Little Colorado is one of only a handful of wood furniture manufacturers that are 100% based in the States. That deserves a toast.

Cheers!