Some of us grew up here and some of us migrated here-- but we all agree that we love Portland, OR. This week we wanted to share a couple of the things that we cherish the most about our fair city. An informal survey of my esteemed co-workers led to these top three reasons why they like living here.

1. The Close Proximity to Nature



If you enjoy spending time in the natural world, all you have to ask is what you’d like to do and go do it. Portland is situated on the convergence of two rivers.  Living here we are a hop, skip and a jump away from the Pacific Ocean, the Oregon high desert, the Cascade mountain range, and old growth forests like Opal Creek.  Wahoo!

2. Abundant Brunch Places



Here in Portland people love a brunch-- so much so that they willingly line up for hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings to wait for some of the tastiest food around. Portland boasts an incredible culture of food carts, restaurants, coffee houses, donut shops, and cafes-- where you can get anything from greasy hangover-curing ensembles to light and tasty whole food cuisine. Our favorite hot spot include the likes of The Tin Shed Garden Cafe, Voodoo Donuts, and Jam! Mmmm...

3. Best Biking!



One of the things that people seem to know about Portland is that we enjoy a vibrant bicycle culture. Everyday, many of us get exercise, get to know our neighborhoods better, and enjoy the fresh outdoor air by riding our bikes. Portland’s version of the World Naked Bike Ride attracts 10,000+ people to the event each year. That’s a lot of nude cyclists! Another favorite summer ride is the Bridge Pedal, a 40 mile ride that loops around the city allowing thousands of people to ride over all ten of our beautiful bridges.

Written by Mike Schultz. He is an oil painter from Ithaca, New York.  When he is not working for Grove, he’s painting and drawing to his heart’s content.  You can see his work on his blog and his website.

We’re so excited to work with the talented Nikki McClure on a new Artist Series Bamboo iPad Case featuring her breathtaking piece “Mendocino”! Nikki’s heartfelt design “Mother” is already featured in our Bamboo iPhone Case Artist Series.

An artist of the Pacific Northwest, Nikki McClure lives and makes art in Olympia, Washington. Nikki creates intricate and beautiful paper cuts using an X-acto knife and single sheets of paper.  Common themes of her images include nature, activism, community, motherhood, and a plethora of virtues - hard work, patience, and appreciation for family and simple pleasures. Her work often depicts celebratory scenes of everyday life: a toolbox, a flock of birds, someone gardening, a woman laying in the grass, a family going for a swim.



Nikki is a veteran of the Riot Grrrl rock movement and has been involved with Olympia record labels K and Kill Rock Stars. She continues to produce her paper cut images on posters, cards, albums, t-shirts, and a yearly calendar. She has also worked on many award-winning books for adults and children through Abrams and Sasquatch, among other publishers. Cutting Her Own Path, a look at the past 16 years of Nikki McClure’s work, opens at the Bellevue Art Museum in Nov. 2012. See more about her at NikkiMcClure.com and purchase her work through Buy Olympia.

“Mendocino" will be available for $20 off this week only!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

When you order custom made artwork to be engraved onto a leather iPhone Case, we turn to one man... the infamous Mike D. aka The Phantom. Some say he looks like Ross from Friends.  Mostly, he dialogs with our customers about what they would like their iPhone case to look like, prepares and readies the artwork for the process, and then uses our fancy lasers to engrave the cases.



Mike was born and raised in Portland, OR.  He attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.

He grew up working in his family’s restaurant, The High Hat-- which proved to be good preparation for long periods of traveling and working around the world. Trotting the globe, he’s been to Australia and Costa Rica, and lived in South London with four Australians-- working concessions and bartending for random events which enabled him to spend time in Rome, Venice, Greece and Ireland. Living the good life!



After he returned from traveling, Mike realized his true calling in the arts and went back to school at the University of Oregon in the Applied Arts and Architecture program for his BFA in Product Design. He then interned for Grove co-founder Joe’s first business Engrave, and the rest is history.



When he’s not lurking in the shadows on Wendy’s computer or chilling out with his special lady friend watching a good movie, you can probably find Mike rocking his indoor soccer league - having fun and keeping in good shape.  Yeah!

goGrove!

Written by Mike Schultz. He is an oil painter from Ithaca, New York.  When he is not working for Grove, he’s painting and drawing to his heart’s content.  You can see his work on his blog and his website.

While some sources are weighing in on the specifications of the rumored iPad mini, others are rolling their eyes and declaring that the miniature tablet is make-believe. Cult of Mac acknowledged rumors that Apple will unveil the iPad mini this fall, and that the device will sport a non-Retina 1024×768 display.

Mac Rumors reported on photos found by Gotta Be Mobile of the alleged mini’s size specs.  

Gotta Be Mobile stated:

“What we’ve found, using a pixel count, is that the iPad Mini should be around 213.36mm tall and about 143.67mm wide. This is approximately two-thirds of the size of the new third-generation iPad. The new iPad is 185.67mm wide, 241.3mm tall, and 9.39mm thick.

“Google’s Nexus 7 tablet has a width of 120mm which means that the iPad Mini, if our calculations are close, might be around 23.67mm wider than the Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 tablet measures in at 198.5mm high which means that the iPad Mini may be a little taller than Google’s 7-inch tablet.”

Daring Fireball speculates that a large motivation for the release will be to offer a lower price point model for Apple devotees. Unlike other smaller tablets, Fireball writer John Gruber feels the iPad mini would go for a low price point between $200 and $300 instead, effectively creating a new niche for itself.

Gruber writes:  

“...by introducing the iPad Mini with a non-retina display but a lower price, it would instantly establish which product is the “best” (iPad (3)) and which is the low-cost model (iPad Mini). In this way, I envision the iPad/iPad Mini relationship being very different from the iPod/iPod Mini one, where the two products were nearly evenly priced and you chose between storage capacity (iPod) and device size/weight (iPod Mini).”

Photo from Cult of Mac

In the meantime, The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) is sticking to its guns and barely covering the rumored mini tablet at all - except to say that it isn’t real. The TUAW crew seems to find the iPad mini issue quite humorous, writing, “Because fighting for the low-end market is totally something Apple does. Ever. *cough*.”

TUAW wraps up the issue:

“Until [its release] happens -- if it ever happens -- there is no way I will believe this product exists. And despite the fact that I don't really see any plausible economic reason for Apple to make one, I still kind of hope they do introduce something like an iPad mini just so the rumor blogs will finally shut up about it.”

A group of us recently visited the Bamboo Garden Nursery in North Plains, Oregon to take a tour of the land and bring home some Moso bamboo for our workshop. Bamboo Garden is 20 acres of both rare and common bamboos making up the most diverse bamboo collection in the United States. Just a half-hour ride from Portland, the Nursery cares for approximately 340 species of bamboo! Check out Joe’s video to see some of the beautiful acreage, and meet Adam from the Nursery:



Bamboo Garden Nursery specializes in the retail, wholesale, and mail-order markets. Started in 1980, they helped establish the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Bamboo Society (ABS). Ned Jaquith, owner of the Nursery, was elected in 2006 as Vice President of the ABS and has been awarded Honorary Lifetime Membership. These guys know their bamboo better than anyone.



We planted the Moso bamboo next to our loading dock, right outside our woodshop. This is the same species of bamboo we use to craft our iPhone and iPad cases and our wall art - it’s going to grow to be about 30 feet tall!  Ken and Scott tore out the blackberry bushes, cleaned up the trash, tilled the soil, mixed it with mulch and fertilizer, properly trenched, made a mound, and planted the bamboo. Now we can enjoy the lushness during sunny lunches and let our bamboo flag fly proudly for our Southeast Portland neighbors to see!



There’s several reasons we choose to use bamboo versus other types of wood. All reasons point to bamboo’s superior sustainability factors. Bamboo grows and spreads quickly - sometimes three to four feet per day - easily replenishing itself without the need for fertilizers, pesticides, or loads of water. Since Grove participates in the fast-paced, ever-evolving technology industry, it only makes sense to use a resource that can keep up.

When compared to a similar-sized patch of trees, a bamboo grove can release about 35% more oxygen into the air. Instead of taking 30 to 50 years to replant and mature, as tree forests can, bamboo groves can be renewed in less than seven years! Bamboo can generate 20 times more timber than the same area of trees, and also  prevents erosion as it grows. You can read more about bamboo use in Scientific American.

Ahh! We’re simply crazy for bamboo! But you already knew that.

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

We, here, at Grove were overwhelmed (lots of high fives, giggles, and hugs) by the coverage we received for the launch of our latest product, available in three variations: Calm, Neutral, and Vibrant.  As chatter about our SkateBacks spread throughout cyberspace, we were excited and so grateful to see that news of the SkateBack launch was picked up by major media platforms and online magazines (links on product page). 

We were deemed “Gnarly” (thanks, Gizmodo!) and “environmentally friendly” by MacRumors who also, rightly, mentioned that our SkateBacks weren’t primarily a protective case, but an add-on that provides a unique and fun look to the iPhone.

Undeniably, new interest was sparked in curious iPhone users and Apple enthusiasts around the country thanks to MacRumors, Digital Trends, Hypebeast, Gizmodo, and Uncrate.  Most of the articles highlighted the fact that we employ post-industrial skateboard scraps that would otherwise end up as waste “enough to fill a school bus,” with a simple adhesive that allows the SkateBack to be conveniently applied to the back of the iPhone for instant personality.  

However, it was our faithful Grove fans that truly impressed us, yet again! Blowing us away with outspoken enthusiasm on our Facebook page, and also in replies to articles that popped up all over the internet. We were also very touched by the fierce loyalty that we experienced when you rushed to defend us with your support to skeptics.

It’s because of you that we say, “We have the best customers!” Grove on!

Written by Sylvia Choi. She is a pasta-eating machine! She wishes she had superhero powers to fight against modern day slavery. For now, she aims to be a voice for the voice

This week we wanted to introduce you to one of our fantastic production assistants, San.  He’s on team quality control-- spending his days inspecting each iPhone case with care before packing them up to be shipped out to our loyal customers.  Mainly he works with QC team leader Ellie in the laser shop, and is a great addition to our team.

San hails from sunny Beaverton, Oregon and graduated from Portland Community College with an associates degree in art.  In college he was heavy into music theory, and now works at his church as the Worship Director-- playing the guitar and leading the service every Sunday.

When he is working in the shop you can catch him listening to an eclectic mix of musicians like Skrillex, Jay-Z, Ke$ha and folk artist Mat Kearney.



San’s hobbies include working out, playing music, watching great movies, and supporting some of Portland’s local sports teams-- the Blazers and the Timbers.  Though truth be told he is a devoted fan of the New York Knicks. Represent!

To sum it up San is a lover of the color orange, 7 is his number, and if he were a beast the man would be a lion.  goGrove!

Written by Mike Schultz. He is an oil painter from Ithaca, New York.  When he is not working for Grove, he’s painting and drawing to his heart’s content.  You can see his work on his blog and his website.

We launched a new artist series iPhone and iPad bamboo case design today by prolific designer, illustrator, creative director, and digital-imagery specialist Brian Yap! We’re so happy to be working with this self-described “graphics jack-of-all-trades” and his “almost obsessive work ethic.”

Brian resides in Edwardsville, Illinois and is a two-time Davey Award winner who has also won awards from The Communicator, the St. Louis Addy’s, and the St. Louis Egoist, among other organizations. His work is showcased yearly in the Famous and Fictional show at the Mad art gallery in St. Louis. He’s built up a personal technique using ink pens, scanning, and Adobe Ideas for iPad, and his work often closely calls upon screen printing.  An appreciation for music posters contributes to his notable style.



Fun and daily inspiration are at the top of Brian’s list, but he has a high set of standards for his work. He’s devoted to design and equally balances concept and execution. As Creative Director at Boxing Clever, a full-service creative agency he helped form as a subsidiary of 4 Alarm Studio, he’s worked with many notable clients, such as Tuaca Liqueur, Chambord Liqueur and Vodka, Finlandia Vodka, shell Automotive, and more. Brian is also an adjunct professor of Art and Design at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. His work can be explored on brianyap.com as well as Behance and Coroflot.



Our “Patient Navigator” Bamboo iPad and Bamboo iPhone cases will be $20 off this week only! 

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

We want to thank all our fans and supporters for making this so fun for us! We knew you liked us, but who knew that you would shower us with support more than 5,000 times on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest?!

We were stoked to see that there were so many of you who were excited to share our “handmade in the USA” cases with your family and friends. The buzz spread quickly as each of you posted or tweeted about the Giveaway.

For those of you who missed it, a quick recap. Every week, a new Grove product was revealed as the prize. By simply signing up for the Grove newsletter, it was oh so easy to enter the Giveaway! And if you wanted additional entries (limited to 4 total entries per week), you just had to share the Giveaway via social networks.

For the grand finale, we just couldn’t help ourselves!  We upped the ante for the final week of our Giveaway with three winners for each of our newly launched Vibrant, Neutral, and Calm SkateBacks!  This was a collaboration with the fabulous MapleXO.

We present our lucky winners:
Week 1: Amy from Alness, Scotland, won a Tree iPhone Case
Week 2: Marcus from Seattle, WA, won a sandstone Wool Felt iPad Sleeve
Week 3: John from Richmond, VA, won a black iPad 3 Tree Case
Week 4: Teela from Atlanta, GA, won a Vibrant SkateBack
              Chris from Santa Clara, CA, won a Calm SkateBack
              Kate from Gresham, OR won a Neutral SkateBack

Your support and enthusiasm for us were and continue to be the biggest compliments that you can give to us.  So thanks again, Grove-sters!  We had a blast getting to connect with you...until next time!

Sylvia Choi is a pasta-eating machine! She wishes she had superhero powers to fight against modern day slavery. For now, she aims to be a voice for the voice

There’s lots to love about Portland, and this video by Uncage the Soul Video Production captures some of the magic of the city. It’s nice to take a step back, even during busy times, and appreciate that we live in a truly fantastic area. The video highlights some notable parts of PDX - from its urban structures, mechanics, and mobilities to its active people, mountain tops, lush foliage, and delicious offerings. Not to mention, this is some darn good camera work!

Finding Portland from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

Read more about the video on Vimeo or on Uncage the Soul’s project description page, which is complete with some stills from the shoot. To those who visit or those who live here, it’s apparent that this is a special place to be, or (as it states at the end of the video) to roast, brew, savor, hike, bike, travel, shop, create, love, laugh, and uncover.

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

We released an exciting new artist series design, "A Matter of Where You're Looking" by Richard Walker for the Bamboo iPhone Case today, and we’re sure it’ll become a quick favorite! Richard Walker, a.k.a. Ipsum, is an artist and illustrator living in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two children.



Richard is inspired by all artistic styles around him, especially the infamous street art local to Melbourne. The works of Jeff Soto, Dave Kinsey, Ron English, Sket 1, and Herakut are also influences. With his work, Richard takes viewers on a surreal, disturbing, sometimes quirky journey through a candy-colored 1970s cartoon. His favored mediums include wood, inks, canvas, acrylics, spray paint, and digital work. 

“The Dirty Bird” by Richard Walker

Richard appreciates balancing the structured disciplines of advertising design with the freedom and soul-searching of pure art. An art director and designer for over 10 years in the advertising realm, Richard puts the rest of his energy into his own art. His personal work can be explored on RichardWalker.Prosite.com. His ad work has been utilized by a prominent client list and has won awards internationally, including a prestigious Cannes Lion. 

“Faces, Past and Present” by Richard Walker

Richard’s “A Matter Of Where You Look” is featured on our iPhone cases. The design will be $20 off this week only!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

Oh yay! We’re happy here at Grove to announce our newest Artist Series design from Jon MacNair! Jon is a freelance illustrator born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in the suburbs of Michigan, and currently residing here in Portland, OR. Jon’s dark, narrative-based illustrations can be explored on JonMacNair.com and his blog Scritchy Scraps. He’s shown in galleries in New York, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington DC, London, Glasgow, and more. Notable shows include The BLAB show, the annual group show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, and an upcoming solo show at antler here in Portland.

Some Sort of Mystical Explanation, by Jon MacNair

Jon earned a BFA in Illustration from The Maryland Institute College of Art. His personal work has been featured in publications like Beautiful Decay, IdN, Faesthetic, and Empty magazine. Jon’s commercial work has been utilized by an extensive client list for editorials, apparel, and album art, with clinets including Computer Arts Projects, the Seattle Stranger, Baltimore magazine, Elle Girl, and Tooth & Nail Records, among others. He is an active member of the Honeycomb Art Collective (based out of Buenos Aires and New York).

The Old House, by Jon MacNair

We’re featuring Jon MacNair’s "This and That" on our iPhone Case, and will be offering it at $20 off this week only!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

Grove’s art director Max has been around since the beginning---helping to build Grove from the ground up. He is responsible for the majority of the aesthetics on our website and packaging, and remains hands-on as our lead graphic designer and illustrator to boot. Recently, he put a lot of work into the newly released SkateBacks. Even though Max's visual style can be seen throughout Grove's branding, he says that none of it would be possible without inspiration from the beautiful product design and the company's unique culture.



Max hails from the coastal hamlet of Astoria, Oregon, where he went to high school with Grove co-founder, Joe. He attended the University of Oregon where he graduated with a BFA in Multimedia Design in 2006, and he was even Joe’s first employee at his pre-Grove venture Engrave Your Book.

He’s the type of artist who will work long hours at his day job and then go home, roll up his sleeves and get to work on his own projects. Max makes figurative artwork with a distinctive style that’s all about clean lines, vivid color combinations, and striking imagery that usually conveys a story. You can check out his artwork on his website: OrangeYear.com.  Yeah!

He summed it all up by saying that he considers himself lucky to have his dream job.  “I have a continual list of things I love to do, like getting to correspond with cool artists around the world whose work I respect.”

goGrove!

Written by Mike Schultz. He is an oil painter from Ithaca, New York.  When he is not working for Grove, he’s painting and drawing to his heart’s content.  You can see his work on his blog and his website.

It’s time to get excited about your current iPhone or iPad all over again! Apple recently announced the upcoming autumn release of iOS 6, which will be compatible with iPhone 3GS and later, 2nd-generation iPad and later, and the 4th-generation iPod touch. Among other new features, the updated operating system will offer enhancements to Siri and Facebook along with a new Maps application and shared photo streams through iCloud.



At Monday’s WWDC keynote event, Apple’s senior vice president of iOS Software Scott Forstall stated, “iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device.”

Here’s an overview of some of the most exciting updates:

• For Siri-enabled devices, Siri will gain knowledge in some foreign languages, sports  even launching apps.
• Facebook will become more integrated with system-wide login capabilities and the ability to post from other apps.
• New do-not-disturb options will be available for hushing app notifications and responding to ignored calls with pre-set text messages and call-back reminders
• Shared Photo Streams will allow users to share pics with select friends and family through other iOS devices, iPhoto or Aperture, and Apple TV.
• Passbook, a new wallet app, will store payment cards and electronic tickets - such as Starbucks’ Gold Card, Fandango movie tickets, plane and sports tickets, and more.
• A new Maps app will be outfitted with Apple’s own map data, Yelp business information, traffic data sourced in real-time from users, and turn-by-turn navigation triggered by Siri.

Cult of Mac calls these “some of the biggest UI improvements Apple has made in the history of iOS.” Our own iOS users on the Grove team can’t wait to get a fun revamp on their devices come fall. Luckily, if you’re a developer, you don’t need to wait to begin coding for the new system! On Monday, Apple released the software development kits for iOS 6 along with the kits for OS X Mountain Lion.

Read more about the new iOS 6 on MacRumors, TUAW, and Cult of Mac.

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

Grove is happy to announce our latest Artist Series Bamboo iPhone Case and second collaboration with Portland art duo, Jolby. Jolby is a design, illustration, and art direction pair composed of Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols. Based in Portland, OR, the two have worked collaboratively since 2005. Their first design with us, Tree Heart, was an instant classic, and their playful Ride the Weird is sure to please.



Jolby’s work has been shown in galleries worldwide, and the two enjoy interacting with various communities through talks and workshops. Recent local exhibitions include Shapes & Smiles: Portland at Albina Press, the Small exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Craft, and the Triforce Tribute Art Show at Land Gallary. Commercially, Jolby has produced award-winning designs for an impressive client list, including Disney, Intel, T-Mobile, Pitchfork, and AIGA. Their creations have been featured by Dwell, HOW, Drawn, and Juxtapoz, among others.

Jolby’s work can be explored on JolbyandFriends.com and pieces are available for purchase on Etsy. Grove is offering Ride the Weird at $20 off this week only!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

It’s still a work in progress, but Grove has expanded its laser shop space over the course of two consecutive weekends, two coats of floor paint, demolition of a couple walls, and clearing out endless piles of debris.  We previously had to navigate around a maze of tall tables, computers, sewing machines in the break lounge, and all the bustling people upstairs working on customer service, website design, sewing, production, packaging, and shipping.  Needless to say, it’s a rather strange but welcome change for those with bruised hips caused from “close encounters of the crashing kind.”  

A special thank you to Craig Holmes who moved out of the neighboring studio so we could expand our space. This space was his home away from home for 16 years prior to his move to to his new studio on the third floor. All of us appreciate your sacrifice!  

Watch Ken, Joe, and Scott as they work on tearing down the walls: 

Written by Sylvia Choi. She is a pasta-eating machine! She wishes she had superhero powers to fight against modern day slavery. For now, she aims to be a voice for the voice

This week we’d like to introduce Ellie -- another integral member of Team Grove! As the dependable production manager in the nucleus of the Laser shop she makes sure that all of our handmade products are of stellar quality before we ship them out.

She hails from Beaverton, OR and graduated with a BFA in Graphic Illustration from the Academy of Art University of San Francisco. This lady can draw! Originally she planned on illustrating children’s books and doing character design for video games. Fortunately for us she chose to work at Grove.

Like any true Oregonian Ellie loves the great outdoors. Camping, hiking, golfing, and now snowboarding... she does it all with gusto. She is a dedicated sleeper and a devotee of tasty foods. (A current favorite is ban xeo, a Vietnamese crepe dish.) When it comes to cooking she’s modest, but along with Wendy she made the Grove squad a ridiculously-good-tasting Korean barbecue bibbimbop lunch (Assorted veggies, marinated meats and sweetened red peppers.  Mmmm...)

One of her favorite parts of working at Grove is problem solving. That means: working with deadlines, managing a team of people, and keeping it all organized.  Ellie said she takes pride in how much work we put into each and every product and that “we do handmade for real”. Yes we do!  goGrove!

Written by Mike Schultz. He is an oil painter from Ithaca, New York.  When he is not working for Grove, he’s painting and drawing to his heart’s content.  You can see his work on his blog and his website.

Grove is head over heels for our newest product, and we hope you will be too! We’re happy to introduce SkateBacks for iPhone 4 and 4s! This is a special collaboration between us and our good friend Lindsay Holmes of MapleXO! With Lindsay’s help, we’re recycling the waste material from skateboards to create 100% post-industrial awesomeness. Each week, enough waste material is discarded from one skateboard factory to fill a city bus, so we’re joining Lindsay in making good use of it.  Our SkateBacks are available now for $49.00 a piece, and we’re also giving away 3 SkateBacks in the final week of the Grove Giveaway! Click here to enter. 



At approximately 1/16 of an inch thick, SkateBacks protect the back of the phone from bumps and scratches while combining sleek Apple design and rad skateboard mojo. “Unique” is not enough to describe these bad boys. Our SkateBacks are made here at our workshop in Portland, OR, with a combination of high-tech machinery and good old-fashioned handiwork. You can choose from three general color schemes, Calm, Neutral, or Vibrant, but each SkateBack is as individual as a snowflake - no two are exactly alike!



Where Do We Get Our Material?
The SkateBack makes a short journey from raw skateboard waste at skateboard factory PS Stix, to eye-catching ply with Lindsay at Maple XO, to cell phone accessory at Grove. PS Stix owner Paul Schmitt, of Costa Mesa, CA, has been designing and producing skateboards known globally for durability and performance for nearly three decades. Learning to skate soon after learning to walk, he knows skateboards well. PS Stix makes more than 4,000 skateboards a day, 200 per hour, almost three per minute! 

About Lindsay Holmes and Maple XO!
Saving skateboards from landfills since 2005, Lindsay Holmes of MapleXO makes recycled skateboard jewelry and other rad upcycled accessories. Her beautiful work allows her to give old boards new life and contribute to the community by reducing the environmental footprint of skateboarding.

And, don't forget to enter our final Grove Giveaway for your chance to win one of these awesome SkateBacks!

Written by Mary Yajko. She is a Grove customer support rep and crazed blogger originally from upstate New York. She enjoys opened minds, uncontrollable fits of laughter, and large amounts of french fries with ketchup.

Grove-sters! We are super excited that our Wool Felt Sleeves have been featured on Design Milk, the go-to website for design geeks and experts!

Jaime, the founder and Executive Editor of Design Milk, kindly recognizes that Grove is a company that stays intentional about design and quality, from the bamboo iPhone case to the new iPad Cases and Sleeves.  She touches upon the unique detailing that the Grove team meticulously crafts by hand onto each Wool Felt Sleeve, most noticeably the “avisible and exaggerated zig-zag stitch”.

She also loved how the Sleeve is compatible with all iPad generations, and can even accommodate the Apple Smart Cover (tip: insert the “spine,” where the hinge is, first). Jaime also doesn’t forget to mention that the Sleeve has an invisible magnetic flap closure, keeping the iPad safe and secure when carried.  Yes, folks, the iPad has a new best friend!

Thanks, Jaime, and Design Milk, we are grateful, and appreciate the support you’ve shown us.

Grove on!

Written by Sylvia Choi. She is a member of the Customer Service triumvirate with a penchant for correcting spelling errors. She wishes she had superhero powers to fight against modern day slavery. For now, she aims to be a voice for the voiceless.