All in the (Foundry) Family: Meet Adam

All in the (Foundry) Family: Meet Adam

While adorable dogs, the magical smell of beeswax candles, and oodles of gorgeous glassware are pretty darn nice, the thing that REALLY makes The Foundry feel like home is our family. While well-made objects of beauty and use make the daily rhythms of life more pleasant + effortless, like in any home, it's the people inside that really make it glow. We wish that every one of you out there in Foundryland (isn't that what they're calling "the internet" these days?) could come into our shop and meet our sweet crew in person. Buuuut, since not everyone can just pop by Tangletown of a Tuesday, we want you to have a chance to get to know the people holding the leashes, to bring a little Foundry Family magic your way. First up, our intrepid (and almost frustratingly photogenic) heel-clicker and man-about-shop ADAM!

 

The Foundry Home Goods: Adam, let's dive right in! Tell us about yourself. How did you end up in Minneapolis?

 

Adam: I grew up in rural southern Minnesota, on a farm in a tiny town surrounded by my big family and 4,000 pigs. Seriously. We lived in my Great Grandfather's little old farmhouse that he grew up in and it was (and is) beautiful there. I was always super into old movies and musical theater and my family was always super supportive of that. I did local community theater and was always going on auditions from a very young age.

 

TFHG: No way! What was your first or favorite role?

 

A: Oh man. There were so many that I loved doing. I was Danny Zuko in Grease in high school. I did Rent. Spelling Bee. Probably my first big role was as the little sick boy, Colin, in The Secret Garden. I loved it all. Especially improv. When I graduated from college in Mankato I moved to the Twin Cities where I landed at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre (Foundry Humble Brag: this is also where Amy Adams got her start) which is just a wonderful environment, super nurturing and joyful. Sometimes it was a long time between shows, but it was always an incredible scene.

 

 

TFHG: How did you find your way to The Foundry?

 

A: Kind of through theater. A really good friend of mine, Grant (Foundry Note: one of our very first employees, who left us for the bright lights of Broadway) had been working in the original shop in the North Loop and I used to come visit him at work. Usually visiting someone at work is kind of a drag, but whenever I'd come to visit The Foundry it was always this super beautiful, calm space and I just loved the feeling of that. At that time it was in the really early days... a real "all hands on deck" kind of vibe and I loved that too. Randomly similar to how things are in theater. During one of those "between shows" times, during the holidays, I think, I met (Foundry founder) Anna for the first time in the basement of the old shop and she was like "I like your style" and I was like "I like your style too" and the rest is history.

 

TFHG: How is your personal style different from The Foundry style?

 

A: My aesthetic is definitely similar to The Foundry's though at this point it's kind of hard to tell who's influencing who. Neutral, bright, wood toned, creams, definitely clean... that's very much me. I've always been a very clean person, very organized. I genuinely love to clean and organize which is definitely a thing in the shop. Sometimes if there's a quiet moment I'll just go down into the basement (Foundry note: where all the backstock lives, not *quite* as lovingly presented as up in the shop) and be by myself for a little while and just futz and make things neat and tidy and "just so". 

 

 

TFHG: How do you think growing up in your Great Grandfather's old farmhouse informed your sensibility?

 

A: Well, Anna grew up in an old farmhouse and so did I and I feel like that history, seeing how well-made things used to be and how those things get used and loved for, like, ever. That's been huge. We didn't have a dishwasher for a long time and after working in the shop I can't believe we used to clean our dishes with a sponge. Like...where was Great Grandpa's dish brush?!

 

TFHG: What is your Foundry daily?

 

A: Dish brushes FOR SURE (Foundry note: see above) but really all the brushes? Radiator brushes. Bottle brushes. Things I never knew existed but now they make my everyday just a little more beautiful and I can't live without them. Beeswax candles. I never can't have at least one in my house.

 

TFHG: What's your dream Foundry item?

 

A: Can I just have everything please? If I had to choose I'd say all of the beautiful enamel pieces. The milk pans, the stackable containers that you use like Tupperware, the kettle. Everything is so gorgeous. The kettle is like AHHHHH sitting on your stove. Or maybe a full set of Japanese bath towels? Like a dozen!? That kind of thing is, like, an investment in yourself for the future.

 

TFHG: Well, someone *might* have a registry moment coming up.

 

A: Oh, yeah! A DOZEN JAPANESE BATH TOWELS PLEASE AND THANK YOU.

 

TFHG: When you're in the shop by yourself what music do you put on? (Foundry note: all of our shop playlists are available for your streaming + dancing pleasure *here* as user THEFOUNDRYHOME)

 

I always play SHOP SPRING MORNING it has all old school 60's 70's 80's... Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Young Michael Jackson, The Supremes...every song you're just tapping your toe to.

 

TFHG: What's your signature cocktail?

 

A: I'm obsessed with Red Wine and never don't have it my house. Perfect to just get home after a long day and have a glass of wine. I always use the little Spanish Glasses. They're great for when friends come over.

 

TFHG: Who is your celebrity crush/style icon?

 

A: Ha! Well, Lillian(Foundry Note: our intrepid Manager-in-Chief)'s mom—who is amazing, by the way—said that I look like a 'young Anderson Cooper' which I'm not mad about.

 

 

(Foundry note: Adam did not request that we make this mockup BUT. CAN. YOU. EVEN. They're basically twins.)

 

TFHG: What's always in your bag/pocket?

 

A: I always have Burt's Bees Chap Stick in my pocket no matter what at all times of the day and year. It's necessary.

 

TFHG: What's your favorite place you ever visited?

 

A:  I recently went on a big family cruise and we stopped in St. Thomas. We went to a straight up off of a postcard beach. Beautiful water, the cleanest, softest, whitest sand... It was absolutely a magical afternoon, surrounded by people I love. It was one of those beautiful, wonderful places and moments where you're just like "I want to live right here and now forever". 

 

 

TFHG: Ahhh...perfection. Lastly: are you more of a Ruby or a Turnip?

 

A: This is a tough one. Because Turnip has a lot of energy and is super spunky, but she's a little clumsy and uncoordinated with those puppy paws. Ruby is super chill and very charming...I see myself in both of them for sure. Energy-wise, I'm definitely a Turnip (not that I love her more. Don't tell Ruby I said that).

 

 

THANK YOU ADAM!

 

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