ABOUT

It's me, I'm Jess!

A little about me, the background of fort & field, and what I hope to share here...returning to small town roots, slowing down in the garden and kitchen, and leaning into a more simple life.
a picture of a woman in ripped jeans, a tunic, and a faux fur coat standing in front of a building and this photo is placed on a striped background with the same intro words as the intro to this blog post
Growing up on forty acres in Minnesota laid the foundation for a lifelong love for home and garden and is what fort & field was built around..."fort" for home and "field" for garden. I hope to share some of that knowledge here, building a community of other like minded people, creating a more simple and understated life that is rooted in the land and intentionally creating a life to be proud of. If you'd love to connect, and help build that community, please consider coming back regularly or subscribing - and, hopefully also sharing your journey as well with me!
As a child, I explored field and woods, played store with my two sisters, sewed and crafted, and was a voracious reader, spending hours upon hours bending towards the last bit of daylight in an effort to ingest more pages. Brown bag lunches consisted of fresh baked bread slathered with hummus, a soup simmered with ingredients from the local food co-op (founded in 1979, my mom one of the first members and is still one today), and a side of wholesome vegetables straight from our garden. We visited my maternal grandparents farm, remote and without electricity or running water, landing back in a quieter time when the where the joys of home keeping were standard, and necessary.
We criss-crossed the US, seeing almost every state, as well as Canada and parts of Mexico. And, right before I started eighth grade, bought a second home in Central Florida where I attended school, coming back to Minnesota for the Summers.
Both my sisters went on to college in New York City, using our visual art magnet high school training to get into one of the best art schools in the country. I desired a more traditional college experience, choosing to go to the University of Central Florida in Orlando instead.
I utilized my Psychology degree for a short time, working at the Boys & Girls' Club and as an investigator for the Department of Children & Families. However, I fairly quickly transitioned into retail, with positions at well-known retailers Anthropologie, Karen Kane, Chico's, and Target in Buying, Merchandising, Territory Management, and Visual roles. With these jobs, I moved around to different parts of Florida, living in four corners of the state. And, after almost twenty years, further North to Atlanta, Georgia.
While I was working full-time, I also always had a small business on the side, one I still have today over twenty years later.
That small business started in 2003, just a year out of college, when I saw a ball of traditional red and white striped bakers twine and fell in love. Throughout the exhaustive search to find the source, I measured and rolled red and white striped yarn I found in the seasonal section of the craft store into balls and it sold like hot cakes. The manufacturer of the twine I had seen at that paper store had sadly gone out of business, but I was later able to find a supplier of bakeries of two pound rolls in a rainbow of colors. A few years later, many companies joined the marketplace and the twine was used in everything from crafting to party planning!
nine very large cones of striped bakers twine in all different colors laying on a wood tablean individual box made from Kraft cardstock and with a circle scallop window cut out of the front with cookies visible inside and the box is tied with blue and white striped bakers twine

a packaged wrapped in brown Kraft paper and tied with red and white striped bakers twine and a vintage card with the picture of a boy riding a horse and the words howdy on ita closeup of three round balls of red and white striped twine

Around this time, the initial seeds of the do-it-yourself party planning movement had just begun to be planted and I was thoroughly inspired. There were only a handful of the blogs and websites we are lucky enough to have now. So, I spent hours pouring over the vintage craft books at the library, the Martha Stewart crafts website, and anything else I stumbled upon.

"Down the rabbit hole" as my early days on the internet were called, I frequently ended up on sites in England, Australia, and New Zealand. The English, I discovered, used colorful striped paper bags to package small items purchased at gift and candy stores. It's hard to believe, but here in the US at the time, there were very few patterned paper bags available for sale. So, I started importing the bags from England. Because there was a void in the marketplace for such a bag (and also because of the high shipping costs to import them), they originally sold for $80/100 bags! Year after year, as more options became available through both small shops and large retailers, the prices went down to only a few dollars and there are currently a plethora of options available.

eleven colors of striped paper bags hanging on string against a black chalkboarda red and white striped bag with a Kraft paper award ribbon shaped sticker label on it propped up next to a stack of three glazed donuts
Shortly after, I added colored and square paper doilies to the shop, a variation from the typical white round paper doily. In a long search one afternoon for new doily styles, I landed on a seafood restaurant supplier site. I often sourced restaurant supply products that could translate to the party arena. Scouting out products from unusual sources like this was what kept me ahead. So, when visiting a new site, I often clicked through the other sections to see if I could spot a fantastic new product. On this afternoon, I saw a black and white pencil drawing of striped paper straws. I had never seen a paper straw, let alone a patterned straw in life, but they certainly seemed interesting! So, I ordered a box of solid white and a box of the red & white striped. I figured, "what the heck, I'll try them out!"...and the rest I'm sure you know is history! These original straws were still manufactured in the same process I believe as in the 50's and 60's, very lightweight and a waxy paper that was prone to unraveling. But, within a few months, striped straws became (quite literally) a must- have staple for every party and wedding. The manufacturing process was perfected and every pattern and color of paper straw was within arms reach!

San Pelligrino bottles with paper straws in them with striped paper pennant flags on them patterned paper straws in a range of colors laying on a wood table

patterned paper straws in various colors inside a vintage straw holder which is next to a large glass of root beer float red and white paper straws in a bottle of milk next to a turquoise square cupcake box and a cookie sandwich next to both on a white paper round doily

I spent the next thirteen years bringing to the marketplace other unique and hard to find party and packaging supplies, selling directly to individuals and wholesale around the world. Such a wonderful and exciting time as the DIY craft and small business movement was starting to inspire so many!

One niche has never worked for me, though! I have too many interests and hobbies. And, my mind is always wandering to what interesting thing I want to do next, or what unique product I can discover. So, I started slowly expanding my product offering to include more lovelies for the home and garden, in reference to the fort & field name.

My most popular items currently include:

Almost forty different styles of brass bells from India, sold in sizes ranges from as small as 7/8" to as large as 14," both individually and with velvet and gingham ribbons attached and strung as garlands!

six styles of brass bells with Japanese gingham patterned ribbon attached for a cottage core ornamenteleven two inches tin bells with brass finish strung on jute twine for a holiday garland

oversized tin bell with a brass finish a jute hanger and a wood striker standing upright on a white table against a white background eleven tin bells with brass finish strung on jute as a hanging cluster garland
 
six sizes of the same style of tin bell with brass finish laid down on a white table small brass sleigh bells strung on different colors of velvet ribbon for ornaments on a white background

From Japan, I import small dishes shaped as fruits and vegetables, ceramic mortars, hinoki pestles, teapots, mini pottery spoons, graters, gauze produce bags, and kaya cloths to name just a few of the offerings - I absolutely love Japanese design and attention to detail!

mini ceramic dishes shaped like fruit and vegetables including mushroom, radish, asparagus, lettuce, eggplant, and yuzu on a white background three sizes of stacking nestling cream mortars with lip on a white table

a stack of three soup bowls with handles while, light blue, and beige on a white table with two white pottery spoons laying next to the stack four Japanese kaya dishtowels laying on a white background yellow, purple, navy blue, and tan
 
a white kaya cloth with a tan print of onions on it laying on a white table a navy blue teapot with large cream polka dots sitting on a white table
 
a grey produce bag with yellow handles with one zucchini, one green pepper, and 3 orange carrots inside and five red radishes laying on the white table next to the bagrustic white and cream graters in two different sizes sitting on a white table 

And, from other parts of the world, rush grass trivets, maple wood utensils and scoops, dishcloths in many quaint patterns, and cotton, sisal, and ramie bath products.

These home and garden products have struck a chord, with almost 2,000 retailers purchasing them wholesale as part of their stores assortments. So, look out for them in shops near you! Or, order through my own website.

three waffle weave dishcloths with fringe edges folded into squares sitting on a white table five different types of maple utensils sitting on a white table
 
two round rush grass trivets with hanging loop sitting on a white tablecream open weave ramie bath pouf with loop sitting on a white table 
 
two square dishcloths one white with a yellow banana print and the other green and white stripe sitting on a white table one sisal dry brush with a wood handle and jute wrapped around the handle sitting on a white table

This all brings me back to my wanderlust spirit! After being gone for twenty-five years between Florida and Georgia, I recently moved back to small town in Central Minnesota near where I grew up! And, I am so excited to be back! I bought a cabin home on one of Minnesota's (over) 10,000 lakes. And, am in the process of making it my own through a little love, white paint, and vintage finds.


a white living room with a black dog laying on a grey sectional and a round cream and wood table beyond with a bench and two webbed chairs pulled up to it a man with a hat sitting on a bench on a dock with a black dog next to him and a vintage green boat pulled up in the water

Here on this blog, I hope to continue sharing my slow days tending a garden, making from scratch meals, and running around with my dog. Plus, travel near and far. And, a few snippets of small business life. Please subscribe so we can inspire each other!

To all that's yet to come!

Love, Jess

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