Becky – Workshop Inc and Salt Design
What do you make / sell? Tell us about yo’ self.
My partner Andrew Frosst and I own two business’s, Salt Design and Workshop Studios! Workshop is our newest business located in Inglewood and we are striving to create a supportive, encouraging Workspace for lady builders and makers In the community. We have 27 artists renting studios at Workshop, of which,20 are female and we are hiring three ceramic teachers and two are ladies! We have just launched our super fun ceramic classes!
How long have you had your business?
7 months for Workshop. 2 years for Salt Design
How did you get started?
My partner Andrew and I got started with design and construction a couple of years ago while we were pursuing some personal projects. We love working together and we both have formal educations in Art and Design as well as building experience and business training so we felt like it was time to quit our day jobs and strike out on our own and start our business Salt Design. We have worked on a variety of projects together, including Purr Inglewood, and felt like it was time to move our woodshop and design studio to a new location. When we came across a beautiful historic brass foundry factory building in Inglewood It felt like the perfect opportunity for us to start building our plans for Workshop Inc. Andrew and I are both artists and makers and have for years dreamed of starting a makerspace in Calgary that would support a community of artists, entrepreneurs, makers and academics! Working in construction we have noticed a lack of support for women in the industry so we decided to set out to build a safe space for women, LGTBQ community, POC etc. Workshop has a fully equipped ceramic facility, woodshop and 20 art studios!
Who or what inspires your work?
Strong women entrepreneurs in Calgary including my mom who worked from the ground up to be very successful in a male dominated oil and gas industry. My business mentor Judy McMillan Evans from Mount Royal University has been a huge influence in my business pursuits. Finally some of my favourite instructors at The Alberta College of Art and Design have been instrumental in shaping the way I think about the world, my work, feminism, and art.
What do you dream for your business in the future?
We would love to see our artists and makers at workshop grow their business’s and become independently very successful. We aim to reinvest and continue to improve upon our facilities at Workshop and create the best space possible for our artists and makers. We also have plans to grow Salt Design and would like to explore small environmentally friendly, zero impact A frame tiny homes. We are currently building our test A frame (photos below) and have designed it to be powered by solar, built upon of pile foundations, equipped with composting toilets etc. We would like to fabricate these modular units and see consumers choose a more sustainable smaller home lifestyle.
What’s your favourite social media platform and why?
Instagram! Love seeing photos and stories of what our artists at Workshop are up too as well as other entrepreneurs in the community,
How do you pick yourself up when things go wrong?
We lean on each other A LOT for support as well as our amazing, encouraging community at Workshop! Sometimes just a trip to Kananaskis for a hike or cross country skiing is all we need for a fresh start.
What’s one thing no one knows about you? Give us an interesting fact!
We designed, drafted and built everything with our own hands at Workshop in what was listed as ‘raw space’ but would be more comparable to a haunted house. There was no heat, lighting, Plumbing windows etc. It is now a fully operational facility that includes the luxury of running water!!
If you could have any super power what would it be?
To clone ourselves so we can work around the clock and actually find time to sleep. (Also to always be surrounded by kittens and baby goats…..is that a super power or just a want?)
What are your social media handles?
@salt.design.renovations @beckydaisym #workshopstudiosyyc
Where can we find your stuff?
We have a website! www.workshopstudios.ca and I have a personal account for my painting work at www.beckymcmaster.com you can also visit our store, Purr, that we fully designed and built in Inglewood ! Please let me know if I can send more photos and feel free to take some images off of our Salt Design Instagram Page.