The Lollyagger Gift Guide

For the dudes in your life:

1.) Apartamento Magazine | Not your average home and lifestyle magazine. This one is full of inspiration not boring photo-opts.

2.) Japanese Old Fashion Cocktail Glasses | For the cocktail lover (you can benefit from this one too).

3.) MCMC Dude No. 1 Beard Oil | Because beards are in and should smell good.

4.) Epicurean Camp Series Cutting Boards | For the guy who camps AND cooks.

5.) Association Leather Card Wallet | Handmade in Portland these card wallets fit nicely in back pockets and fanny packs.

6.) Duluth Pack Classic Carry On | Because nothing says "I got my shit together" like nice luggage.

7.) Lollygagger Longboard | For smooth rides and high fives. 

8.) Smoked Atlantic Salmon | Award winning smoked fish delivered straight to your door (and heart).

9.) Siracha Key Chain | Enough said.

10.) Leather Bike Wine Carrier | For classy (drinking) bikers.

For the lovely ladies in your life:

1.) 2015 Lunar Calendar | Screen printed moon calendar made in Minnesota!

2.) Goe Body Oil | Best moisturizer EVER and also happens to smell like heaven.

3.) Siri Knutson Gold Leaf Painting | This Minnesota artist is on the rise with her beautiful gold leaf paintings. I want one.

4.) Ceramic Coffee Pour Over | Because pour overs are the new black.

5.) Skive Perfume | A unisex scent including cedar wood, sage, and tobacco. Wrapped up in its own leather case. A win win for everyone.

6.) Modern Bird House | Your birds will thank you.

7.) Anikka Kaplan Brass Hairpin | Hairpins are back ladies! And this one is made with love in Minneapolis.

8.) Fort Standard Elevated Bowl | Beautiful bowls designed and made in California

9.) Lap Loom | Weavings are making a huge comeback and this little lap loom is perfect for the crafty gal in your life.

10.) Painted Plywood Bracelets | Tia Salmela Keobounpheng's modern take on jewelry is always on point. These bracelets are no exception.

A Party In a Box

It's happened to all of us Loll fans. We start perusing the website and soon we are picturing outdoor cocktail parties, BBQ's, or if you're like me: solitude, a beer, and a good book.  We recently debuted this short film inspired by these fantasies. Every wonder what's it like to order Loll, assemble it, and throw that party you have been conjuring up in your brain? Let us show you!

Above is also a peek at what the day of filming looked like. All hands on deck (including a creepy michelin man!)

Keys to the city

The Good Sheet companies which consists of yours truly (Loll Designs) and sister companies Epicurean and Intectural design and manufacture everything from outdoor furniture to kitchen cutting boards, but you might be keen to know that we've been working with our Mayor to make all the "keys to the city".

What are "keys the city" you might wonder? They are given to those people, groups, bands, and animals we love and welcome with open arms. They might not really open anything or fit into your back pocket but they are truly an honor to receive. In the past few years Loll's sister company started making them for the city of Duluth. The city where we live, work, and play. We couldn't be more proud.

It all began when Lolls, CEO, Greg Benson witnessed Mayor Don Ness handing out a document instead of an actual key to the band Wilco who frequently plays in Duluth every summer. He immediately contacted Mayor Ness and offered to have the keys made. Together they worked with Loll's design team and came up with current keys seen above. Each key is made out of Epicurean's infamous recycled paper composite boards which means the keys can double as a cutting board and is dishwasher safe as Mayor Ness points out below (har har).

As you can see the four keys that have been made thus far have one thing in common: they are entertainment based. Duluth LOVES their music and it's rich history of story telling. We love getting chills from hearing Alan Sparhawk's deep vocals echo through Sacred Heart, Jeff Tweedy unfold into his screeching guitar, sway to the banjo of Dave Carroll, and fall into a 35N driving trance while listening to Prairie Home Companion . All of these people are loved by Duluthians and all now have keys to your house. Just Kidding.

Operation Warm

In 2002, Operation Warm was founded to counter one of the most unfathomable hardships of childhood poverty; the lack of adequate winter clothing.  By necessity, families struggling to survive prioritize food, heat, and rent above winter clothing resulting in frequent absenteeism from school.  This translates not only to forgone learning but also missed opportunities for socialization, play, and balanced nutrition provided through the Federal Free and Reduced Meal Program. School attendance is as important as warmth because through education, upcoming generations will become productive, hopeful, and enterprising.

The Duluth Firefighters have teamed up with Operation Warm to raise money for the cause by setting up camp in the Minnesota Power Plaza in downtown Duluth. To give them some comfort throughout the day and night (They have been there 24/7 since Monday) Loll has setup a comfy fire pit area for them to gather around. 

To get the community involved, there will be entertainment and food to partake in. View the schedule of events by clicking here.

Griffin Benson (the son of Loll's founder and CEO, Greg Benson) is also raising money for the cause by sleeping outside this week! That is no easy feat as temperatures in Duluth have dropped below freezing. Nice work, Griffin!

Tramples by Turtles

REPRESENT! Another good thing made in Duluth....

Just Add Wheels

This summer Loll Designs has added some motion to their product. We partnered up with Chicago based company, Heritage Bicycles, to bring you the Heritage Balance Bike. These bikes are increasing in popularity for kids age 2-6 and help your little ones skip the training wheels and head straight for the big kids bikes.

Don't worry, we didn't let the little kids have all the fun. Loll also teamed up with Minnesota longboard guru's Grow Anthology to create the Lollygagger Longboard. Not only will this board give you a smooth ride, it will also quench your thirst with its built in bottle opener - what! what!

And because I can, here is my two year old daughter Helen giving the Loll board a go!

Loll Designs + RIT ID Project

Here at Loll we love getting feedback from our customers. Some of these have even morphed into friendships and some of them have even become collaborators. Take Josh Owen for example. He purchased some furniture from us a few years ago, became a fan, met us at ICFF last year, and ended up teaming with Loll to create our Chiaroscuro outdoor clock. It didn't stop there…

Josh is not only an exceptional industrial designer, he's also a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he came up with the idea to have his first-year grad students work with Loll's CEO, Greg Benson, on a semester long project.

Greg Benson, CEO and designer at Loll, checks out Brendan Gordon's cobbler bench

Student present their designs

With the direction and help of Greg Benson, the students were instructed to design and create furniture or accessories using the same recycled plastic (HDPE) that Loll uses for its modern outdoor furniture. This time however, these designs wouldn't be used outdoors. Instead, the entryway would be the project's focus and the inspiration would come from the world famous designer Massimo Vignelli. RIT just happens to be the home to the Vignelli Center for Design Studies which houses all of his work. 

Vignelli's infamous NYC subway map

In the end, the students came up with an array of designs from wall mounted stacking planters to benches that will house your umbrella's.

Bike Buddy by Casey Kelly

WantedDesign Booth

The students designs didn't just end in the classroom. They were shown at this year's WantedDesign. With their very own booth they showcased selected designs that could find their way onto Loll's retail website in the future. Below are some of the designs that made it into this years WantedDesign booth:

Cobbler by Brendan Gordon

"Entryways are bivalent, posing no clean break of space and time and demanding a moment of pause. A traditional piece of utility, the cobbler’s bench is also bivalent in nature. Not simply chair or desk, bench or table, it is a fusion of two basic needs — space to work and space to sit. Cobbler honors Loll’s legacy of historical reference, re-envisioning a shoe-maker’s tool, designed for linear work and attention to the more intimate objects in life. It is an aid to a doorway’s pause."

Hi Bench by Bridget Sheehan

"The 'Hi' Bench serves as a friendly greeting as you walk in the door. It provides a spot to hold your keys, shoes, spare change, and umbrella. There is also a space to sit down to tie your shoes. Durable and waterproof Loll HDPE materials are ideal for this product as it requires no maintenance and withstands heavy traffic. The “Hi” Bench is a perfect fit for any entryway."

*photos courtesy of Bridget Sheehan

Loll is a business, yet we have been very thankful for the relationships it has inspired and the stories it continues to tell.

To see more designs of Loll's collaboration with RIT go here.