Howdy,
A little update of the shop and where I am headed these days.
We all know when Covid hit... it hit Griffen Hollow really hard. I had just moved the shop to a new location which is not cheap. Just was we were getting settled in every single contract cancelled and I stayed in that space for another year or so. I could not financially support the space and lack of business. The products GHS specializes in are experiential (awards, promotional products etc) and those events were on hold for the foreseeable future.
I sold most of the business assets and decided to take up an offer to become a career technical educator for Columbus City Schools. I jumped right into that role, going to college and creating a curriculum for CCS middle schools. While that provided personal financial stability it has become apparent that public schools are a political mess. I fought code violations from bad contractors, a strike with the teachers union, behavior issues from administrative staff, survived a vicious school fight that left me with months of rehab on my back and so many things that are not parallels with what one thinks about education.
The last 4 years have given me some time to rework Griffen Hollow Studio. It is now a garage operation and I work making everything myself (occasional help from some generous friends). The quality of the work has skyrocketed as well as the relationships I am building and rebuilding as new and former clients discover what I have to offer.
My focus going forward is to create for those with a vision of a tangible product. Bringing ideas to reality is a blast for me. With that I am focusing on making awards as well as my own retail line of products.
Looking forward to hearing from you all and hopefully offering some products you will enjoy in your own homes and businesses.
Pardon the mess while I rework the future. It'll be worth it.
Be well,
Alex Traxler
Picture of the 2014 Indianola Shop.