designed for the common good.

The full story:

In the spring of 1979, as I was driving to Ohio Wesleyan University (where I was a freshman), I spotted a foot stool at an Amish family’s yard sale. I knew immediately that I had found the best foot stool in the world, so I paid the $2 asking price and placed it carefully in the trunk of my 1967 Dodge Dart and happily headed on my way. The stool ended up in the Edgar Hall painting studio, and remained there for the next three years, functioning as an “all-in-one” utility bench, chair, sawhorse, foot stool and step stool as I learned to express myself as an artist. (It was a great mate for the old wooden ironing boards, also picked up at local yard sales, that functioned as my work tables.)

After graduating in 1983, I headed for New York City in my Dodge Dart, where I set up my first studio in an unheated basement of a tenement on the lower East Side. As I evolved from painter to sculptor to furniture designer over the next 10 years, the stool remained my go-to work bench and foot prop, among many other functions. It survived several moves, to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Fort Greene, Williamsburg again, back to Manhattan, and finally to North Harpersfield, NY, where it seems most at home in my 1860’s farm house kitchen.  It now serves its greatest purpose yet: as a step stool for my daughter, Marlo, to reach the counter when she helps me make pancakes every Sunday morning.

Friends who come over to our house often comment on the beautiful simplicity and sturdy quality of the stool. Because of this and my own love of the design, I’ve long desired to see it reproduced so that more people could enjoy it. But something struck me recently which is even more profound: that because of the financial debacle, and the ensuing surge in unemployment, the trade deficit, government budget cuts, and a host of other difficulties this country faces, it was time for me to do something that could, albeit on a small scale, address these issues head on.

The School Stool does this on a few levels:

I found RJ Millworkers in Oneonta, N.Y. who have the capability of doing large scale wood production. They had just laid off half of their work force (due to a major client outsourcing to China) - so it was obvious how this could benefit them. John Gonzalez, the Project Manager at RJM was excited by the prospect of doing something so simple, yet elegant and useful.

Because we have so many friends whose children go to the local public school in Jefferson, NY, we could employ some of the students for the project of designing the labels, writing press releases, and selling the stools, with a percentage of the profits going directly back to the Jefferson Central School. Carl Mummenthey, the Superintendent of the school, is very supportive of the project. A major motivation of mine is to help fund the annual Art Club field trip to New York City. (Maybe I should stipulate that the field trip include a trip to the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum!)

In addition to sending the students out with their parents’ pickups loaded with School Stools, we’ve decided to ask local businesses to promote the cause as well. In turn, they may choose to donate some of their School Stool retail profits to their local school district, with JZD donations still going to Jefferson Central School. (This way, Jefferson NY, being the place where the idea was generated, will benefit even if someone across the country sells the School Stool in their retail store.) Each retailer is responsible for arranging donations to the school district of their choice, should they choose to do so.

Through this small enterprise, we hope to educate students about the process of conception, design, manufacturing, marketing, selling and profiting from an idea, as well as the importance and gratification of supporting public education and the local economy.

Each stool is engraved with a selected phrase that I feel relates to the ideas I’m interested in. This list will be added to as suggestions are made, or as we stumble upon words or phrases that add to and enrich the School Stool concept as it evolves.

In order for this operation to be as transparent as possible, I’d also like the information about the distribution of funds to be fully visible to the buyer:

1. 1.RJ Millworkers [production cost] = $90
   

2. 2.Retailer Profit = $45
   

3. 3.Jefferson Central School = $25
   

4. 4.JZD Profit = $20
   

RETAIL PRICE: $180

WHOLESALE PRICE: $135

Current Engraved Phrases (Latin):

“In Libris Libertas”

Translation: In Books Freedom

“Excelsior!”

Translation: Ever Upward! (N.Y. State Theme)

“Bonum Commune”

Translation: For the Common Good

All stools are painted with Benjamin Moore Aura Interior paint.  Colors and engraving are sold from current inventory - sorry, no custom orders at this time.

If you are interested in purchasing a stool, please contact Jim Zivic Design at (607) 652-9432

or email:  jim@jimzivicdesign.com