Meditation Cushions & Aromatherapy Goods by Olive & Olde's

Crowd-favorite Olive & Olde’s is returning to Firefly Handmade at our Holiday Market this November 20 & 21. Their Zafu Cushions are perfect for meditation, yoga, or any kind of floor seating. By utilizing sustainable materials, Olive & Olde’s create products that are good for the body and even better for the planet. Come to the market to check out their Zafu Cushions, eye pillows, and more!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you're from, what you like to do for fun, etc.)?
I love to be outside, creating, laughing, and dreaming. There is nothing better than late fall/winter in my opinion, and breakfast is my favorite (read: best) meal. I grew up in Ft. Collins, CO, married my high school sweetheart, and have two delightful young boys.

 Tell us about Zafu Cushions. What is their purpose?
Zafu has other names like sit-upon or tuffet. Their purpose is to provide flexible floor seating; they are most commonly used for meditation, but meditation or mindfulness shows up for individuals in a lot of different ways. Sitting quietly and not moving isn’t realistic for most people. But lying down and listening to your favorite music, playing a game with friends and family, or going outside to notice nature – that’s mindfulness, paying attention, and being present.

Our products provide a tactile reminder that “it’s time to slow down” or “notice what’s going on around you.” 

 What led you to start creating Zafu Cushions?
We were commissioned in 2019 to make custom zafu cushions for a small meditation company in Northern Colorado that had very specific sizing requirements and couldn’t find what they wanted in normal retail. We developed our pattern with them, provided exclusive colors, and then the zafus began to attract more and more attention, so we made more!

What types of materials do you use in your work?
We use linen, cotton/linen blend waffle weave, buckwheat hulls, millet & lavender.

We work directly with manufacturers and farmers, here in the states and abroad. I source as much as I can locally. We are always looking to do better today than we did yesterday. Nothing happens overnight, but 1% better every day makes a meaningful difference even if the change is slow. 

I also use deadstock (the fabric that is usually sitting in warehouses that is discarded) for our inserts whenever possible. I like using what has already been produced and forgotten about to give it a second life and avoid as much waste as possible.

What do you like about the handmade process?
I like taking something I dream about and making it in real life. I love the imperfections of handmade, I think it gives items so much character and is always the source of a great story. Things that take time and are handmade take a bit of the person who made it with them, it reminds me of how connected we all truly are. 

What has been the biggest challenge of starting your business? The biggest reward?
My biggest challenge, without a doubt, is managing all of the hats that I wear: business owner, mom, wife, friend, daughter, social media manager, google ads manager, manufacturer, time zone checker, orderer, sales tax, etc. It’s a lot, but I love it. 

I’ve tried working for other people, and it’s just not for me. My brain doesn’t thrive when I’m clocking in and out. I always felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest when I was working for others. It’s a circus most days, but I wouldn’t change it. 

My biggest reward is watching customers connect with our products or each other while discussing our products. I built this business when I was in my own personal valley of postpartum depression and our “why” as a company is “to combat loneliness and provide a soft place to land.”

It has so many different meanings, but it is an honor to watch it come to life and brings me to tears when it does so. Always when I least expect it!

How do you hope to impact your community?
I’m laser-focused on mindful manufacturing and pulling the curtain back on what it costs to make products here in Denver while highlighting sewing as a craft. 

We’ve gotten so far away from the things that we use every day, and technology has made us a lot faster, but I think society at large has forgotten that a human-made your clothes or the things in your house. We make our products, and we use other humans to make our products. Everyone’s time is valuable. We’ve found that when customers shop with us, they do so because 1) They have a discerning eye for the high-quality products we make and 2) Their personal values are a match with our business values. 

We aim to be as environmentally focused on our manufacturing side as possible. We donate a tree for every zafu we produce, use recyclable or compostable packaging, and source raw materials that are kind to the earth.

Making beautiful high-quality products that are easy on the earth, good to the people that make them, and enjoyed by our customers is how we aim to impact our community for the better.  

What do you like about being a Firefly Handmade artisan?
Connecting with the other vendors is without a doubt the highlight of being a Firefly Handmade artisan. Being a handmade business can get very isolating and lonely at times. Connecting and meeting other artisans fills me up!

Is there anything you'd like us to know that we haven't asked?
A joke from my boys: what do you get when you cross a shark and a pig? Swimming bacon ☺ 

Connect with Olive & Olde's at Firefly Handmade Holiday Market, November 20 & 21, on Old South Gaylord Street, Washington Park, Denver.