Sticks, Inc.

The History of Sticks

Sticks origins date back to 1985 when Sarah Grant, an abstract painter and college art instructor, was commissioned to design a wooden nativity set for Better Homes & Gardens Decorative Woodcrafts® magazine. At the time, Sarah’s artistic background was solely focused on drawing and painting linear surfaces, and this project challenged Sarah to incorporate her artistry onto a 3-D surface.

On a weekend excursion to a friend’s antique store, Sarah came across some etched wooden furniture from the twenties and thirties. She was inspired. Sarah’s father, John, assisted her with carving the wooden structures for a nativity set, and she experimented with etching her designs onto the wooden set. She found this technique was an effective way to realize her designs.

Decorative Woodcrafts® magazine purchased one Sarah’s nativity sets, and her mother, Carol proudly claimed one of the “practice” sets to display in their home. Sarah was soon inundated with requests from family and friends for nativity sets and small holiday items. She began a small company called “OriginArt Forms” to supplement her income.

In December of 1991, Better Homes and Gardens® featured a story about Sarah and her company “Origin Art Forms” which elicited a large national response and an influx of orders. Sarah incorporated the company as Sticks, Inc. in 1992, and the company has evolved to offer a distinctive line of furniture, accessories and object art. Each piece is handcrafted and designed within Sticks award-winning design studio in Des Moines, Iowa by a staff of nearly 150 craft artisans.

Sticks has received national recognition for their exceptional line of furniture, accessories and object art. Sticks’ furniture and artwork is currently displayed in over 100 galleries nationwide. Sticks’ business has also evolved to include interior installation projects for hospitals, libraries, schools, restaurants and hotels.