Meet Jonna Twigg And Her DIY Book-Binding Business, Twigg’s Bindery
They say never judge a book by its cover, but now you totally can — especially if you made the cover yourself at Twigg’s Bindery, they’ll all be just right.
Open for a month now in an unassuming, but bright and airy space at 85 Fort Greene Place, Twigg’s Bindery is the brainchild of local artist and entrepreneur Jonna Twigg, whose story of building a business from the ground up represents equal parts up-by-your-bootstraps determination and the slow reality and grit of making it as a businesswoman in New York.
Twigg started out around six years ago by binding books for herself while in college getting her BA in Fine Arts. “I had no formal classes in it, but did it myself and sold them to friends and family, [then] did Brooklyn Flea my first year before taking a business class via WIBO,” she explained. “I looked for something I could create that’s my own.”
Her next steps were to branch out her wholesale and online business for several years, do a trade show, and, now, opening her own store — a chance to open up Twigg’s Bindery’s services to retail, events, art classes, children’s classes, and maker/bookbinding classes.
Just this past weekend, Twigg hosted a graphic novel class with noted artist Barbara Slate, and there are many more classes to come.
Having taught herself, Twigg understands the allure of DIY products.
“Our logo is a silhouette of me; I drew it because I used to design and make everything myself. Now I teach people,” she said. “Our new line is DIY — it comes with a needle and thread and instructions. People love actually making it themselves, and our binding patterns are unique.”
Twigg’s Bindery sells items nationwide with 10 different wholesalers and serves anywhere from the Smithsonian, Guggenheim, and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), to high-end boutiques and gift shops, restaurants, and organizations that need presentation materials and bound collections.
It’s amazing to think how bound books are so easily taken for granted when we shop at bookstores or buy a yearbook or create a scrapbook. Which made us wonder: is the bookbinding business booming or a niche market?
“Twigg’s Bindery shows it’s a viable object to be selling,” said Twigg. “For me, we are distinguished by our price point because mine is higher. Bookbinding is an art. As an artist, I think time factors in.
“But as a business, I needed to make it into a product that could be duplicated,” she added. “Books are not fancy, but they will last. A ton of people sell hand-bound books, but not a lot of them do multiples and turn them into businesses. I learned to not treat every one as an art project — to treat it as a business — in order to make it viable.”
At Twigg’s Bindery, a small DIY book costs $25, and products range from $10-$18 to $250 and up for custom work, like the menu covers they recently made for a restaurant in Gowanus.
Now that her store is up and running, Twigg says it’s still such “a dream come true.”
“I’m happy we’re in my neighborhood. I’ve lived here many years and wanted to build a space that felt warm and inviting, and also functional,” she smiled. “Being next to BAM, the Polonsky Shakespeare Center, and this cultural district is wonderful. It’s a great mix of culture and great neighborhood restaurants and schools.”
And now Twigg’s Bindery is a fantastic addition to it all!
Visit the Twigg’s Bindery website for more info about classes and space rental opportunities.
TWIGGS BINDERY
85 Fort Greene Place
Open Weds-Sun, from 12-6pm
www.twiggsbindery.com
Instagram: @twiggsbindery