Kristen Wentrcek in her box truck. — Photo courtesy of Wintercheck Factory.

Kristen Wentrcek is a Bushwick-based furniture maker who creates clean and clever designs for her company, Wintercheck Factory. The company’s website lists her titles as “President/Vice President/Treasurer/Secretary.” It’s obviously no small feat to pull off.

Before starting the business, she worked in the construction field, but longed to go it alone. Once she made up her mind, she placed a deposit on a workspace in Bushwick, bought a jigsaw, and began realizing her dream — and in the process concocted the name “Wintercheck” in an attempt to simplify her vowel-poor last name.

Evoking early 20th-Century Bauhaus design with a Brooklyn edge, her work is dominated by wood and open concepts which could look at home either in a large loft space or tight quarters, where storage is crucial.

She spoke to me over email about her experience of setting up shop in Brooklyn’s bodacious barrio of Bushwick and how she made the leap from working for the man to being the man… or the woman — well, you know what I mean.

Hrag Vartanian: When did you move to Bushwick?

Kristen Wentrcek: I actually live in the Lower East Side — my workshop for building and testing is in Bushwick. I left my previous job a little less than a year ago and remember frantically searching for affordable work space in Brooklyn since Manhattan was seriously out of the question and would murder my budget. I saw a spattering of places and was just about to sign a lease for a small windowless cell in Greenpoint when I came across a listing for SERJ Studios, off the Jefferson L.

One of the landlords agreed to meet me after I finished work, around 9pm. It was dark and pouring rain but after exiting the train, seeing the factory buildings and checking out SERJ’s raw warehouse, I would’ve given him a check that second. He and his partner were actually building out all of the studios themselves. There was really an entrepreneurial spirit about the neighborhood and I felt the studios aligned with what I was trying to do with my company, so I moved my stuff as soon as I could in late September.

HV: What do you mean by “building and testing”?

KW: By building and testing I mean actually buying materials, using power tools and assembling prototypes right in the workshop. I think everyone has a different design process but for me, it is extremely important to actually see and feel the items that I want to have manufactured before I start the process of finding a company to do the production. This also helps to figure out preemptively if the designs are comfortable, strong and function as per the design intent. If you look on my website, there is a video called “Prototyping Aaron” which really gives you a look at how this company works when it comes to designing. It is hands-on from the original concept to the prototyping, manufacturing, and selling.

HV: Where is your furniture actually made/shipped from? And is there a physical store or is it online only?

KW: Right now, the furniture is made in Astoria and shipped directly from there. I am currently researching different factories around the country in an effort to find the lowest possible price while still maintaining quality. I think it’s important to have a price point in mind when I start working on a design and it’s extremely difficult to achieve that here in NYC, for various reasons. The store is only-online right now. As a new designer, my options for selling are quite limited. Having a retail store is important, especially with higher priced items like furniture — being able to touch the item is key.

Unfortunately, whether you have your own space or sell your products through an already-established store, there will always be a high markup. In order to satisfy the need to see/touch the furniture, but also to subvert the traditional retail markup for customers, my team and I worked on the concept of having a roving showroom (in the back of a cube truck!) in conjunction with an online store.

Although the furniture I design is only available online, I was recently contacted by Voos, a furniture and design store in Williamsburg. The owners are incredible and so we’re currently collaborating on some smaller pieces that should be coming out in the Fall. Anything sold within their store would be “Wintercheck Factory for Voos” and separate from the current line.

HV: What do you like most about working in Bushwick? What do you think about the entrepreneurial spirit here?

KW: Bushwick has everything I need and nothing more. Since it is so industrial near my workshop, I have a loading dock, freight elevator and enough work space. At the same time, there is also retail like the Wyckoff Star (coffee) and Oriental Lumber (hardware store). When I meet someone who is working or living in Bushwick, more often than not, the person is utilizing the area to pursue creative endeavors. This is not just limited to art/design but really anything independent and of their own volition. Clearly I’m akin to the factories and American mass production. There is a shoe manufacturer in the bottom floor of Serj Studios and I love the fact that we have the unique opportunity to be neighbors.

HV: What do you think Bushwick could be doing to encourage more entrepreneurs like you to move in?

KW: I don’t know. I think rental rates and the real estate market really dictate these shifts, although free TCBY waffle cones wouldn’t hurt. Just sayin’.