Five Questions With The Club Of Odd Volumes

Written by Sarah Anderson
on 12 October, 2017

Sunset sheets by The Club Of Odd Volumes

From something that started back in 2012 with only a few random drawings and an Etsy store, The Club of Odd Volumes has evolved into a independent company, supporting over 100 artists.  Today we chat with legends Sarah and Matt, the founders and only two employees of this small business doing big things. 

Catch The Club of Odd Volumes at our Melbourne Market this 20-22 October. 

How did you come to be a seller at Finders Keepers?
July 2017 marked 5 years since we started The Club of Odd Volumes. Throughout, we have remained committed to helping independent artists bring their creativity into the world on apparel and homewares.

We started with the intention of printing a few of our illustrations onto tees and a short while later began printing for other artists. In August 2013 we launched our online community – The Odd Collective – featuring 20 talented illustrators, rotated monthly to allow up-and-coming talent exposure.

2013 was also our very first Finders Keepers market. We were so nervous. My mum flew over from New Zealand just to help out. In 2014 we were inspired to design photographic bed sheets and are now showcasing our third range online and at Finders Keepers.

Monstera sheets by The Club Of Odd Volumes

Monstera sheets by The Club Of Odd Volumes

Talk us through a typical day in the life of The Club of Odd Volumes.
The Club is a two-man operation run by myself (Sarah) and my husband Matt. We both work from our studio in Torquay. A typical day consists of coffee, collating web orders, emails, printing, packing, post office and Instagram. We recently moved to Torquay and Matt usually fits his print schedule around the surf.

What would be one piece of advice you would give a first time seller at The Finders Keepers?
My main motto is “It’s not you vs me, its us vs David Jones”

We love meeting other sellers at the market. Most of our stall neighbours over the past few years have become close friends. Its great to have a support system of like minded business friends who understand the challenges of small business. If I’m stuck with a customer issue or just to brainstorm new ideas, these people help me through it all. We share contacts, suppliers, tips on social media and car pool to interstate Markets.

Terracotta sheets by The Club Of Odd Volumes

Terracotta cushion by The Club Of Odd Volumes

Ficus bed cover by The Club Of Odd Volumes

ficus collection by The Club Of Odd Volumes

What has been your proudest moment to date?
We are proud of lots of things. We raised $45k on Kickstarter to launch the first print run of bed sheets. Proud of all 107 amazing artists we have collaborated with over the past 5 years, but mostly feel super proud when people stop in at Finders Keepers and tell us they are fans of our brand. We love our customers!

Tell us about your inspiration for creativity? Is there a Finders Keepers designer who you admire?
I admire so many of the Finders Keepers designers. Some for having amazing products and some for having a new and innovative ways to displaying their products. Simple / functional stand design is so good. Everyone knows I’m besties with the lovely Waan from You, Me & Bones. We met at Finders Keepers in 2014 and have collaborated on new products together.

For our bedding we were inspired to create something we wanted but could not find. We are not the best at keeping plants alive, so decided to create photographic patterned flora bedding. We first launched bed sheets rather than covers. We could only ever find plain sheets everywhere and wanted a pop of colour and life while still having a clean minimalist Pinterest bedroom. After launching the bed sheets we got huge demand for bed covers too, so now create both.

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Lifesize cat bed cover by The Club Of Odd Volumes

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