Krown Lab Reaches One Year Milestone, Portland Startup Now Stepping onto National Retail Stage

PORTLAND/OR, USA May 5, 2010 -- Portland’s latest upstart, Krown Lab, announced today that it reached the one-year milestone at the end of April. Krown Lab’s initial product introduction of contemporary & modern architectural sliding door hardware that is “Crafted in Portland, Oregon” was first introduced in April ‘09 via an advertisement in Dwell Magazine and online on the company’s website. Within days of the magazine being in newsstands, traffic to the site sparked to life and emails and calls from around the globe began to stream in from places as far away as the U.K. and Australia. Architects, builders, designers and homeowners the world over are now choosing Krown Lab over expensive imports and traditional barn door hardware systems because of it’s modern look, and excellent price point. Portland architect, Brian Kimura of Holst Architecture, who has installed the system in his own home, had this to say about Krown Lab products. "A fresh design combined with solid engineering and ease of installation. With its unique exposed bearings, carriers and hanging track, my Oden system always attracts attention; yet beyond its distinctive look, this system slides precisely and effortlessly and is built to last." Despite the downward market of 2009, Krown Lab Creator, Stefan Andrén had this to say about the firm’s first year, “Fantastic, well beyond what we expected for our first year. My vision was to introduce a lineup that would be timeless & iconic, and the feedback from around the world is that we are spot on.”

Four local partners were chosen in the first quarter of 2010 to introduce Krown Lab products to local clients. National Builders Hardware Co., Chown Hardware, Winks Hardware and Hippos Hardware now showcase the entire Krown Lab product line. “Deciding which local retailers would showcase Krown Lab was easy. Being a Portland based company, we know our neighbors, friends and fans think of these companies the same way we do, like a trusted friend.” Said Ben Finklea, Krown Lab President. Taking aim at the national residential and commercial market is the next step in Krown Lab’s growth plan. An increasing list of highly respected, high-end hardware retailers and e-tailers are now bringing the innovative Krown Lab product lineup to a much larger audience (see list below). Tom Gross, CEO of Specialty Doors commented, “Krown Lab came along at just the right moment and is filling a long standing need in the architectural sliding door hardware market. Being a US based product with a contemporary look that is priced right is a winning combination.”

Krown Lab Retail Partners:
• Austin Doorman: Austin, TX
• Barndoorhardware.com: Online
• Bird Decorative Hardware & Bath: Six locations in N. Carolina & S. Carolina
• Chown Hardware: (Portland, OR & Bellevue, WA)
• factor-e: Tulsa, OK
• Fenetech, Seal Beach, CA
• Hippos Hardware: Portland, OR
• index-d: Bridgeport, CT & Online
• National Builders Hardware Co.: Portland, OR
• Outdora: Sonoma: CA & Online
• Schacht Millworks: Lafayette, CO
• Simon’s Hardware & Bath: Manhattan & Hamptons, NY
• Slidingdoorhardware.com: Online
• Specialty Door: El Segundo, CA & Online
• Winks Hardware: Portland, OR

Krown Lab Manufactures Reps:
• Architectural Design Options: Ms. Melissa Thorn, Orange County, CA
• Architectural Design Options: Mr. Dean Jarmusch, San Diego, CA
• Architectural Design Options: Mr. Otto Laszlo, Santa Barbara, CA
• Lapree Vert: Ms. Alexandria Lapree, Denver, CO

ABOUT KROWN LAB: Krown Lab is a design and manufacturing company with its head quarters in Portland, Oregon. We specialize in the creation of high quality products for modern and contemporary dwellings and interior space. We pride ourselves in designing clever product solutions that are highly iconic, yet perfectly timeless. We focus on performance, rather than believing that form follows function or vice versa. We battle complexity, strive for simplicity and cherish the “a-ha” moments along the way. We do believe that less really is more. All our products have been distilled down to their purest form and function, with every detail of every part justified. The products we design and produce are held to the highest quality standards. We ultimately believe in only making products that we are proud to own and use ourselves. We hope you enjoy them as well. Krown Lab is made up of a tight knit group of designers, fabricators and crafts people, with global experience of every aspect of product creation, development and commercialization. Our diverse experiences and broad range know how in architecture, sustainability, footwear, sports performance products, furniture, packaging, consumer electronics and luxury goods allows us a unique perspective on product creation.

Mailing Address: 939 SE Alder St. Unit 5 Portland OR, 97214 United States
p + 1 503 292 6998 f + 1 503 206 7236

Ben Finklea, President: ben@krownlab.com
939 SE Alder St. Unit 5 Portland OR, 97214 United States
p + 1 503 292 6998 f + 1 503 206 7236

This release was published on openPR.