Your Neighbors, the Entrepreneurs: Jenny McAllister Nevins & Karla the Losen

jenny-mcallister-nevins-and-karla-the-losen-of-savorWho’s answering these questions?
Jenny McAllister-Nevins and Karla the Losen, founders and co-CEOs of Savor.

Elevator pitch?
At Savor, we’re reinventing keepsake organization to make it stylish, fun, and easy. Childhood is over in the blink of an eye, but our memories last forever.

SavorIntriguing! Tell us more.
Our bespoke boxes, The Library, give your family memories—from the first tooth to the beloved blankie to that teary homesick letter from camp—the special home they deserve. The keepsake storage system is disguised to look like museum-quality books that tuck into most bookshelves, hence the name. We’ve thought of all the details—from illustrated labels to help you decide what’s worth keeping, to personalization, to acid-free protection, to tiny envelopes for the first lost tooth and lock of hair—so you can focus on making memories, not organizing them. In this digital age, those physical mementos you keep take on even greater prominence, and they deserve a special—and easily accessible—home.

When was Savor founded?
Winter 2014. But we didn’t officially launch until our premiere with The Grommet in May 2016.

Where did the idea come from?
We’ve been friends since our kids started school together at age 2. We were talking over a play date about how we’d each patched together a not-quite-working system to organize our kids’ special treasures. But neither of us felt good about our systems, and we weren’t alone, as we found out when we talked to other people. Everyone feels guilty about how they organize (or, more to the point, don’t organize) these totems of childhood. But just because we don’t have time or inclination for a baby book doesn’t mean there aren’t important things we want to save. So we talked to parents, grandparents, archivists, organizers, and others about what has worked for them. The Library is the result of over two years of research and development.

SavorWhy the name “Savor”?
To savor is to prolong joy, to appreciate the moment, to try to capture what’s fleeting. Of course, this is particularly true for childhood, which is where our products are now. But our company more broadly is about helping people create everyday memories—moments to savor. Our motto is “Preserve the big. Celebrate the small. Savor it all.”

How big is Savor now?
So far, it has mainly been the two of us, and our very, very understanding families. We feel like that ad with the guy doing all the different voices to pretend his company is bigger—we have to wear a lot of hats.

Where is it headquartered?
Officially, New York City and Sag Harbor. Unofficially, wherever we are.

How and where do you see it growing?
We can’t wait to be able to expand our line. We just want to get the first holiday season under our belts. We plan on helping families celebrate and curate important life events with the Savor brand.

Any company hangouts around here?
We’ve pretty much worn out a seat at Gotan. We love everything about that place—the spaciousness, the amazing food, the on-tap soda water, the staff. We also order from Clementine, where we are addicted to the Malibu Veg sandwich. And we’re thrilled Jack’s Stir Brew is now at the Roxy hotel and that our favorite Austrian restaurant, Edi & the Wolf, opened an outpost downtown, Schilling.

Where can Savor products be purchased?
Locally at Babesta (on Warren and in Brookfield Place), Torly Kid, The New Stand in Brookfield Place, and Design Market at the South Street Seaport. Nationally, at Paper Source, The Grommet, UncommonGoods, Wayfair, Buybuybaby.com, and Amazon.

Previously in this series:
••• Melanie Moss
••• Michelle Vale and Elena Corsano, Soak
••• Greg Schwartz, Stork
••• Anca Toderic, Huckle & Goose
••• Justin Hsu, MarcoPolo Learning
••• Marjorie Jaffe Goldner, PregPrep
••• Lianna Sugarman, LuliTonix
••• Grace Lee, Nine Naturals
••• Offir Gutelzon, Keepy
••• Lisa Ridd, Smitten Films

 

2 Comments

  1. Keep up the GREAT work ladies :)

  2. I am so happy to see two incredibly astute women succeed at revolutionizing the way we can keep and cherish our memories! Not only is this an incredibly smart product, but the design is snazzy and fun look at! in Congratulations to you both!

    Best- Lisa
    Santa Monica, CA

Comment: