end of this journey

Posted on February 18 2017


dear #umanounion,

it is with massive gratitude that I announce the end of an inconceivably meaningful chapter.

umano will operate through the end of february and give our last 1,000 backpacks full of art supplies. my immediate goal is to ensure our fullest attention to our customers and Giving Partners. our “end of this journey” sale starts today--more info on that below.

this resolution was not made lightly or in haste. the team and I spent countless hours over many months investigating every opportunity. I am at peace with the decision because I am confident that this is the right thing to do.

social entrepreneurship, to me, is about scaling a big business to make a big, positive impact on the world. we did not try to play it safe or create a “lifestyle” business intending to work less hours and have less stress. we went for it, against the odds, david vs goliath, true underdog style. we shifted focus to building the fridge door of the internet, a platform to discover, celebrate, shop, and share kid’s art. we unleashed our own creativity, and we took one shot, and then another, and another, and another to scale our business and reach our Giving Goal of 10 million backpacks full of art supplies.

https://umano.com/blogs/umano/10-reasons-why-we-support-art-education

umano succeeded in having a big, positive impact, empowering nearly 40,000 kids to unleash their creativity, which is both humbling and deeply satisfying. I am beaming with pride for being part of something that made thousands of amazing relationships with awesome customers and incredible Giving Partners.

moreover, I’m as bullish as ever about the future of social entrepreneurship and I am hopeful that our brand’s mission will live on inside each of us. I will continue to wear my favorite Kartwork as a badge of honor.

https://umano.com/blogs/umano/94871430-five-reasons-we-love-social-entrepreneurship

five years ago jonathan and I started a little company in our parents’ garage. mom and pops never stopped running “the shop” and our amazing, awe-inspiring, scrappy-as-hell team never stopped working passionately to accomplish our mission.

https://umano.com/blogs/umano/our-story

thank you to all of our customers for your unrivaled loyalty and to our family and friends who believed in us and our mission from day one. the rollercoaster rocketship ride of building a business is reflected in all of our personal relationships.

if you would like to shop before the site closes at the end of the month, our "end of this journey" sale has tees up to 70% off.

#umanounion, thank you for sharing the ride with us. 

be the thing that starts the stuff.

alex torrey

umano, brother and co-founder