On the Ice Cocktail Stirrers

Born in Poland and raised in upstate New York, Marta Cornwell was fascinated from an early age by all things design. "Being raised in two unique cultures filled my young mind with so many ideas on the topics of patterns, styles, and all things pretty and practical," she says. "Buffalo's rich history as a manufacturing city" was an inspiration as well. After completing her studies in industrial design, she worked for a large US-based manufacturer creating tabletop items from ceramics, glass, metal and plastics. She loved it, and yet another ambition was taking shape: counteracting store shelves full of disposable kitchen tools with carefully crafted, original, eco-friendly ones of her own design. She succeeded, and her company still makes all its items "right here in Buffalo."