It all started about twenty years ago when I took a stained glass course at Dakota Stained Glass in Sioux Falls, SD. To make a long story shorter, I later become employed as a store manager and as an instructor for lamp and kaleidoscope construction. As I became more proficient in decorative soldering, I realized that not only my kaleidoscopes were functional for viewing beautiful refractive images, but their forms were also sculptural art pieces.
In 2016, after attempting to sell them at a local Sioux Falls gallery, I realized that I needed to expand my market to online sales. An artist friend recommended that I try setting up a shop on ETSY.com. The process of setting up a shop was relatively easy but I still needed a name for my shop. I researched “How to name your business” articles and knew that I wanted a name that I could use for stained glass and for my other artistic ventures.
So why Little Raven Design Company? To make another long story shorter, …I named it after my son. As a school project, my youngest son Duncan needed to find why his parents had given him the name “Duncan” and what the name meant. As I read the multiple references to the name, “Duncan,” I came across one that read, “dark warrior.” For those of you with young sons, you probably already know that this is exactly what seven-year-old boys want to be. The “dark warrior” image is mysterious, ominous…. dangerous. As Duncan sheepishly grinned with approval, my older son, Brennan, asked what his name referred to. Brennan was not as happy when I read out loud “little raven.” And I don’t suppose it helped his fragile ego that I added a “Oh, that’s so cute!” to the end of my sentence. Maybe I was trying to make it up to him for giving him the name Brennan or maybe I think of the humor associated with the little raven reference.
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