THE TEAM
Our Team Is Dedicated to Quality
If you have visited the “Our Story” page or read about our point of view when it comes to Craftsmanship, you already know that we at Hand & Grain are a passionate group devoted to creating pieces of furniture that will serve as the foundations for so many important events that play out in your life. Complementing the talented artisans who make our bench-made furniture, we are the team dedicated to presenting their work to you in a way that we believe honors the quality which makes our furniture so special.
JESSICA
After years in the furniture world, our CEO Jessica Holmstrom launched a wholesale furniture company in 2008 that was dedicated to timeless craftsmanship and sophisticated designs. Becoming a furniture manufacture was a long-held passion for her. “It was a dream come true and ultimately my greatest teacher,” she notes. “I learned that, as I traversed this world of furniture, every experience would prepare me for the next one and, as such, that venture prepared me for this new one called Hand & Grain.”
She began envisioning and creating an exquisitely designed occasional collection for a high-end upholstery factory in 2016, a collaboration that has been very rewarding. “I quickly realized that there were some great opportunities to explore with them,” she explains. “The quality of their work, their passion and their commitment to the process was in line with mine, and so began the creation of Hand & Grain.” This commitment to process is one of the reasons Jessica is so perfect to head up this effort. Having a leader who is so dedicated to the unparalleled distinction that a bench-made concept demands is the crowning touch to our focus on quality, which nimbly begins on the factory floor and infuses every tier of our company.
CHARLIE
In 2011, Charlie Velázquez earned his B.A. at the age of 23 and immediately found an excellent fit for his talents in the furniture manufacturing realm. “Being my first ‘real world, full-time job,’ I didn’t have as much experience in the field as some manufacturers would have demanded but the owners were very willing to allow me to learn the complexities and fine points of the immense world of the furniture industry because they saw promise.” By 2017, he was offered a job that provided him with an opportunity to grow: building a new online company from the ground up.
“I felt grateful to my previous employers,” he says, “but knew this was an opportunity not to pass up so I jumped at it. One year later, here we are; and working at Hand & Grain allows me to use all of the skills that I have learned so far, whether it be photoshopping a sofa, taking a photo of a chair or capturing that precise moment of master craftsmanship in the making.” Charlie is the person who visually communicates to those of you who visit our website the heart and essence of Hand & Grain. The talent he unleashes when he is behind a camera or moving around in photo/video editing programs allows us to be seriously creative and we are thrilled to have such a maestro of inventiveness on our team.
KARINA
Karina Velázquez was born into a family whose grandfather created hand-carved creations that embellished many homes in their community and grew up with a mother who was a regional saleswoman for Coaster, so she is far from new to the furniture world. “I started my own professional journey in this industry in 2013 working for a high-end upholstery manufacturer,” she says. “I helped establish the Customer Service and Order Entry departments.” After learning the ropes of customer care, high-end furniture became her area of expertise and this began her path toward joining the Hand & Grain family, her move from brick-and-mortar to e-commerce a seamless one.
“At Hand & Grain, I am your go-to person when you need information about our furniture,” she notes. “I am ready to send you swatches and make all the decisions required to make sure that after you place an order, you are updated until every piece is shipped and installed in your home.” Though customer service is as natural to Karina as breathing, she knows so many other aspects of online sales that she is a whiz at streamlining processes. “My main goal is to make sure that your shopping experience is as great as sitting on your brand-new sofa,” she explains. “If you can dream it, we can make it!”
ALICIA
Alicia Ortega’s passion for computers began around the age of six when an uncle bought a very old P.C. The vintage machine took diskettes, had a black screen, and showed only green text! At 12, she expanded her knowledge with another uncle, a computer engineer, through whom she upped the ante on her skills. By 15, she was taking graphic design and computer classes in high school. “I took administration, accounting and marketing classes,” she explains, “through these completing business projects involving a photography studio and the design of an Italian restaurant.”
During her university years, she helped to build a virtual test that detected children with special needs and provided them with the results immediately; and participated in the design of a tablet/mobile application dedicated to children with autism, helping them to communicate with the world about their needs and desires. Her career began in a position of tech support, and she was simultaneously completing an internship dedicated to made-to-order websites. All of this, and being involved in her family's business, led her to Hand & Grain where she is a key player on our website development team. Her love of computing, skills at researching and coding dexterity make her an invaluable asset for us.