About Us
Let's have some fun!
Cheers to all of you smart artisans from Constance Petersen (founder) and Lynn Torkelson (partner in life and business) at Smartisans!
Our family business supplies smart artisans with crafting tools, materials, and inspiration. We offer individualized, small-town customer care that you'd expect to find at your favorite local shop.
Our History
Constance founded the business in 2003 while living in Michigan's upper peninsula. The business grew in Michigan between 2003 and 2019, and eventually came to employ several family members.
In 2019 we relocated to central Iowa (Ankeny, just north of Des Moines) to be closer to extended family.
In 2022 we rebranded from Shop Smartisans to Smartisans in preparation for the next few years as we seek to expand into Smartisans branded products and other premium products that our customers have come to expect.
What makes us different?
We're a small family business, trying to bring a local craft shop experience to our online customers.
We pack with care -- your fragile quilting rulers or knitting needles will not be tossed into a cavernous cardboard box with (if you're lucky) a single bag of air.
We answer our phones ourselves. Call if you have a question about a product or want to place your order by phone. We don't outsource customer support because we want our customers to feel at home.
Blog posts
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ChiaoGoo FORTÉ 2.0 Set and FORTÉ Carbon Fiber Tips
The ChiaoGoo FORTÉ 2.0 set has carbon fiber tips in US-2 to US-8, African Blackwood in US-9 to US-15, nine cables, and a tin of tools. What is in it, what it makes, and the FORTÉ carbon fiber tips we sell by the pair.
Color Repetition: Fiber Art Colors From a Favorite Photo
Use the colors in a favorite photo to guide your fabric, yarn, and thread choices. Color repetition makes knitting, quilting, and embroidery projects cohesive and full of impact.
