Our Story

Another year passed and in the blink of an eye, our family grew by one when we welcomed our daughter into the world.

As we juggled full-time jobs and parenthood, our little side project started to slowly take off. 

Our ice bucket was a hit with customers and orders started rolling in.

We felt we were onto something and were determined to launch our new product ideas. But boy was the sleep deprivation real… 

Finding time to work on our business while juggling work, family, and the occasional “I want to hear Baby Shark” for the 10th straight time toddler meltdown, was no easy feat.

It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack...if the haystack was made of dirty laundry and the needle was buried somewhere in an endless to-do list. 

Following months of frustration and sleepless nights, John came up with a crazy solution—sleeping when the kids did at night and waking up at the crack of dawn to work on our business before the kids woke up and the chaos of the day began.

After a few initial groggy weeks and extra cups of coffee, the habit eventually stuck and it created the time needed to grow the business in those early days. 

Now, we cherish these early morning hours as a time to focus, reflect, and create. 

 

In 2018 we launched not one, not two, but THREE new products under our Saratoga Home brand: hanging storage bins, fancy farmhouse salt and pepper shakers, and a cute-as-a-button planter pot with tray set.

We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves for our small brand going from one product to a “whopping” four.

John’s office job often took him on long international trips while Melissa held down the fort at home with two young kids.

With new product samples being shipped to hotels, we were constantly communicating and collaborating from afar to keep things moving.

It was a true partnership, but there were bumps in the road…

Let’s just say that we had a bit of a labeling snafu with our new products.

It was a minor mistake, really—just a mix-up between the planter pots and the storage bins labels.

But hey, our customers were probably excited to find cute little herb pots when they were expecting storage bins, right? (Spoiler alert: they weren't.)

We were, of course, super apologetic and rushed to make things right for everyone. 

After a very expensive inventory pull, re-labeling and a relaunch, things were eventually back on track.

It was a lot of work, but thankfully the product relaunches went extremely well.

New customers discovered and loved our designs, and we were back on track!

 

We decided to take a bold step forward this year.

John took a deep breath and left his full-time corporate job with its nice benefits package to work in a part-time gig to allow for more time on the brand.

You might say we traded the stability of a steady income for the instability of chasing our dreams, but that's the kind of crazy we are.

And it (thankfully) paid off!

With more time for our family and our brand, we finally had the space to realize our aspirations.

In addition to this big change, we also went through not one, but TWO Saratoga Home rebrands this year. It's like a midlife crisis, but for businesses.

The end result? The nice packaging that you now get when you purchase any of our storage products (in 2022 we further updated our look!).

We all know what happened in 2020, right?

For us, Covid-19 grinded product sales to a halt in March and John was quickly furloughed from his aviation industry part-time job.

Things looked bleak.

John spent his early mornings pacing outside in the cold late-winter temperatures trying to piece everything together. 

After the first few weeks of shock as people started getting sick across the world, the stock market dive bombed, and mass layoffs occurred, many turned to the convenience of buying online.

Thankfully, things turned around for us.

Stuck inside, it turned out that everyone wanted to beautify their homes. 

We had more time together as a family than ever before, making memories that we'll cherish forever.

Freeze dance dance parties, puzzles, and snack binges became our new normal (some weight gain may have also happened).

Amongst this we also launched three new products: a farmhouse napkin holder, countertop canisters, and a rustic sponge holder (with the right labels this time, phew!).

And just when we thought the year couldn't get any crazier, we welcomed our third child (a beautiful daughter) into the world in December!

2020 was truly a year of fear and uncertainty, but it also brought us immense joy and new beginnings.

 

Today John and Melissa are now spending more time with family, while both working full-time on the Saratoga Home brand, alongside an incredible team that shares their passion for creating quality home storage items. 

With more than 20 products and growing, our items are proudly displayed in homes, stores, and restaurants throughout the USA and Canada.

Over the years our items have even been featured on broadway sets, the TV series JAG, and even at a Miami Dolphins party!  

So stay tuned! We have plenty of fun new products on the way, each one designed to add something special to your home. 

Have a question you’d like to ask or want to say hi? Send us an email at hello@saratogahomeonline.com and you’ll soon see our response in your inbox.

We love hearing from everyone and look forward to chatting with you. 

Above all, a sincere thank you for your support and being a part of our journey. We couldn't do it without you!