Mission /
Improving our quality of life through the quality of things.
Because things are not just things.
Everything that’s made, repaired, shared, kept, loved, discarded, upcycled or recycled has the power to build stronger communities, meaningful gatherings, and supercharge a cycle of good things built around things. As we see how easy and powerful it is to be a little more thoughtful with all the things in our lives, we can create a chain of events that improves our closets, our garages, our homes, our neighborhoods, our relationships. Not to mention the world economy, and the ecology of the planet.
Yes, we’re serious. Through putting just a little more thought and love into the things we gather, keep and let go, companies start to respond. To more thoughtfully make the things we want. Before we know it, more things last longer but cost the same as things that don’t. More things can be repaired, and more people spring up to repair them. We build community with people who want what we no longer do, and more companies crop up doing amazing things with our old wine corks, 3D printer scraps and used batteries. Turning smelly towels and thread-bare sheets into economical wall insulation. Dog food bags into billboards. But Gatheron isn’t about the tired old narratives on upcycling, recycling, circularity or green living.
It’s not about guilt. It’s not about being a minimalist. It’s about helping us all become Gatherists. Whereby we simply do what we’ve always done, gathering, selling, organizing, living. But no longer as “consumers.” As stewards of these so-called “inanimate things” who give a damn about them. Gatheron is not for the wealthy or privileged. You can live in a bus or a trailer or a cardboard shack next to a dry creek and do this better than someone in a house suitable for Dwell magazine. Gatheron is simply about turning our things and our spaces into fun sanctuaries where everything has a story and meaning. And what doesn’t, moves on to someone who loves it.
VISION /
give the world a fun, beautiful and guilt-free way TO GATHER THINGS
We will give the world a fun, beautiful and guilt-free way out of consumerism by inspiring a collective transformation for how we see the things in our lives. By making it easy for anyone to gather and let go based on their preferences, we will ignite a cultural shift toward intentional gathering, artful keeping and responsible letting go >>
We will flip the script on the innate human drive to acquire things and foster a new and sustainable love for well-made things, beautiful spaces, rich community and healthy planet. Ultimately we will encourage businesses to respond to gatherism and its new expectation for quality by making fewer things better, built to last, made to be repaired and passed on >>
Gatheron makes the things in our lives more powerful. It turns our everyday objects into change. It makes keeping things and gathering things and letting go of things fun and meaningful. It turns our clothes, furniture, rugs, lawn mowers, dog toys, chairs, socks and underwear into better. We know this might sound crazy, but we’ve done the math. We come from the big leagues of business and tech where we we were solving “sustainability” problems with systems that were “circular.” Exactly the kind of experience that helped us realize that the answers to these problems have to be accessible for all of us. Easy. Approachable. Beautiful. And fun. And here we are now. With precisely that kind of solution.
By merely shifting how we see the things in our lives, and changing how the way we gather, keep and let them go, Gatheron lets us all be part of the solution. And we don’t even have to care about the solution. Because nobody wants to feel guilty, and that’s the core of the problem with the entire thing. Even well-meaning companies can unintentionally make us feel like crap if we’re not wearing the latest trend or can’t afford the latest thing. Gatheron gives you the power to turn it all into good. Call it gatherism, if you like. An antidote to consumerism that says “hey, know all that things you currently own, and all those new things you want? Here’s a new way of seeing it that makes it all more fun, personal and beautiful. Oh, and know all those things you’re no longer using? Let’s get it to the people who need it and the companies that know how to turn it into better things.”
At its functional core, Gatheron is a simple app ( like AirBnB or Uber) that lets you add things from your closet, pantry or garage, then gives you simple next steps and suggestions on how to live with it better. How to take care of it all to keep value high. Showing you who wants what you don’t. How to let stuff go responsibly. Or gather more things that match your vibe and can uplevel your spaces or style. And here’s the thing. Remember how we said we’ve done the math? Well, we have. And we know that gatherism will send crystal clear signals to the companies and brands making things that we want them to make less things, better. It tells Nike that we expect things to last and be repairable. It tells Amazon that we want them to pick up our old towels when they drop off new ones, and ship them to the place that turns them into home insulation. It tells makers and founders that we care about the things they make, and want their very best. It impacts economies, and puts the power back into your hands. Via simply shopping and selling and arranging our spaces, wardrobes and homes.
This isn’t an approach reserved for the wealthy or those with “design sensibility” or “spare time” or “disposable income” who have nothing better to do. It’s for all of us. Gatheron meets you where you are and makes it simple to start, one closet, one room, or even just one thing. Add your items, and the app will organize them, suggest next steps, and show you your things in a new light. You’ll see options for selling, donating, or bringing in pieces that fit your style and your life all while keeping it fun. That feels perfect for your style or where you want to go in life. All in a way that keeps it fun. We’d like you to give it a try.
GATHERIST /
A GATHERIST is someone who gathers ideas, people, THINGS, or experiences.
It’s often used to describe a person who collects or curates things intentionally, not just physically but also socially or intellectually.
Deep down we already know the answer. To gather means we first consider. Do I want it? Do I need it? How does it work with the rest of my things? Who made it? Where did it come from? Can I let some other things go to make space for it? We can call this “Gatherism” if we want. But it is not elitism. In fact it’s pretty much the opposite. How humble is it to regard things in our lives with respect? To understand each thing has value, each thing took time to make required resources, people, shipping. “Gathering well” also means considering how we let go of what we no longer want, or what is no longer working. Sure it can mean “recycling” or “upcycling,” but it can also mean sending stuff to places that need and will pay for your stuff instead. To be a “Gatherist” also means gathering a community of like-minded folks who might want what you no longer do. At Gatheron, we make all of this really easy. All aspects of it. We’re here to give you an app-based system to log all the things we have in our spaces. Track what we prefer. Help us source new gatherings, connect us with places and people who want what we no longer do. To gather well. Feel a little better. Let buyer’s guilt fade. And gather on.
