Before there were manufacturers, before there was a warehouse in Texas, before there was anything — there was my grandfather's workshop.
Back in 2013 I was still a student designing my first knot poufs, I knew I wanted to add wooden rings as holders. I turned to my grandfather David — who, sometime in his later years, had fallen deeply in love with woodturning. Slowly, over time, he collected more and more tools, more and more chisels, and became a truly skilled woodturner.
He made my first wooden rings with joy. No hesitation, no conditions. Just — of course, tell me what you need.
When I graduated and started producing and selling the poufs for real, I would drive to his workshop once a month to pick up a box of rings. Then once every two weeks. Then every week. The sales kept growing, and so did the orders. Every time I came to pick up a box, he would smile and tell me he was already starting on the next batch.
Today, my grandfather is 90. His mind is sharp and clear — but his body has slowed down. In the last few years, he sold most of his tools, understanding that that chapter was closing.
And now, with time and perspective, I understand what those years really were.
He understood it back then. I was too young, too busy building, to fully feel it. But now — as a grown woman, as a mother myself — I can see it clearly: those weekly drives to his workshop, the boxes of wooden rings, his face lighting up every time I walked through the door. It was time we will never get back. And it was some of the most precious time of my life.
To this day, the first thing he asks me every time we speak is: "How's the business?" And the question he comes back to, again and again: "Are you innovating, Neta? Always remember — the most important thing is to keep innovating. Never stand still."
He's 90 years old and he's still my greatest mentor.
I cherish every moment we have left. And no matter what — I will never forget the love he gave me, quietly, one wooden ring at a time.