Aaron and Miranda Jones, Galanter & Jones
Galanter & Jones makes heated outdoor furniture featuring a cast-stone surface and adjustable radiant heating — the perfect resting spot for frigid San Francisco summer evenings. “I was working on a landscape design project and created a heated bench as a oneoff,” says Aaron Jones, 35. “It worked well, and I was surprised no one else was doing it.” The company started with a single product, the pod-shaped Helios bench, eventually adding Helios chairs and then the more angular Evia line in 2014. Says his sister Miranda Jones, 37, “We want to give people what they need to enjoy being outdoors.”
When did you start? After about a year of prototyping and design work, the company officially launched in March 2013, in a SOMA space sublet from manufacturer Capital Eyewear, with whom they connected via SFMade. It wasn’t long before they were looking to expand space and increase convenience. “Our employees couldn’t park there, and after a certain time of day you couldn’t leave and come back because of the traffic congestion,” Aaron says.
“We just moved to the Bayview in January,” he says, adding that Capital Eyewear came along and operates out of the 6,000-square-foot space with them. “There’s room for scale here. And it feels like the real deal — I mean, we have a loading dock and roll up doors!” His sister adds, “Aaron likes that there is a ramp in back that he can ride his motorcycle up.”
Why manufacture in San Francisco? “San Francisco is a hotbed of creativity, and we’re a product of that,” Aaron says. “People here appreciate it when form and function go together like they do in our product,” Miranda says. “San Francisco is ahead of other regions in that regard.”
What makes it challenging? “Not many vendors have been able to stay in San Francisco because it’s gotten expensive, so for things we need like metalwork and powder coating, we have to go outside of the city,” Aaron says. With seven employees total, they’re also mindful that expansion would be impacted by San Francisco’s relatively expensive workforce.
Family matters? “Working with a sibling, there’s a shorthand, and you know what the other person’s motivation is,” Miranda says. Adds her brother, “There’s a built-in level of commitment that just makes it easier.”
Where will you be in another five years? The goal is for national distribution and an expanded product line, but “We’ll always have a presence here,” Miranda says. Aaron says, “I see us branching out between custom and higher volume work. The prototyping and custom work would stay in San Francisco either way.” The siblings take inspiration from fellow SFMade members Heath Ceramics. “They’ve expanded their business with so much integrity.” Miranda says. “It’s nice to be in a club that includes companies like that.”