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Creative Slash

Ep. 029 – Thomas Marnin (MarninSayor) – Toy Design, Donut Cats & The Magic of Their Pike Place Shop

March 12 · 1 hr 35 min · 68.5 MB
0:00-1:35:04

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In this episode, we talk with Thomas Marnin, co-founder of MarninSayor, a toy shop inside Seattle’s Pike Place Market. The shop grew out of a passion for handcrafted toys and the nostalgia of classic donut shops. 

In this episode, we talk about:

  • How a tiny pencil sketch and a handmade toy turned into a product they could actually sell.
  • What it’s like building a handmade brand piece by piece. From sewing toys to designing packaging to creating a retail space inspired by the characters.
  • Why Pike Place Market is such a unique place to start a creative business, and how its “meet the producer” philosophy helps small makers thrive. 
  • Practical lessons that come from turning a small creative experiment into something people genuinely want to buy.

If you’ve ever tried to turn a side project into something real, or wondered how a simple creative idea slowly grows into a business, you're going to love this episode.

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Brad Woodard

Brad is an illustrator and designer behind Brave the Woods, a full-service studio working with clients like PBS Kids, Ford, Target, and USPS. His bold, playful style and heart-led storytelling shine through everything from brand campaigns to children’s books.

View Brave the Woods

Dustin Lee

Dustin is the founder of RetroSupply, a shop for retro-inspired brushes, textures, and digital tools used by tens of thousands of creatives from indie artists to major studios. He shares what it’s really like to run a creative business while keeping it small, weird, and intentional.

View RetroSupply

Credits

Audio/video editing: Clara Wright
Cover art: Brad Woodard
Intro animation: Seth Austin
Intro music: “Snakes and Fire” (Instrumental) by Pär Hagström