Meet Us

Jason Walters, UncommonGoods Area Operations Manager 

My hometown…
Peterstown, West Virginia.

I’m passionate about…
Books, movies and TV. I love that they allow us to see the world through someone else’s eyes.

The best gift I’ve ever received is…
A quilt that my grandmother made for me. I’ve moved around a lot on my way to Brooklyn and I can’t say that I have too many of the possessions that I started out with, but the quilt will always be something that I bring along.

The word or phrase that best describes me…
Easygoing.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
When the weather is nice, I try to spend as much time outside as possible, so a picnic in the park or drinks outdoors are two of my favorite warm weather activities. Otherwise, you’ll probably find me at BAM. I try my best to see all the movies that come through.

Something that always makes me laugh…
Bad puns, Popsicle stick jokes, general Dad humor. In fact, here’s a freebie, where do cantaloupes spend their summer vacations?………..At John Cougar’s Melon Camp! You’re welcome.

The most challenging thing I’ve ever done is…
Deciding whether or not to tell you, the internet, the Melon Camp joke. Ultimately, I thought the world a better place with that joke out there. Again, you’re welcome.

If my 6th grade teacher could see me now, he or she would say…
“Oh, hi Jason, I see you finally got the braces off….and is the beard new?”

An uncommon fact about me…
I am a Knight of the Golden Horseshoe. Every year in West Virginia, students who score well on a test covering history, geography, economy, government, and general state trivia (Did you know that Don Knotts and Mary Lou Retton are from WV?) get inducted into the Society of the Golden Horseshoe. The end result is a knighting ceremony where each student kneels and then someone would do the thing where they tap a sword on both of your shoulders! I’m not positive that my knighthood is legitimate in any way, but occasionally I will request that people call me by my proper title of Sir Jason. No one ever has….

Rebecca Doyle, Operations Team Lead

My hometown…
I was born on an air force base in Illinois, but I spent most of my school age life in Somers, NY, “Cradle of the American Circus.”

I’m inspired by…
My maternal grandparents. They were powerful and consistent examples of right-sized living and honoring their friends and family. I try to emulate them in my own behaviors and interactions with others.

My spirit animal is…
Tiger.

In high school, were you a nerd, geek, jock, a popular kid, an academic achiever, a drama kid, arts kid, juvenile delinquent, mean girl, goth, student body president, or some other type?
I was a “Tusker.” Our HS mascot was a tusked elephant, in honor of the town’s history.

The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen is…
“Beauty” truly is in the eye of the beholder, is it not? And sometimes, quite personal. That said, I would not want to punk out on the question. One of the most brilliant visions of color saturation and intensity I have ever seen is Big Bird yellow. I have had the unexpected opportunity twice in my life, so far, to see the authentic Big Bird in person. Once, many years ago, at of all places a memorial service, and the second when I turned a corner in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and BB was in a photo shoot.

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
The new one(s) that we are currently developing and rolling out… We’re always continuing to challenge ourselves to do our work better than we are, with the greatest benefit to all the stakeholders and especially our customer’s experience.

Something that always makes me laugh…
An episode of The Big Bang Theory.

An uncommon fact about me…
People are often surprised to learn that my wife and I have two grandchildren.

Jamie Hoffman, UncommonGoods Senior Buyer – Home Décor

My hometown is…
Miami Beach, Florida

My favorite product that I’ve brought into the assortment at UncommonGoods is…
Not live yet!

I’m inspired by…
Those who support themselves on their art, our UncommonGoods vendors included.

My guilty pleasure is…
Imagining that I’m Alanis Morissette on stage whenever I sing along to “Jagged Little Pill.”

An uncommon fact about me…
Elephants are my favorite animal. Last year I carved an elephant necklace out of wax and had it cast as a sterling silver pendant. Even more uncommon, jewelry vendor Emilie Shapiro taught me how!

My favorite place to hang out in New York City is…
Any riverfront park with a view of the city, preferably if it’s between 75 and 80 degrees. If I have to choose, I go with Brooklyn Bridge Park.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Practicing my Spanish.

Working at UncommonGoods, I’ve learned…
There’s no end to the number of creative, beautiful, problem-solving products being made every day.

If you could go to dinner with any historical figure or modern-day celebrity who would you choose and where would you go? (And why?)
The former art historian in me wanted to pick something decidedly more highbrow, but the fantasy of getting a slice at Paulie Gee’s with Jon Stewart made me too giddy to give it up. It’d include a lot of hearty laughter, intellectual banter, and a few impersonations of our respective New Jersey relatives. Plus, Paulie Gee’s pizza is pretty highbrow.

Louise Geller, UncommonGoods Senior Planner

My hometown is…
New York, NY

My favorite project that I’ve worked on at UncommonGoods is…
I truly love working with our forecasting software, learning how the database is organized so we can harness its power effectively. Forecasting is basically predicting the future, and it’s pretty exciting when you do it right. It’s okay, you can call me a nerd.

I’m inspired by…
Live theater. Humans are becoming increasingly accustomed to being isolated from each other, so when a production can unite an audience in a meaningful shared experience, it is pretty awesome. I still feel inspired thinking about watching the pivotal moments of Peter and the Starcatcher, the best play to ever be on Broadway. (I will not accept rebuttals to this point.)

My favorite place to eat in New York City is…
My apartment? Just kidding (kind of). There are always so many new places to try in NYC, I don’t end up going back to the ones I love as often as I might like. Cookshop in Chelsea has probably been on my favorites list the longest. There’s also an amazing pizza and cocktail spot in my neighborhood called Wheated, and I will eat there at basically any opportunity.

An uncommon fact about me…
I can (and probably will, if you don’t stop me) give you a 90 minute lecture/guided tasting on the various styles of cheese and their history.

My guilty pleasure is…
I try not to feel guilty about anything that gives me pleasure, but I guess I’d say rereading books that I loved when I was a kid. You can get major side eye by being an adult reading Beverly Cleary on the F train.

Since working at UncommonGoods I’ve learned…
To never underestimate the popularity of dishtowels.

If I could travel forward or backward in time, I would…
Blow all my money on a trip around the world, and then come back to now and spend it on something sensible instead. I’m assuming I’d get to keep the memories and experiences.

With the following ingredients in front of me I would make…
You’re given the Make Your Own Hot Sauce Kit, the Wine Jelly Set, and the Craft Beer Cake Mix Set.

I’d add some of the cayenne or hot peppers from the hot sauce kit into the chocolate stout mix, then spread the Cabernet & cracked pepper jelly between two layers once the cake was baked. I’m not sure how well it would work flavor-wise, but I bet I’d find some volunteers to taste it.