A Little Piece of History

With round, square, glow-in-the-dark, and 24K-gold-plated buttons, plus a museum dedicated to the craft, Busy Beaver Button Co. celebrates the power of these tiny cultural artifacts

By Katlin Lavieri
Published: December 2nd, 2010 | 10:45am

For the past 15 years Busy Beaver Button Co. has been bringing back buttons. It all began in 1995 (the same year Venus Zine was born!) when Indiana University student Christen Carter traveled to London and befriended a button-maker. Inspired by him, Carter started Li’l One Inch Button Co. when she returned to the States. She soon realized that buttons were in high demand, started making larger and smaller versions, and changed the company’s name. Busy Beaver traveled to San Fran before finally settling down in Carter’s Chicago apartment in 1998. The company now fills thousands of custom orders every year, though they’ve managed to keep small orders at the same price as when they launched.

In 2002, Carter created Button-O-Matic vending machines—now in music venues, record stores, cafes, boutiques, and galleries across the country—to dispense limited edition, artist-designed buttons. And last year, Carter opened a Button Museum in Chicago. Here, she tells us all about Busy Beaver. 

VZ: What inspired you to get into the button biz?
CC: Since I was a pre-teen, I’ve always liked and worn buttons. In college, while doing a work-in-London program, I met button-maker and artist Mark Pawson who showed me the ropes—we made some buttons for my band. While there, I also became buddies with other bands, one of which was Guided by Voices. I went to see their show in Ohio when I got back and (lead singer) Bob Pollard asked me what I was going to do now that I was home. I told him I was thinking about getting a button machine and starting a little company. He said that he’d be my first customer. So I did it!

VZ: When you started the company, did you foresee such a high demand for buttons?
CC: I was certainly hoping that at least they would become a staple with punk bands again.

VZ: Why do you think people love buttons so much?
CC: They express something the wearer wants to say. Buttons can talk when we don’t.

 VZ: Busy Beaver has created glow-in-the-dark and 24K-gold-plated buttons. Any new innovations in the works?
CC: We also branded some wood-covered buttons for Third Man Records this year. Fabric buttons are also cool. We are doing a little research and development and keep everyone posted on the Busy Beaver Blog!

VZ: I love the idea of gumball machines filled with buttons. What inspired the Button-O-Matic?
CC: While hanging out with a friend in NYC, we talked about his job re-stocking vending machines. He had one of those vending machine bubbles in his pocket, I had a button, and the two just fit perfectly! I sent him buttons to stock machine at a record store in the Lower East Side and then my buddy Rosie and I bought some vending machines to put around Chicago.

VZ: Busy Beaver recently opened a Button Museum. Tell us a little bit about that.
CC: Buttons as we now know them date back to 1896; little pins with tintype photos first patented by Whitehead and Hoag. It’s cool how so many people who used to work in button factories come out to see our museum!  

VZ: What’s your favorite button in the museum?
CC: It really depends on my mood. I usually say this goofy one that was done in the ’80s that says “USA Kicks Butt” or point to a button that says “This is the Ultimate Button.” I just love the range of expression people chose to communicate through buttons.  

VZ: What’s the most memorable button Busy Beaver has ever made?
CC: There are two that come to mind fairly regularly. One band from about 10 years ago called “Greg and the Greg Gregs” just cracks me up. And another, very wordy one starts off with “A little known fact about the button industry is that they pay by the word...” and goes on to say that the writer of the button expects to make millions off this one button. And we’re known for the glow-in-the-dark Obama buttons we gave out in Grant Park on Election Day in 2008. We call it the Glow-bama.

VZ: Are you ever not sporting a button? What buttons are you wearing now?
CC: I always have a button on. Not always when I sleep, though! Right now, I’m wearing a Fear/Sanity button we made for the Stewart/Colbert Rally in DC, a Superman logo, and a 24K gold one that says, “I contributed to the Busy Beaver Button Museum.” Everyone who donates to the museum gets one!

Comments

Want to tell us what you think? Please click here to log in or just click here for quick comments

zhidian2011dtgr (about 1 year)
Good news: this website (======= http://www.ftoto.com/ =======) we has been updated and add products welcome to visit our website. a leading worldwide wholesale company (or ucan say organization). We supply more than 100 thousand high-quality merchandise and famous brand name products all at wholesale prices.Accept paypal or credit card and free shipping. You can try oh, will make you satisfied. -------------- http://www.ftoto.com/ -----------

aqewf (8 months)
You + me= http://www.luckyvogue.com YOU MUST NOT MISS IT!!! Business with this,you can earn more money or enjoy your shopping life. -------------- http://www.luckyvogue.com/ ----------- A leading worldwide wholesale(Retail) company. We supply more than 100 thousand high-quality merchandise and famous brand name products all at wholesale prices. Buy more stuff ===== http://www.luckyvogue.com ======== New online store,you can find many cheap and fashion stuff Nike air max shox dunk AF1 $30--39; Ed Hardy AF JUICY POLO Bikini $20; Handbags (Coach lv fendi d&g) $30 T shirts (Polo ,edhardy,lacoste) $15 Rolex: $99 Jean(True Religion,edhardy,coogi) $30 Sunglasses (Oakey,coach,gucci,Armaini) $15 New era cap $15 Bikini (Ed hardy,polo) $20 ===== http://www.luckyvogue.com ======== Accept westernunion,moneygram,bank transfer,credit card. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ＥＮＪＯＹ　ＴＨＥ　HTTP://WWW.LUCKYVOGUE.COM ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬