Katie F.

👋 For those of you who haven't been around since the beginning 2 years ago...I figured it's time I (re)introduce myself! My name is Katie Furukawa, and I am the owner and designer behind ✨Old River Design Co.✨ I sew home goods and accessories made from Japanese textiles in my studio in 🌉 San Francisco. My style is a blend of traditional Japanese motifs and modern colors! The items I create are sold on www.oldriverdesign.co, at Bay Area craft fairs, and over at @starlitdreamershop and @3pillarssf . I am a self-taught sewist, and now I teach beginner sewing classes at @jcccnc_sf so that you don't have to learn everything the hard way! Two years ago, I left my corporate retail management job and dove headfirst into starting Old River Design Co. from nothing. This isn't the route that I'd recommend to most people starting out, but it was absolutely the right move for me! I couldn't have done any of this without my COMMUNITY (including you!). Community is truly at the heart of everything I make. When I am not working on ORDC, you can find me playing with our 🐕 family dog, 📣 cheering on my maker friends, 🍵 drinking matcha, and 🧵quilting with my friends in the @siliconvalleymqg . Tell me, what are your hobbies? ******************* 📷 credit @datucreative #oldriverdesignco #introducingme #smallbusinessowner #shopdine49 #nikkei #japaneseamerican

Have you been curious about the inspiration behind the Old River Design Co. logo? Maybe you noticed the river in the foreground of the image, but don't know where the rest of it came from? In order to explain it, I need to tell you Old River Design Co as a name comes from. My last name is "Furukawa", which means "Old River" in Japanese. My dad - born in Japan - is the last in his family to work in agriculture in the US. In addition to being an "obvious" name for my brand, I also liked how it evoked the feelings of more rural living. I grew up in a rural town, and my mom made quilts when I was a kid - an art that I picked up in my 20s as well. So not only is it my last name, but I felt like "old river" fit in with traditional American quilting as well. Once I had decided on that name, I also used some more family elements to start with for my logo. The outline of the logo looks like an abstract pinecone. This pinecone symbol is the "mon", or family crest, of my dad's family. I thought it had a unique, but not too abstract, design to it. Practically speaking, I also wanted to make sure that this was a design that I could cut out on my cricut, that would look good at various scales, and have the capacity to grow with me as my brand and design offerings grow. @adbonifacio did a great job with developing my brand identity to match my vision perfectly, and went through a ton of revisions with me! Within the mon I have the "old river", surrounded by pine trees. And the river is leading to a city - San Francisco. As a kid, I dreamed of moving to a place with neighbors close by that always had "something to do". When I first went to San Francisco at the age of 17, I knew I wanted to live there someday. So, as soon as I graduated from college, I moved to SF and never looked back.  So really, the ORDC logo is the story of me and my family's journey. It holds great personal significance for me, and I am so honored when I see stickers with my logo on my friends' water bottles and other treasured items! You can pick up a sticker at oldriverdesign.co. . . . . . . . . . . #oldriverdesignco #ordc #smallbusiness #logodesign

Looking for handmade goods from local artists? You’re in the right spot. We carry a tight selection of creators doing it for real, making a living off their craft and talent. Shoutout to @oldriverdesignco , a longtime friend and incredible maker. We’ve got a small batch of her pieces in store, but definitely check out her page to see the full range.

Coming soon: a new sashiko hana fukin kit! What design do you think these colors will make?

It pains me to have to do this, but I won’t be able to have a booth at @nc_cbf today. I’ve been battling a cold, and although I survived yesterday’s rain storm, it came at a cost. The decision has been made to not set up today, and preparare to have a really great day next week, Saturday, 4/18. I’m not gonna lie - this was a HARD decision, not because I don’t know how to prioritize my health, but because this weekend usually represents a huge chunk of my income for the first half of the year. With that in mind, there’s a couple of ways you can still get your hands on my cherry blossom festival items: 🌸 place an online order at oldriverdesign.co today and choose “buy online, pick up in store” as your shipping option to avoid shipping fees! Orders placed today will be dropped off at @3pillarssf gift shop this Tuesday! 🌸go by 3 Pillars today!! I’m stocking them with extra key fobs and dish towels right now. You can shop from a variety of local independent artists and makers there today, and every day. 🌸 ALL ONLINE ORDERS PLACED TODAY WILL RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT TO SAY “THANK YOU” FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Use code “sickday10” at checkout! I’d been in a mad rush to get things made for this weekend, so I don’t even have photos of a lot of stuff. I’ll work on trying to get that updated asap!! Thank you for all of your support and love. This business literally can’t survive without it, and it’s an honor to be a part of such a wonderful community.

🌸🌸🌸 @nc_cbf IS UPON US!! 🌸🌸🌸 Find me on Post Street between Buchanan and Webster at the 59th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival! This festival is my FAVORITE event of the year - it feels like a big reunion and usually my only regret is that it only last a few days! I'm stocking up big on all things sakura and spring for this event - key fobs, dish towels, shopper bags, and more! 📅 April 11, 12, and 18 ⏰ 11am - 6pm While you're here, enjoy a Sapporo beer (all proceeds go to supporting NCCBF), get yourself a @kimochi.inc teriburger, and enjoy all of the cultural performances! pro tip: take transit to Japantown (38/38L from BART, 22 Fillmore, 24 Divis, or whatever goes down Van Ness) - I've had friends spend over an HOUR looking for parking, so it's worth the relative inconvenience to take the bus in from elsewhere!

Catch me this weekend at the @mantecaquiltersguild quilt show! I’m honored to be included in the vendor lineup, which also includes: @deltasharpening @quiltershollow @sewhappymemories @kcshepardart @bettybeader @ventana_de_flores @material_girlfriends

What's New In The Shop? ✨ More than a dozen NEW FABRICS BY THE YARD: cotton quilting fabric, dobby fabric, and oxford fabric - all straight from Japan! ✨ Large scale florals (perfect for home decor projects) ✨ The cutest teddy bear toasts I've ever seen in my life (I literally squealed when I saw them!) ✨ Low-volume and blender fabrics ✨ Asanoha designs ✨ Darumas ✨ Catssssssss Need I go on? Seriouslyyyyy go check them out now! You can find the shop link in my b!0 #oldriverdesignco #japanesefabrics #japanesedobby #quiltfabrics #kawaiifabrics #homedecorfabric

❄️❄️ WINTER CLEARANCE SALE! ❄️❄️ I just did an inventory audit, and there's a few things taking up precious storage space that need to go. I'm offering my BEST DEALS EVER on selected items! This sale goes now through March 12! 🥢 Bento Buddies - 40% off 🛍️ Fukubukuro Pack - 66% off 👕 Premium Pocket Tees - 40% off The 2026 Fukubukuro Pack will contain 3 items: - zippy pouch - 2 key fob wristlets Fabric choices in this pack will be a surprise! (Key fobs will not be duplicates) Retail price on the items in the fukubukuro pack = $45 Your price = $15 Shop link is in b!0 #oldriverdesignco #bentobuddy #pockettee #japaneseamerican #nikkei #hapa #fukubukuro

Four Days away! Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 for the day. Our featured quilter is a local to NorCal and we couldn’t be more excited for you to see her work and meet her. Our vendors will be doing demos throughout each day. So much to see!

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Off-the-rack clothes are made to fit everyone, and thus fit almost no one. However, you can fix that - because clothes should change to fit YOU, not the other way around! Learn the fundamental skill of hemming pants with a sewing machine at our next workshop. This workshop is likely to sell out, so register now to secure your spot! DETAILS: 📅 Date: Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 ⏰ Time: 6pm - 9pm 📍 Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) 🎫 Fee: $60 center members / $75 general public 📝 Register via The Center (Link is in my bio and on my workshop page!) #oldriverdesignco #learntosew #sfjapantown #beginnersewing

WHAT. A. YEAR. At the start of 2025, I had some rough ideas for where I wanted to be spending my time + energy, and I was honestly feeling VERY unsure of how the political climate would impact my personal economic position. I mentally prepared for a slow year of business, while simultaneously trying to just keep showing up. Some selected statistics: 1️⃣ TOP SELLER 1️⃣ No surprise here, dish towels were #1. They're super giftable, practical, and pretty! 🎪 CRAFT FAIRS: 27 🎪 And some firsts: 🌸 First out-of-state event: Denver Cherry Blossom Festival 🌸 First quilt show: @sfquiltersguild biannual quilt show 💌STATES SHIPPED TO: 6 💌 California Hawaii Colorado!! Oregon!! Washington North Carolina!! 💎💎INCOME CHANNEL BREAKDOWN 💎💎 Craft Fairs / Events: 68% *Average sales per event improved over last year ➡️the events I showed up to were more aligned with my audience *My first time not feeling like I was "missing out" on holiday vending opportunities *Largest income category ➡️in-person sales are my comfort zone *Explored the sewing materials side of my biz more ➡️ learned how much I love quilty people *The grind of setup and tear down of events is not sustainable long term➡️really motivated to work towards opening my own brick and mortar in 2026 Teaching: 15% *Scheduled most of my workshop schedule before the year even started ➡️ strategic planning helped me fill in the gaps during periods where I didn't have a lot of shows *I never left a workshop feeling shitty ➡️ I LOVE spending time with my students! *Made progress with my imposter syndrome ➡️exploring new mediums and projects in 2026 workshops! Consulting: 7% *There's only so much time in the day ➡️ time spent on this took limited bandwidth from growing my biz Website: 6% *Doubled LY sales, but I had fully expected to break at least 10% in total revenue ➡️ changes that I can make to increase clarity on my website ➡️ site revamp now on the calendar Consignment: 4% *Not bad for one location! I love @3pillarssf ➡️quality over quantity relationships ❎❎NEVER AGAIN❎❎ Jury duty from Jan - Mar was an experience that I'd rather not repeat, at least in terms of how much time it took from the biz.