Fireside Audiobox

Beautifully Crafted Bluetooth-Enabled Audio Player with Flames That Respond to Your Music

As entrepreneur, creator and inventor Tyrone Hazen of Grey Street Design works on his Kickstarter campaign, he is meeting with a manufacturing consultancy who will help him build out his production space in Bend based on Lean Manufacturing principles. Hazen explains that with Lean Manufacturing, rather than making each component in mass quantities, then assembling them all at once at the end, he will be able to make completed units in small batches, iterating the process each time to gain efficiency.
What this means to his backers and customers is that once they ramp up and get building, they will be producing five to ten units per week and shipping them out as they come off the production line. Hazen says on his Kickstarter site, “So some of you might receive your Fireside Audiobox before Christmas,” five months before they were scheduled to be delivered.
The bluetooth enabled Fireside Audiobox not only syncs flames with tunes, a sexy development in itself, but it’s designed into a single bamboo and tempered glass speaker unit. The battery operated device uses an aluminum cylinder propane burner with flame ports which sends small whips of orange up and down to the pitch and frequency of each song’s sound waves.
This is an unusual and unique startup sure to inspire a waiting list of customers. We asked Hazen some history about his creation:
How long have you personally been in Bend and where did you start your design company, Grey Street?
We’ve (wife Wallis Levin) been in Bend since early 2014. I grew up in Canby, Oregon and came here often to ski. When my son Oliver was born, I knew just where I wanted to be, so Grey Street Design was established right here in Bend upon our arrival.
What other sort of products might you launch in the future… can you give us any sneak peeks?
I have a number of intriguing design products that are in the works that will follow shortly behind the Fireside Audiobox. I can’t reveal much yet, but they too will use interesting mediums. Working with scientific fundamentals in a way that surprises people seems to be a common thread in my creative work.
What is so great about the Mid-Century Modern Fireside Audiobox (FAB)? Why should everyone in Bend have one?
Everyone loves music, and humans have always had a curious, sentient relationship with fire. The Fireside Audiobox pairs these two emotive forces in a modern design with a nod towards industrial. My goal was to design it in such a way that it was a statement piece even when not in use. Part art, part science.
Where are the audio boxes for sale if locals want to get their hands on one?
Currently the FAB is available on Kickstarter. Once we finish the campaign, we are excited to discuss distribution with specialized, high-end retail establishments where this unique product will fit in. If any of your readers have an interest in working with us, we’d love to get a conversation started.
Have you mostly been crowd funded or have you had any angel donors?
We are one hundred percent bootstrapped up to this point, and if we are able to hit our Kickstarter goal we will have the funds necessary to set up shop. My number one focus for creating a lasting business is to get the right people on board first. From there we will determine the best plan of action and determine what additional capital we might need and how best to obtain it.
How did you think of the idea for
the Audiobox?
I learned about the Maker Movement a few years ago and knew it was something I was interested in being a part of. I gained access to a shop (similar to our local DIY Cave) and quickly realized that I didn’t know how to use any of the equipment. So rather than take individual classes on the machines, I decided to come up with a project that would require me to become well versed in all areas of the shop. I have a background in physics, I listen to music all day, and like most people, I’m fascinated by fire. The Fireside Audiobox is the result of this multidisciplinary approach to creativity.
Who do you think will most want an audiobox like this?
My wife and I feel like we represent two different sides of the market, in that I am into the tech gadgets and she wants to ensure that anything we bring into our home adds to the decor. So I tried to strike a balance between function and form for today’s “modern millennials.” It’s best placed anywhere people gather for casual conversations and relaxation. The Fireside Audiobox will transform the setting into a “sitting around the campfire” type of atmosphere. Here in Bend, this would be a great addition to a dining room sideboard or perhaps on a bar or in den.
Do you listen to many radio shows? Could you listen to NPR on Audiobox with the fire rolling?
Ha. Yeah, I do some NPR and quite a few podcasts too. You bring up a good point too. No two songs or voices look the same on the FAB. We call it the “flame signature” and each one is unique. People assume it will be the bass in a song that provide the best response in the flames, but there is magic in the vocals too.
How do you maintain the audio box?
Maintenance is really simple. Clean and protect the bamboo from time to time just like you would a wood coffee table. Glass cleaner takes care of the glass, and a general, all-purpose cleaner can be used to wipe down the tube and other aluminum parts as needed. The propane comes from the standard 16.4 oz camp-stove canisters (it’s inside the box) and can be purchased for about $3 (literally almost anywhere in our outdoorsy little town. I think even my dog groomer sells them.)
How many have you sold to date?
We’ve been live for about four weeks and have sold just nearly $40,000 in units so far. Obviously, we are really excited about the response and hope to catch more local interest, including local businesses.
The success we’ve seen so far is in large part due to the collaborative nature of Bend. My current team is comprised of local creatives that I’ve assembled over the past few years who just wanted to be involved. There have been countless individuals and local businesses that have lent time and effort to assist me in this venture. There is simply so much talent and knowledge here, it feels like anything is possible in Bend. I couldn’t be happier with the results.
These will be built right here in Bend. Once we wrap up the Kickstarter campaign I’ll be setting up shop and will likely bring a few talented craftsmen on board to help.
Grey Street Design
Founder: Tyrone Hazen
Tyrone@greystreetdesign.com, firesideaudiobox.com and greystreetdesign.com, 480-620-4057
Company Name: I’m not a huge Dave Matthews fan or anything, but I once heard his song Grey Street and it had a powerful effect, so I decided to hang on to the inspiration and use it. Thus Grey Street Design was born.
Established: Well, we don’t really have “doors” yet, but the business has been around for about two years. However, launching the Fireside Audiobox is really our coming out party. We’re on the map.
No. Employees: Officially, none. But I have a designer who will become a business partner shortly and have received a lot of help from others in PR and photography/video who I consider to be teammates for the long-haul, though they are technically contractors.
Product/Market Niche? Modern home-statement pieces with an unexpected flare.
Greatest success to date? Last month I was a finalist in the Portland Design Museum – Product Pitch Party, and we’ve received coverage from some major online sites like New Atlas (formerly GizMag), DesignBoom, The Verge, and Slash Gear (Cnet and Popular Mechanics, recently posted too, which are a big deal for me). Getting recognition from these guys was really validating. Also, we hit our funding goal, which is a REALLY big deal for us and will greatly improve our ability to get more products designed and released.
What is your company’s number one goal in the next year? Produce and deliver the Kickstarter rewards we have sold, get a few small distribution networks set up (high end design/home furnishing sites and stores), and release our next product in the Fireside line.
Community Involvement: I am the MC and co-organizer of Central Oregon Inventors Network, I coach pole vault for Summit High School’s track and field team, and am always working to meet new people to create connections for myself and others.
Outlook for growth: We are just getting started, but things are looking good. If we are able to get some distribution set up this year and launch another product I’d love to bring some talented craftsmen/women on board for R&D work and manufacturing.