You just never know what you’re going to find in “the most entrepreneurial city in America,” as Entrepreneur Magazine labeled Bend.
Among the many and varied start-ups and businesses in our neck of the woods is a small family business providing a unique, elegant and meaningful product: Remembrance Memorial Urns.
Local craftsman and custom furniture builder, Bill More—with the support of Partner and Co-Owner Sarah Nawrocki—creates timeless and contemporary cremation urns to honor the spirit of loved ones, whether family members or beloved family pets.
Inspired by nature, handcrafted in a small studio located in the mountain foothills of Central Oregon, Remembrance Memorial Urns focuses on small batch production and craftsmanship; each memorial is hand assembled with care and careful attention to detail by a few highly-trained woodworkers who are paid livable wages.
Using bamboo, fine resin, steel accents, and an optional stainless steel oil lamp, Remembrance Memorial Urns provides a unique and customizable way to commemorate life. Many of the designs utilize elements from nature such as leaves or grasses. Oil lamps create a unique opportunity to light a flame in honor of a loved one, adding a special touch during services, anniversaries, or any occasion that calls for remembrance. The flame transforms the urn from a container to a living memorial, providing families and loved ones time to connect and reflect.
About half of the population opts for cremation rather than burial, and many of these people choose to remember their loved ones with an urn. One of the principal reasons individuals choose cremation over traditional burial is cost—the cost of funerals has risen dramatically over the years, but an urn costs much less than a casket and a burial plot. Even when an urn is placed in a mausoleum or cemetery, costs are still greatly reduced.
The market abounds with mass-produced options that lack originality. Other, more original urns tend to be very expensive by comparison. Remembrance Memorial Urns are gallery-quality memorials priced competitively with mass produced urns. “It’s been our goal to honor the memory of loved ones with urns that are both timeless in design and environmentally friendly,” says More.
Remembrance Memorial Urns aren’t just for human loved ones; most pets are just as much a part of the family as are their people. Many veterinarians offer cremation services for pets, and the choices for pet urns are similar to those for people.
Considering their environmental impact at every level of production, Bill More Design creates a truly environmentally-friendly product. Remembrance Memorial Urns are created utilizing materials sourced from local suppliers including 50 percent recycled steel as well as sustainably-harvested Moso bamboo. Unlike average hardwoods which fully mature in 60+ years, bamboo reaches full maturity in only 3 years, and does not need replanting. Remembrance Memorial Urns also incorporates decorative resin panels created from 40-60 percent recycled material which is LEED certified as a green product. Finished with natural and durable hardwax oil, Remembrance Memorial Urns are elegant, timeless, and environmentally responsible.
“We are hoping the ‘Make Local Habit’ people here in Central Oregon remember us while Bend’s own Intrepid Marketing builds our national search-to-sales program,” says More. Like so many entrepreneurial ventures birthed in Bend, Remembrance Memorial Urns is counting on local support to help them launch into a wider market.
Remembrance Memorial Urns www.bamboomemorials.com Bill More 541-350-8476
