Areaware, the shuttered design brand, is getting a second chance

Areaware, a 22-year-old design brand, announced closure in February and sold remaining quirky home goods through final sales. Three months later, puzzle company Piecework announced its acquisition of Areaware for an undisclosed sum. Piecework plans to keep Areaware’s name, website, and social channels separate, maintaining both as distinct sister brands. Rachel Hochhauser, cofounder of Piecework, will serve as Areaware’s chief brand officer. The acquisition is described as partly driven by enthusiasm for Areaware’s meaning to the design community and partly by a business case for expanding Piecework’s product SKUs beyond puzzles. Areaware’s brand platform, relationships with independent artists, and manufacturing base are expected to support that expansion in a more sustainable format.

"Piecework, founded in 2019 by Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe, plans to keep Areaware's name, website, and socials separate, and will maintain the two as distinct sister brands. According to Hochhauser, who will serve as Areaware's chief brand officer, the idea to acquire Areaware was completely serendipitous."

""It stemmed half from our genuine enthusiasm for Areaware and what it means to the design community. The other half was that there's a genuine business case for it on our end," Hochhauser says. Piecework, she explains, is in a growth phase-and it's been looking to build out its SKUs beyond puzzles."

""I think it's one of those really nice small business stories of something that happened really fluidly," Hochhauser says. "It's not part of a broader rollup strategy for us-it's just something that felt like kismet.""

"After Areaware announced its closure, the brand went through all the motions of shutting down: The company laid off its staff, wrote a farewell post on Instagram, and held multiple sales to move out final inventory. Areaware's cofounder, Noel Wiggins, explained to Fast Company at the time that the closure came due to difficulties with its business model and the added strain of tariffs."

Read at Fast Company