Meet Marshall & Haley Roemen | Art & Design | Co- Founders: Mister Alphabet

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marshall & Haley Roemen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marshall & Haley, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea essentially landed in our lap in 2014. Marshall had an “ah-ha” moment while ideating some toy concepts, and a prototype was built within a week. Soon after, we discovered a business name that surprisingly wasn’t trademarked: Mister Alphabet™. Haley had an immediate vision for a world built around this character, and we found ourselves at Toy Fair New York in early 2015.

Mister Alphabet–a figurine designed to bend into every letter of the alphabet–immediately became a business worthy of our attention. With Haley’s background in fashion and brand editing and Marshall’s background in fine art and design, we found encouragement in early responses to the project including some international press online and in print. Somewhere between Mister Rogers and Tim Burton, we imagined a conversation piece bridging design, education, and play, not only with a physical product but possibly in books or on a screen.

One particular goal we’ve shared is maintaining creative integrity, which, of course, can be its own mistake. But we didn’t want to compete with what felt like a race to the bottom in the toy industry for cheaply made plastic goods. We saw a lot of European brands moving away from plastics, so we ultimately produced a hand-painted, artisanal version for the first Mister Alphabet made here in Southern California using components like platinum-cure silicone and slip-cast porcelain.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Haley: I am a creative that has primarily worked in fashion. I got my start in fit modeling (designers design clothes on me as a “true size”), which turned out to be the perfect entry point into styling. It felt like having a front-row seat to the design process, working with incredible talents–some of whom I still can’t believe I had the chance to work with. Through fitting, I picked up a lot about design and garment construction and when I moved into styling, all of that experience helped shape how I see and create things.

I feel lucky to be involved in a range of creative projects that I genuinely enjoy. I like the variety of multiple projects. Although at times it can make for some challenges, I’m learning and growing with each day (and each new company I co-found, ha.)

Marshall: Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, the pioneering (dare I say “hippie”) spirit was strong in that community. You had a general sense that what you could imagine, you could do…and that maybe you shouldn’t just do what everyone else was doing. A legendary–now almost mythical–story from that region recalls Nike’s experimental first rubber “waffle” sole: hand-poured into a waffle iron and cut out right there at the University of Oregon track (Hayward Field). Such stories pushed a message of ingenuity, of digging deep, and of reaching for your best–not only for your benefit, but perhaps even more for the benefit of the world.

My father worked in new residential plumbing contracting, and my mother was an artist-meets-teacher-meets-parent. They both encouraged my interest in drawing, which took me to Baltimore, Maryland, to study fine arts (painting) and eventually become a teacher myself. I understand how uniquely nurturing they were, and I desire to make the most of creative opportunities with Haley here in Los Angeles, now with kids of our own.

Both: For this project, we found ourselves embracing a tagline we wrote: Nothing Is Uninteresting™. It conveys something of the exploratory spirit we’ve embraced for 20 years since relocating from Oregon to Los Angeles. We believe curiosity is vital and that knowledge belongs to everyone. Working somewhere between art, education, and play gives us a deeper understanding of life and the international community that these things can foster.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Over our 20 years here, Los Angeles has truly become our “home”, yet remains a site we deeply revere for its unknowable vastness. Although sometimes wildly misunderstood, when you dig deeper, you find there is so much goodness–goodness that takes time to uncover. We’ve spent a lot of time just exploring the city and its outskirts.

We live on the Eastside and we love the way it reminds us a bit of the Pacific Northwest at times. We appreciate many sites in and around Griffith Park, including the evergreens that line Los Feliz Boulevard, which hide gems like The Ennis Brown House and endless hiking paths converging near The Greek Theater. We tend to take people up to Trails Cafe in the park (hello, lavender shortbread cookie), and either drive or hike up to the Observatory itself to catch a glimpse of the vastness that is LA. Of course, there are spectacular views of the Westside from The Getty, another worthy stop. Richard Meier’s campus feels almost otherworldly up there.

Dodger Stadium, in all its contentions past and present, feels like a “must-see” venue if time permits with guests, especially because it’s within walking distance from our house. The Eastside is alive and fun, and we can hardly keep up with news of the food scene, which has seemed to develop nonstop since we moved east in 2010. We’d probably take a walk to Valerie or Canyon for coffee, or drive up the 2 Freeway to Montrose’s “How’s It Going to End?” just to admire their adaptive reuse of the space! If possible, Yuca’s in Los Feliz (an institution); Honey Hi (the cafe we didn’t realize was a Fleetwood Mac song), or Frogtown’s Wax Paper. For Dinner: Silverlake’s Pine and Crane and Night and Market Song are favorites.

The beach is must, especially for Haley. We love going out to some of the smaller beaches near El Matador and spending time by the ocean. We’ve enjoyed exploring places like Topanga Canyon. If someone was visiting in the summer, we might go to an outdoor movie on the grass, bringing food and drinks and refining the art of packing it all up. With the endless museum shows, art events, and pop-ups around the city that require constant attention, we try to visit galleries sometimes at random if in any given area, including Nonaka-Hill off Highland, or places like Clearing Gallery and David Zwirner on Western Ave.

We also love slow days in a park with our kids. Los Angeles really can be what you want to make it. It offers just about everything.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people who’ve supported us in our creative endeavors, and for whom we are deeply grateful. From parents involved in the arts to those who weren’t, and from high-school teachers (hello, Sue Markley of South Eugene High School) to locals like Trevor Shickman of the SCORE Business Center in LA, or Se Oh and Trever Hoehne, who kindly photographed our first alphabet letters. Other key people include mentors and friends (Michael Roemen, Mercedes Curran to name two) who’ve challenged or inspired us in conversation at so many phases. One brief yet impactful word of encouragement that comes to mind was from Nasir Kassamali, founder of the lighting and design store, Luminaire.

Someone in particular to shout out at the highest level, though, is Marshall’s late mom, Julie Roemen. She was an artist and designer with a tendency to say “go for it” and a significant inspiration for this project–even down to the elemental color choices of red, black, and white. Her impact is all over Mister Alphabet, and her legacy serves as a reminder to encourage people of all ages to engage with design, creative experimentation, and play.

Website: https://www.misteralphabet.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mister_alphabet/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mister_alphabet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/misteralphabet/