KORK-STUDIO GROBE BRIGITTE GROBE

When Ms. Brigitte Grobe, in 1992, was searching for new patterns for her flooring collection, she stumbled upon completely new processing possibilities for cork. This sparked the idea for a variety of products that could be made from this flexible and, above all, ecological material. "Industrial goods" such as coasters were immediately purchased. She also acquired the first cork fabrics (textile cork) and just a year later, she and several companies in Germany and Portugal began mass-producing the first models in the "bag-making" sector. Shortly thereafter, a silver jewelry company offered to use cork as a main element in their pieces. This led to the creation of a unique and successful collection that continues to grow in scope and variety to this day. In 1992, Ms. Grobe opened a retail store in Meiningen, where she sold not only these innovative items but also cork flooring and the associated tools, adhesives, and paints. The store soon became too small, so in 1996, she moved to a larger location in the city center of Meiningen. Throughout this time, many beautiful cork floors were created in public institutions and private households. After a luxury renovation of the shopping street and its conversion into a pedestrian zone, sales in the store plummeted, leading to its closure. As a result, Brigitte Grobe shifted the sale of her goods to marketplaces in Germany. Thus, she can be found at the Striezelmarkt in Dresden as well as at the Zwiebelmarkt in Weimar.