When Ted Juracsik left the architectural world to work for his parents’ manufacturing business amid the struggling economy of the late 80s, it may have seemed like a step away from imaginativeness and innovation in the face of hard times. As it turned out, working for, and eventually running, Juracsik Tool and its subsidiaries – maker of the famous fly fishing line Tibor Reels – was precisely the creative outlet the Masters of architecture needed. Over the years, he combined his love of making and innovating things in his home with his growing manufacturing and business know-how, resulting in a line of tailor-made home and exterior design products with an impeccable eye for fashion and austere durability.
“I was always making things for my house, for friends and relatives,” Juracsik said of the origins of TedStuff – manufacturer of custom mailboxes, landscape lighting, and interior design. “When my parents turned the business over to me, I had access to sheet metal manufacturing, aluminum anodizing powder coating facilities, and other resources that really let my creativity run wild.” Starting with a full-sized cardboard mock-up of a new mailbox for his home, Juracsik presented the idea to his team, which quickly came up with a finished prototype that he set up in his frontyard. It wasn’t long before a neighbor saw it and contacted him, wanting a larger version:
“This turned into The Retrobox,” Juracsik said of the Mid-century modern design that quickly became one of his best-selling products. According to Juracsik, it wasn’t long before there was an influx of traffic on his street, just from people wanting to know where to get one. “It was an interesting and exciting moment, thinking, ‘hey, my idea is working… and everyone seems to like it.'”
Juracsik is also no stranger to sweltering humidity and sea breezes and designs his products with the demands of prolonged outdoor exposure in mind. His home and business in Delray Beach, FL, an hour-and-a-half north of Miami, offer many of the same corrosion and weathering issues found here in Northwest Florida. All TedStuff designs utilize resistant materials to combat this weathering, such as marine powder-grade coated aluminum and Delrin washers and sliders, ensuring their products never degrade. Simple, sleek designs also allow for hose-washing without the fear of rust and salt corrosion and – in the case of outdoor lighting – are completely glassless, removing the annoying chore of removing dead bugs from behind globes and paned glass panels.
When it comes to getting his designs from mock-up to finished product, Juracsik couldn’t say enough about the importance of his team: “Our jobs are typically all-custom with short lead times,
typically one to four weeks, and everyone needs to be able to implement quick design changes on a near-instant turnaround, as far as manufacturing goes.”
“There was a rush of renewed interest when I turned us in a more creative direction, and we all thrive on input,” he said, noting the importance of employee proposals during the design and manufacturing processes. “If someone has a quicker way, a more efficient design, we all want to hear about it; we want to implement it.”
Over the next few years, Juracsik plans to expand his product line – adding new designs every year – and hopes to feature his products in even more interior designer stores and retail spaces.
“We’ve been doing amazing online,” he said, mentioning a rise in sales on cyber retailers Etsy and Wayfair and the TedStuff website, “but we’re really looking to break into more high-end design spaces.” With sales ranging from New Jersey to far-flung Australia, it shouldn’t be long before we start seeing TedStuff designs in luxury homes along the Emerald Coast, and – if their design is any benchmark – they’re more than up to the task.
TedStuff.com
255 N Congress Ave,
Delray Beach Fl 33445
561-272-0770
