A Fairytale

Why are we called Shoegnome? It’s from our favorite Brothers Grimm story, the one about the cobbler and the elves. We identify with the elves. Here’s a recap:

A poor cobbler had enough leather for one pair of shoes. He left it out overnight and returned to find shoes so beautiful a customer paid him double their price.

The cobbler, thinking carefully, reinvested the money and learned to make beautiful shoes. His reputation grew and he prospered thereafter.

What we do

Our mission is to build a proactive and supportive BIM community in Minnesota and beyond.

We are the authorized Graphisoft agent for the Minnesota Region. We sell, rent, and upgrade ArchiCAD and Artlantis for anyone in Minnesota. Curious about ArchiCAD? Give us a call and Jared will come out to your office and give you a demonstration. I’ll not only show you ArchiCAD, but also examples of work I’ve done in the program. I work in ArchiCAD everyday, so I have lots to share. We also provide support and training for ArchiCAD. You can see a partial list of our services here.

About Us

Jared Banks, AIA. I’m a licensed architect in Minnesota and the CAD/BIM Manager with SALA Architects in Minneapolis. At SALA Architects, my primary focus is residential design. I first used ArchiCAD in 2006 (version 9) and haven’t looked back. I started the Minnesota ArchiCAD Usergroup (MNAUG) in 2009 and began blogging about ArchiCAD in 2010. I am always looking for opportunities to speak, write, and teach about ArchiCAD and BIM.

Carolyn Banks, PMP. Formerly a structural EIT, and then the manager of project management with a publishing house in Minneapolis, I’m now getting my MBA at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. I’m interested in how BIM facilitates better project planning, especially at smaller firms.

We noticed that wherever we were working, people would come to us to “save” their projects. Our coworkers would go home and we’d stay fixing projects and making everything wonderful. Something felt very familiar. Jared misremembered the Brothers Grimm story as the cobbler and the gnomes. The concept of being a shoegnome was born. After a while we began to ask ourselves, “What exactly is attracting people to us?”

We focus on process and communication. A skilled architect brings value to a client both by helping a client figure out what he or she wants (creative development) and also by communicating that (via drawings, models, etc.) to others who can make it real. While, of course, you need a good idea in the first place, without great communication that’s all it will remain.

Shoegnome stays lean with a strong network. Which is why we want to share opportunities. Don’t worry, there’s enough to go around. We’re interested in you—whether you’re our client or customer; whether we’re your client or customer.

Contact Us

Shoegnome, LLC.
1381 Arona St.
St. Paul, MN 55108
651.894.4759
info@shoegnome.com

Got a question or comment? We’d love to hear from you.