Our story started with a porch swing. We wanted a comfy spot to relax on summer evenings—something high quality but still reasonable on a budget. Luckily, we knew someone handy with tools who could make exactly what we had in mind: a twin bed–sized porch swing made of pine (to save a little money), stained a deep brown to match our home, and sturdy enough to handle Colorado's sometimes beautiful, sometimes harsh weather, all year long.

A month later, the swing was finished—and something else happened too. That spark grew into SprkForge, a creative marketplace where anyone with a sprk can connect with skilled artisans and bring their ideas to life.