Jay Shafer Leaves Tumbleweed Tiny Houses: New Venture Announced

Reset A− A+ You may have already heard the news. Jay Shafer, the founder of The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, is leaving to start a new business venture. The announcement was made quietly and there isn’t even anything listed on the Tumbleweed Tiny House website at this time.

On October 27^th, the Facebook page for Tiny House Design posted the following status update:

“Jay Shafer is leaving the Tumbleweed House Company. That’s the sad news. The good news is that he’s starting up a new endeavor focused more on “social justice via housing rights.” He needs some feedback on a new name… I’ll post a survey next – please vote to help Jay name his new organization.”

The news was commented on, liked, and shared by a couple hundred tiny house fans but it may have gone practically unnoticed by most people as it scrolled past our Facebook walls amidst photos of Halloween cats and political ads.

Jay Shafer himself responded to the Facebook post:

“Wow! Thanks everyone. Tumbleweed will still stand in whatever form my ex-business partner makes it. I plan on releasing a bunch of new house designs in the next couple months. I’ll probably start by doing a hands-on building workshop to get things rolling. I’ll announce the date soon here (if Michael’s ok with that). Probably early January.”

The pole to name Jay’s new company is still up at the Tiny House Design Facebook page, so feel free to participate.

I do not know if the news is simply coincidental at all or if it is part of the master plan, but the old Tumbleweed Social Media site on Facebook was rebranded and re-launched on Halloween under the name “WeFeel WeAre” after having been dormant since August. Plenty of tiny house related links are being shared.

What are your thoughts on Jay Shafer leaving the company that he founded? What can we expect from the continuation of The Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in the future? What do you hope to see from Jay’s new venture and what it means to be focused on social justice and housing rights?

Since it looks from Jay’s comment that new information will be provide and created soon, be sure to keep tabs on the tiny house internet community for more announcements.

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Laura LaVoie

Contributor and Tiny House Owner at 120SquareFeet.com

Laura M. LaVoie is a professional writer living in the mountains of North Carolina in a 120 Square Foot house with her partner and their hairless cat, Piglet. Laura graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Anthropology. She has been published in magazines and anthologies on the subjects of mythology and culture. She spent nearly 15 years in the temporary staffing industry before deciding to become a full time writer. Laura works closely with the Zulu Orphan Alliance volunteering her time and the skills she's learned building her own small house to build a shelter for orphans and other vulnerable children living near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Laura also enjoys simple living, brewing and drinking craft beer, and popular culture.

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