Handcrafting the world's finest wooden jigsaw puzzles since 1974
Business management guru Tom Peters named Stave Puzzles "Product of the Year" in 1991, saying, "The folks at Stave Puzzles represent a class of unsung companies that do things right—deliver superior service, on time, in a way that satisfies and even delights customers." Here what some other notables have said about us:
"It takes a certain type of person to put a maddeningly difficult puzzle together, and . . . It takes a particularly diabolical type of person to create one."
"Puzzle maker Steve Richardson is that rare inventor who succeeds by intentionally frustrating his best customers."
"...maker of the world's best hand-cut jigsaw puzzles..."
"The one-of-a-kind brainteasers are indeed so intricate in detail and devilish in design that they humble their conventional rivals."
"fiercely difficult jigsaw puzzles.....Stave hand-cuts its oddly shaped puzzles from cherry-backed plywood and adorns them with confounding patterns."
"Vermont crafters create the world's most tormenting jigsaw puzzles"
"Stave puzzles are cut to confound."
". . . Stave Puzzles have attracted a loyal following, and it's easy to see why. Spill the thick, smooth pieces into a tabletop, fit a few together and you're immersed in the job at hand."
"An enterprise dedicated to state of the art vexaciousness."
"If you're willing to risk temporary loss of hair and sanity, but later revel in the thrill of conquest, Stave Puzzles, handmade in Norwich, Vermont, are for you."
"People who buy them tend to get carried away."
"After you've mastered Monopoly and your eyes are crossed from crosswords, break out a puzzle with a different kind of edge."
"Don't let the puzzles' friendly appearances beguile you; they feature plenty of hair-tearing deceptions."
"The folks at Stave Puzzles in Norwich, VT take themselves very seriously. Too seriously? Well, consider that company head Steve Richardson refers to himself as the Chief Tormentor..."
"Putting It Together: Conjuring 'sadomasochistic thrills for Bill and Melinda"
(quoting Barbara Bush) "The Puzzle table is where a mother can hear lots of secrets! After Stave came into my life I began learning lots more about our sons."
"Considering the frustration it foments, the profanities it provokes, the hours of sleep it steals from scores of folks worldwide, Steve Richardson's design notebook looks unremarkable..."
"Stave Puzzles are becoming widely recognized as the most elegant in the world."
"Not called 'Mr. Diabolical' by chance, his fake-you-out jigsaw artworks torment his delighted customers."
"Does your life lack frustration? Join the likes of Bill Gates and Tom Peters and buy one of the toughest jigsaw puzzles ever made."