Fab.com’s ‘loud-mouth misfit’ cofounder calls it a day

Design retailer Fab.com has lost one of its guiding stars today: Chief design officer and cofounder Bradford Shellhammer has left the company after four years of making Fab into one of the most exciting shops on the Internet.

From Shellhammer’s post on the subject:

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Founding Fab was something I made in this world. And I am so very proud of that.

I am also someone who has an explorer’s heart. And I don’t sit still. And I want to make other things in this world. And Fab is at a point in its history where I’ve decided to walk away from the day to day. Though Fab’s business model has evolved, the very core of Fab is where it was many years ago, when it was dreamt up by me and Jason in a restaurant in the West Village in the middle of our second bottle of wine. Fab remains set on a mission to brighten people’s lives with design. I am a staunch believer in this mission.

I too have a personal mission. As I remain today a shareholder and a non-executive advisor to Fab, I also have the desire to explore, discover, and see the world and do other things. What’s next for me? I don’t know yet and don’t intend to for some time. That’s part of exploration.

This news is the latest tremor in a series of shakeups for the startup. On the heels of massive success with consumers and a billion-dollar valuation, Fab’s executive team had to make some tough choices.

First, the company reworked its entire business model as a flash-sales site to become a regular online retailer. Cofounder Jason Goldberg likened the pivot to creating an Ikea or Amazon out of Fab’s design cred and business momentum.

Next, the company had to conduct some bulk layoffs in a restructuring move that put a stronger focus on the startup’s headquarters in New York.

Goldberg has previously stated his Amazonian ambitions for the company, so while Shellhammer (Goldberg’s best friend) has made his exit, don’t expect the juggernaut to slow down or lose its designer edge.