Guests in the shop

Over the past few weeks we have had our share of visitors to the shop. Some expected and appreciated others not so much. This week we had the guys from Diablo stop by the shop to have us test out some new sand paper they have been working on. In the end of their 5” random orbit sandpaper redesign is finally becoming usable.  But those were the only guests we warmly welcomed in The Rusted Nail shop.

A  few weeks ago when we opened the shop for the day there was a rather large frog hopping around, no big deal we just left the door open  and assumed he found his way back to the pond. The next day when we opened the shop for the day another guest had spent the night in the shop. This time it was a rather large lizard. (When we large it was about 5” long, no gila monster or anything) So again we just left the door open and let the big guy find his way out.

Unfortunately our next guest wasn’t so easy to eradicate.  While working on the computer in the office there was some movement in the corner. We looked over and just about had a movement in our pants. Apparently the frog and lizard were not in shop because they wanted to admire our furniture but had come in to escape the snake that was now in the office.  We would love to tell you that it was a 10 foot rattlesnake that we man handled and body slammed out of the shop in a manner that would make the crocodile hunter proud.  But not us, we freaked out a bit. We pretty much destroyed the office, throwing paper and crap out of the way so we could keep an eye on it. We eventually found a metal rake and some fireplace tools that we could use to grab the 3 foot rat snake without actually having to touch it. We took it outside let it loose in the field hoping this was some sort of good sign for the future of the shop. 

Thoughts on the business

When we began building furniture we knew that in order to succeed we were going to have to be better at the business of woodworking than the others that try it. It’s been nearly two years since we tore down our first barn and began taking orders. We’ve come a long way and rolled with many punches since then. What began as a one man shop in the family tool shed is now a 5000 square foot building that continues to fill up one piece of equipment at a time.  Our first projects were for local customers for very little or no money. And now, this year alone we have shipped pieces to New York, Idaho, Arizona and a couple of retail stores locally. We began with a small booth in a local antique shop, which we decided to close, but now have booths in a number store across north Georgia. People have begun using us as resource as well. We have gotten calls from people wanting to know how much their barn may be worth, or wanting information on reclaimed wood.  

Now it’s time to move forward again. We have taken a dive into the deep end of the proverbial pool by filing our paperwork to become an LLC in the state of Georgia.  We also have been developing new marketing and advertising strategies.  Both strategies having to be unique and creative as the bulk of our funds are tied up in upgrading the shop. Our objective is to eventually move up the ranks from a micro business to a small business stature. Our end goal remains the same, to enable everyone to have a high quality piece of reclaimed wood in their home or office. In order to reach our goal we must remain creative and maintain the ambition and drive that has taken us this far.