There have been some changes over this past year... If you follow along closely, you may have already noticed, but I think I owe an update regardless.

I have curtailed my retail efforts. For years, I supplied several local stores, primarily Shop Made in DC, with a line of retail goods. This became a big part of my business—essentially a second business, in fact. Last year, I hired two part-time people to help me with these efforts and they did great work. However, the math stopped working from a business perspective. It also stopped working from a time and energy perspective.

Humans have limits. I am maybe more limited than I wish I was. While I had people doing a lot of the day-to-day work of making retail items, there was still a lot of administrative overhead that went along with running that part of the business. In addition to doing part of the work of actually making items, I needed to oversee the work of others; deliver items to retailers; track inventory; check sales reports against inventory; project for future quarters; holidays, etc. It’s more than just the hours of sanding.

I still plan to make these retail items, just in limited quantities. I’ll be selling them in-person at shows and online. I created a line of goods that I really like and that has some local popularity. Additionally, I am beginning to make new small items from my scraps. This is how I got on the road to small home goods and it feels good to be back there. Retail environments work best for consistent and expected products that can be restocked, promoted, etc. In addition to the line of items I grew over the past few years, I am now making small boxes and kumiko panels that you can find at various markets this holiday season.

The DC flag board is one of my most popular designs and will continue to be available through my web site and in-person craft shows

Rest assured, I’m still making your favorite cutting boards and coasters (DC flags, fancy end grains, etc.). They’re just in smaller quantities now.

In addition to getting out of retail, I am also not going to be at the big DC Downtown Holiday Market this year. I’ll provide a detailed list of where to find me in a few weeks once the schedule has solidified.

Having decreased efforts on the small goods, I am focused on furniture building and teaching woodworking classes. The woodworking lessons are going well and I’m considering increasing the number of slots I offer each week. I have taught on and off for years but decided at the end of 2022 to make it a larger part of the business. It has since become part of the business I really enjoy. My classes are one-on-one and focus on beginner skills and starter projects, but I’m happy to work with anyone looking to grow or hone their sills.

My furniture efforts are focused on unique residential pieces. While I had a lot of fun doing larger commercial runs for various restaurants and stores, the volume of work and the timelines associated with those jobs just don’t work well for me now. There will, of course, be exceptions.

I look forward to seeing people at various markets and online. Thanks for all of your support!