The Story of Teal Barn Company: From Kitchen Tables to a Bremen Maker Space
Welcome back to our little Teal Barn Company blog. This time around I thought it would be cool to share how this whole thing came to be. There are some real, practical steps that happened in the last two years, but before I get into that, we need to go back a bit.
Roots in DIY
My origin story as a maker and do-it-yourselfer has its roots very early in my story. I fondly remember sitting at the kitchen table with my mom, turning pins, sequins and foam balls into something amazing at Christmas time. I grew up visiting Grandparents in Drayton, ND that had garages and basements full of lumber and hardware and limitless opportunities to tinker. My family and I were avid home improvement DIYers way before it was cool to spend 6 weeks on a weekend project. All that early experience probably had more than a little to do with me eventually spending 25 years at Home Depot - the premier stop for the DIY minded.
Valerie’s credentials in hand-made and DIY are impressive. She’s opened, operated and grown several shops on Etsy beginning with hand-stamped goods. If you see her at a workshop, ask her how many copies of her signature ‘I’m speeding because I have to poop’ keychain she’s made. In addition to physical goods, she’s created and sold thousands of digital designs, countless pieces of customized home decor and a sublimation or two. Her knack for digging into trends, getting on the leading edge of it, sourcing the materials and the know-how are truly remarkable. Her talent in this area has everything to do with the curated experiences we’re able to bring to the guests of Teal Barn Company.
From “Speeding Keychains” to Custom Furniture
Our first major maker collaboration (besides knocking out home improvement projects together) was building and finishing a kitchen table. She saw one at Restoration Hardware that she wanted, but the space we had for it and its price tag made it not a good fit for our house. I, no respecter of crafty limitations, set about drawing plans and acquiring the lumber required to make a rustic kitchen table that would fit our weird little nook. After more than a little trial and error (and enough scrapped attempts to roast several bags of marshmallows), we got the finished product moved in and it looked fantastic. It also felt amazing to see something go from an idea to a real, physical thing in our home by our own hands. As we stepped back from the finished product, Valerie, ever the entrepreneur, said, “We could sell those”. I was skeptical but agreed to do a test run. She sold it almost immediately and within six months we were trying to keep a booth stocked at The Market in Woodstock. Along the way we toyed with Facebook Marketplace, custom orders, other furniture items, upcycled decor and pretty much anything we could fire a finish nail into. At each success we dreamed about having our own place some day, how cool it would be if it could be the ‘main thing’ and what we’d do with our space.
Finding a Home at 301 Hamilton Ave in Bremen, GA
Lets use a little blogosphere magic and fast-forward to spring of 2024. I vividly remember being on the sidelines at a soccer practice in Carrollton, GA. We were once again waxing philosophical about ‘our own thing’. I’d been researching all manner of franchises as a potential professional act II on the heels of a very satisfying career at Home Depot. That night we arrived at the conclusion that a franchise was just not for us. Mainly because we wanted to be able to test new ideas without permission. I can pinpoint that evening as the moment we decided to really and truly go after ‘our own thing’. With the general decision made, and a basic premise for what we wanted our shop to be, real estate was the next challenge. Valerie, a maverick at turning someday’s into right-nows dug into commercial locations and I plotted my exit from corporate America. After viewing dozens of buildings all over west Georgia, Valerie accidentally discovered our spot in Bremen. She was actually in the area to look at a property across the street when she noticed an inauspicious for rent sign in front of Teal Barn Companies future home. She contacted the owner, who also happened to have executed the gorgeous remodel and housed his business connected to the same building. (If you have the opportunity to work with Ridgeland Construction, you’re in for a great experience.) The location was love at first sight - Valerie signed the lease for her recently minted LLC and Teal Barn had a home.
We wanted a place where our customers could come and experience the same “I did that” feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that we enjoyed from our various adventures. We wanted a space for families, friends and teams to gather and make awesome stuff in addition to great memories. The bright lighting, high ceilings, and big tables do just that.
Why We Curate the “I Did That” Experience
As we began sketching out the product and experience selections, one theme remained the same across all the projects and products we considered. Our guiding principle was to curate things that would lend themselves to a great outcome. The projects we select leave plenty of space for individual expression and allow for as much or as little guidance as each guest would like. We leave many ideas and experiments on the cutting room floor - that exploration is one of my favorite parts of this business. It also means we have more than a few repetitions into a project before you see us inviting you to try it at Teal Barn Company. This dedication to keeping things fresh and fun for you is the hallmark of our studio.
So there you have it - two crazy kids with a dream of sharing the wonderful experience of making something awesome with as many people as we can reach found a spot in Bremen and decided to give it a shot. What are these projects and experiences I’ve been alluding to? I’ll admit this post is skimpy on those particular details. To get that information, you’ll have to stop by for the next installment. Until then, go make something awesome! Need some inspiration? Click here.