Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Walls.
Hi Julie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was a high school math teacher for 14 years, a large part of my career was spent teaching at Wheeler HS in Marietta. I loved teaching math and connecting with the students but as my career progressed, I found that it caused me more and more stress due to factors outside the classroom. During this time, my husband started his own full-time creative business in 2011 called Monster Arcades, he builds wicked cool custom arcade machines. He purchased and used a CNC Router for his business. By 2014 I decided that I wanted to learn how to use it. The math nerd in me was drawn to the engineering and abilities of the CNC Router. Additionally, this gave me a creative outlet. My husband taught me some and I learned a lot through YouTube videos. I began to design signs and door hangers to cut on the CNC Router and I painted or stained them. In 2015 I launched Julie’s Woodcrafts as just a side business for a little extra income and a creative outlet for myself. I experienced a lot of success that first year and so in the 2016-2017 school year, I reduced my teaching to just part-time. I began to go to arts and crafts shows, opened an Etsy shop, and even had my products in a few local stores. I was enjoying everything about my new and exciting business! I liked the problem-solving of improving my sales, opening new sales avenues, improving my social media, and designing new, popular signs and door hangers. I liked the creativity of discovering all I could make with the CNC Router. I was blessed to make Julie’s Woodcrafts my full-time job starting in June 2017.
And now, I have one full-time employee, Gloria, who has worked with me for three years. She helps with fulfilling online orders and does a majority of the painting of all orders and products for stores. Additionally, I hire seasonal workers as needed. My husband and I run both our businesses out of the same workshop space using a lot of the same tools but make very different products obviously. I love getting to work next to him every day. Since 2017 we have added a second CNC Router and now a CNC Laser to our businesses. Prior to 2020, I was selling at approximately 18 arts and craft shows per year had my products in four stores and had a successful Etsy shop. Since 2020 I have reduced the number of arts and crafts shows that I go to about 14 per year, reduced my stores to just 3, and built a commerce website where I sell in addition to my Etsy shop. I have also spent a lot of energy cultivating my Facebook group called Julie’s Woodcrafts DIY Divas. My most commonly sold products currently are: custom name signs, home signs, wedding signs, decorative crate sets (similar to tiered tray sets), door hangers – both seasonal and non-seasonal, and my craft kit of the month subscription box.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Honestly, I think it’s been a pretty smooth road. There have been struggles but I’m a fairly flexible person and look at a struggle as a problem-solving opportunity. And I am a pretty optimistic person as well. My husband and I have both grown our businesses without credit/loans so that has caused us to be very thoughtful and intentional in the decisions we make for our businesses and it has lead to a slow and steady growth for both of us. Generally speaking, there is always the struggle of self-doubt and wondering if you made the right decision. It was quite a leap of faith for me to leave a professional job where I had a dependable monthly salary to go to owning my own business full of unknowns. But I am so glad I did it and am grateful for the unending support of my husband in what was a life-changing endeavor.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What I believe sets me apart is my appeal to the “crafty crowd” as I call them. They are my DIY Divas. They are the reason I cultivate my Facebook group, Julie’s Woodcrafts DIY Divas. I love to make crafting fun and easy. Majority of what I sell on my website, my Facebook, my store locations, and at arts and crafts shows is unpainted. This allows the customer to paint it themselves whatever color and style they want to. I do still sell painted items and my Etsy shop has a majority of sales as painted items but my target audience really is my DIY Divas. I love to connect with that customer who is so excited to get a door hanger or sign that they can put their own stamp on. I have a monthly subscription box that contains an entire craft (door hanger, shelf decor, or framed wall sign) and includes everything needed to DIY (paint, brushes, ribbon, glue, etc.). Each month I do a live paint of the craft kit of the month in our Facebook group. Because crafting is cheaper than therapy! Let’s get crafty! 🙂
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I learned that it was vitally important to grow my online presence. I built my fully shoppable e-commerce website in 2020 due to not being able to sell at arts and crafts shows since they were all canceled. I also invested my time and energy into a few businesses courses on social media and developing/reaching your target audience. I learned that I enjoyed having my weekends back and so I made it a goal to grow my online sales enough that I could participate in less arts and crafts shows and still be successful.
Pricing:
- My products range from $8-$300 (for large wedding signs)
- Majority of my sales are in the $25-$55 range
Contact Info:
- Website: www.julieswoodcrafts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JuliesWoodcrafts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuliesWoodcrafts
- Other: https://linktr.ee/JuliesWoodcrafts
Image Credits
The professional picture of me (pink background) was taken by: Brian + Lindsey | Atlanta Portrait Photographers
