Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike and Kristin Scaglione.
Hi Mike and Kristin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We are the Scaglione family! We moved to Atlanta in 2019 from Tampa, Florida. We are high school sweethearts and have been together for 24 years (married for 17 years). We have two children, Shaun (11) and Lyla (7). Mike still works full-time in the medical device industry and has for the past 15 years. I (Kristin) was in pharmaceutical sales for 12 years until our daughter was born and have been a stay at home mom ever since. We are both graduates of the University of Florida.
Running a treefort business was never in the plans for our family! But when Covid caused the hospitals to shut down, Mike, working in the medical device industry, found himself at home for the first time in years. It didn’t take long for cabin fever to set it, so one day, without warning, Mike came home with a truck full of lumber and announced his plans to build a treefort in our backyard. Without a plan or any previous construction experience, he went to work. He chipped away at the project one day at a time and ended up creating an incredible structure that exceeded even his own expectations! It was gorgeous!
When we saw the joy that it brought to not only our children but our entire family, we knew we were on to something special. After a post to a local mom’s Facebook page, our feelings were confirmed when we received 60 quote requests within 48 hours. From that day on, we made it our mission to bring joy to as many families as possible by creating unique and custom spaces for families to reconnect and share lasting memories in their own backyard.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Has it been easy? Heck no! We have had our shares of ups and downs but we have learned so much along the way and feel that with each lesson has come growth and an opportunity to make Firefly a better and stronger brand. Running a construction business with very little construction knowledge came with plenty of struggles. Luckily we have had an amazing team of carpenters to help us navigate this new world. Lumber prices have spiked, materials have been hard to come by, and then some days I think we were just plain scared of the unknown that comes with starting a new business. But I think at the end of the day, we have realized that taking the risk to venture out and try something new is supposed to be scary. But on the other side of that, fear of the unknown is the potential for something life-changing. Had we not taken the risk in creating Firefly Forts, we would have missed out on the opportunity to bring joy to so many families and that has been the greatest gift in all of this!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Firefly Forts was born out of the desire to create a place for our children to call their own. We wanted a place that would grow with our children…that would be equally as desirable to a five years old as it would be to a 15 years old…or even a 50 years old! Being parents ourselves, we know firsthand what kids are looking for along with the quality parents desire. After seeing the joy the very first Firefly Fort (our own!) brought to our children and our family, we made it our mission to spread that joy to as many families as possible! We believe that a fort has the ability to help families connect and we are passionate about working with our families to create a custom space based on the needs and wants of both the children and the parents. Our goal is to personally connect with each and every family for which we build. We believe these relationships, partnered with our desire for exceptional customer service and the magic of our forts are the keys to the success in building the Firefly brand.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Firefly Forts was an unexpected business born out of a stay at home order and one very bored and stir-crazy father! We were already leading extremely busy lives and adding one more thing onto our plate was definitely not in the plan. That being said, this business has, from the very beginning, felt very meant to be and we have loved every minute of building it together. But starting a new biz is certainly not easy! Mike still works a full-time job and we are juggling the day to day life of being parents to two young kids. We would never be where we are today without the help, love, support and encouragement of our family, friends and customers during our first year in business. So many people have cheered us on along the way and it is because of that we are constantly reminded that we are exactly where we are meant to be, doing exactly what we are meant to do…spreading joy to as many families as possible through our forts. We also have to give a special shoutout to our lead carpenter, Joseph Jones. While Mike built the very first Firefly Fort, Joseph now leads our construction crew and has taken our forts to an entirely new level or creativity and quality. He was the very first person to believe in our vision and has helped our company grow in ways we never imagined. We are so thankful to have him and our entire crew as part of our Firefly family.
Pricing:
- We currently offer three fort models with the options to customize each fort and make it your own. The starting price for our forts is $10k – $12k.
Contact Info:
- Email: fireflyforts@gmail.com
- Website: www.fireflyforts.com
- Instagram: @fireflyforts
- Facebook: @fireflyforts
