Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Bailey.
Christopher, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up on the eastern shore of Virginia and just like most families, we had difficult times with life and the many punches it can throw. I was the third child of a family of five. There were days I would come home from school, grateful to smell a meal that my parents had cooked. Then there were days I would come home from school, not knowing if I would have a meal to eat even. Around the time I was eight years old, my parents would always leave for work, leaving us at home alone.
I had to entertain myself for hours and my imagination would always run wild. I did not have much toys to play with, but I made what I had work. I would take my parents scissors and duct tape to create structures out of cardboard boxes we had laying around the house. I would build mini cardboard houses and cars that I can put my action figure in, just to satisfy my imagination. As I look back on those memories, I realized that is how my passion for building began!
It helped that my dad worked in construction day in and day out and I realized I could benefit by watching my dad. Not knowing much, especially coming from this particular area of VA, I felt as if I also wanted to work in construction just like my father. I was grateful to work alongside of him and earning extra money, even on its worse days. While in high school at Nandua High, I discover that there is a lot more opportunity out in the world. At the end of the year each year, I would see graduate photos up on the walls. I would also see how they were excited to start college after high school and that alone inspired me to want to do the same.
Funny how life works, I would come home from school and see all kinds of college recruiting commercials. There was one particular commercial, which stuck out to me the most from ITT Technical Institute. The commercial had a guy on the roof, doing construction. As he wiped the sweat off his face with the headline, “I worked construction for years and working in the heat burned me up. So I joined ITT and I’m now an architect designing the homes.” I felt like this commercial was speaking to me personally. It immediately made me think about working alongside my dad in construction and how I would rather branch off to do my own thing. That one commercial gave me the drive I needed to pursue a career in drafting, and become the next student at ITT.
During this time, my parents had separated, and it did not sit well with me. I just knew I wanted better for my family. As a sophomore/junior, I took action on getting all the knowledge I could, so that I was prepared to be the best I can be in the college. I was so excited; I took the full three courses my school had to offer in drafting and design. It put such a huge smile on my face… I would come home from school and get on my computer, just to draw and design my own homes. I plan to live in when I became an adult. Along with this, I would watch “teen movies” of kids in college; American Pie was one of my favorites.
When I completed all the classes and still had time left in school, I would go to the building trade’s class, next door. In my last year of high school, I became a senior and a freshman. I figured if I could design a home, I might as well learn the ends and out on how to build one. I had no limit on my future and the skills I can potentially learn and do! This class was so fun and hands-on. I was giving so many nicknames from my instructor; names like “Lil C biscuit”, “C-bone”, and the class favorite “too short,” because every time I would cut wood for a shop, it’ll most of the time be too short. My instructor was so skilled at woodworking and great with assigning hands-on projects and power tools. He gave us the drive to push through! There were days when he did not make it to class and would end up sending us next door to the Heating and Air (HVAC) class. I just remember the class being so boring, as I sat and listen to the instructor. I would always chuckle and say in my head, “I would never do this.”
After graduation, my career as a drafter did not work out according to plan. ITT Tech was unfortunately 1.5 hours away and I did not have the transportation, nor the money to travel. I tried working in Construction but did not have much luck finding work at the time. It came to the point where I would take any job, just to help my mom, get myself a car, and save up enough money to move to the city and start my adult life of a drafter. After walking door to door doing applications, ironically, I walked by a (HVAC) company that was hiring. I did not know a darn thing about the business and thought to myself how I never paid attention in the HVAC class in high school. I worked for this company a whole year with minimum knowledge, but most importantly, I worked enough to save and proceed to get to my goal. -IM MOVING TO THE CITY!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I could never forget the many obstacles and challenges that came into play as I began life on my own as an adult. I started off my new life living with friends as I get my life in order. At the time, all I could think about was getting enrolled in ITT Tech, but still having a young mind. I didn’t really plan out how I would take care of the few bills I had (phone bill, car payment). Two months into living in the city my car was repossessed. It was such a bad feeling I instantly jumped on getting a job. The opportunity for work was a lot greater than searching on the Eastern Shore of VA, so I began to work construction. While working in constructions, things began to level out for me until it was time for me to finally enroll in ITT; they gave me bad news that I wasn’t eligible to go to the school. Time later came to pass that I had to move out from my friend’s home, which put me in a crunch. I later lost my job and began to give up on life. All I could think about was going back home with my mom, so that’s what attempt to do. While on the road back home, I received a call for without a doubt one of the best companies in the city of Virginia Beach, “Newbern Mechanical”.
“Newbern” was an HVAC company that offered to help me out with getting my life back on track. All starting with allowing me to work for them, seeking and getting me a place to live, getting and giving me rides to and from work. The company and all staff had become family to me. As I think back, this was all God giving me direction towards the life I have as a custom woodworker I am today. Working with this company for a decade, I had still had up and downs, but it was all learning points and how I can turn my trials into triumphs. As I worked there year by year, I’ve begun to gain much knowledge in the HVAC trade, and even though in high I made fun of this trade, I had no clue that I’d actually start loving it (lol). The day my boss told me “you know if you go to school for this trade you will make a lot more money”; I took action and did just that. Even though I began to make more money, I had that young mind still and was blowing off money that shouldn’t have. It was days where I would get behind on my bills and then other bills would begin to “snowball” putting myself in deep hole.
Despite all my struggles at the time, I was still ambitious in a small way about being a drafter. After years from my first attempt of wanting to enroll in ITT, I tried again, and it’s weird sometimes how God works because this time around, I was accepted. So there I was finally in the college I’ve dreamt of going. Even though I was now attending and getting that experience all the way to graduation, I later grew that this isn’t what I want to do in life, I was so in love with my job as a skilled HVAC tech. While on this subject of love, amongst these times, I had felled in love with a girl and, we had a baby boy and started a family. Now being a father of a baby boy, and just like any father, my life changed. So for all reasons, I wanted to become a better man; to be the best provider was key. Providing him a better life.
After being offered a new job in Atlanta, GA, we as a family moved from the great state of Virginia and started our new life in GA. I could never question God’s plan for me, but with the new job, keeping me away from home, my relationship with the mother of son didn’t work out as we planned our lives to be. In the midst of the separation between her I, I knew I had to find a better way to be home and more involved with my son. After four months of working, I had to let it go, and the only way I feel I could be in attendance and make money to provide was to start woodworking. It all started in my garage and if it wasn’t for my neighbors encouraging me and supporting me, I wouldn’t be at this point where I am now.
KB Kustom Wood Works – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
KB Kustom Wood Works is a company with a name that speaks for itself. If it’s wood involved, we can build it!! We specifically specialize in custom pet kennel/enclosure furniture, barn doors, custom closets, storage sheds, and MUCH MORE!! We’re the go to company that’s known for our spinning shoe racks that are custom made for someone with a shoe or bag fetish. As a company we’re most proud of our all our clients and supporters that really inspire the company to grow big and better then it was yesterday, and what sets us apart from other companies is the will power to keep pressing; As the owner and with the company now in high demand unlike most companies, I’ll work countless hours to make sure all task are completed with my in-home workshop and most importantly this company makes sure we keep a 100% customer satisfaction.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
All my failures have turned into lessons and those lessons turned into blessings; I would feel everything is in place as it should be. BUT if I was to start over I know for sure I’d go back to the moments of my childhood and put a 2-car garage on my cardboard home so that my action figure would at least have a place to park the lawnmower (lol)
Contact Info:
- Website: kbkustomwoodworks.com
- Phone: 7709050849
- Email: kbbuiltit.jv@gmail.com
- Instagram: @yoshichipwood
- Facebook: KB Kustom Wood Works LLC
Image Credit:
Office manager JohVonnie Morris
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