Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenna Smith.
Kenna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Building a home and a business in Tucker. Let’s start with a little background about me and my family. I’m from a rural area in Western Pennsylvania. Not southern, but southern at heart. After all, Pennsylvania is just Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Alabama in between! My husband and I met when we were both attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida in the fall of 1999. We hit it off pretty quickly and got married (pretty young according to most people) in May of 2002. We did the normal job thing and buying a house thing. Then in early 2007 Michael got a job opportunity at the CDC. So, with a cat and a dog and a moving truck of our stuff we became Georgia residents. We rented in the Toco Hills area for a few years, the whole time looking for a house to call a home. I worked at Agnes Scott College and was blessed with amazing co-workers I call friends. But when Michael and I decided to start a family I knew I wanted to stay at home. When the others in my office left for Christmas break in Dec of 2010, it was my last day. About a month later we welcomed our son, Aiden, into our lives. Life in a small rental house with a baby wasn’t easy, but we made it work for almost two years. Ten days before Christmas 2012 we moved into a house of Henderson Road in Tucker. We FINALLY found our “home”…
Or so we thought. In July of 2013, almost ready to welcome baby #2, our house flooded. A few inches of water throughout the entire house. It was a single-story house on a slab with two creeks. We knew it had a history of flooding, but just didn’t expect it that soon. Part of the issues was a privacy fence attached to the corner of the house. The water flow from the one creek shifted during a summer storm that decided to hang out over Tucker. Debris began to back up at the fence and push water against the house. Michael was out in the rain tearing down that fence. It was the beginning of a major ordeal. We had to cancel our trip to vacation with family the following week. We lived in a hotel and then with a friend for almost a month, all while eight months pregnant and caring for a 2 ½ year old. Once all the repairs were done we got to move back in. In September we brought our daughter, River, home to our “fixed” house (as my son said). And then in October we found out the flood had bumped our house into a program with FEMA that allows the local county to buy your home and tear it down, basically to mitigate future expenses on their part. I was devastated to say the least. From the first night sleeping in that house, I felt at “home” and loved the beautiful wooded lot and great fenced backyard. How could we be losing it? I struggled with it a lot, especially when we found out the process would take 2-4 years?!? That’s the speed of government for you. Those years, I slowly realized it was God at work. For one thing, it was a lesson that this earth is not our final home and at the same time the gift of enjoying that house for a few more years. We celebrated several of our kids’ birthdays there, parties, neighborhood gatherings, and spent lots of fun times in and around the house.
Out of something as difficult as the flood, something wonderful started to grow. Using the wood from the fence Michael tore down, I started building rustic wooden signs in 2014. At first it was mostly a hobby but more and more people were interested in having me build signs for them. I even started a shop on Etsy (Custom Crafts by Kenna) and was thrilled when someone from California or New York would buy one of my signs. I began selling at local craft shows and art shows, including ARTucker and Tucker Day. I loved having something to do that I enjoyed, earned some money, and continue to stay home with my kids. In time, we found another house in a neighborhood just a mile away and moved in November 2016. And who knows if we’ll move again, but for now this house is “home”.
But what about the business…? Well, it’s an interesting story too. As a mom, I cherish time with my kids. But I also cherish time to be with friends and unwind. One evening back in February I asked my friend and fellow Tucker Mom, Charla, to join me for a paint night at a local restaurant. We were having a great time and I made a comment about how it would be fun to host a group of ladies at my house and watch a video tutorial and all paint pictures (one I’ve actually watched before was how to paint a sunflower). At that, Charla got super excited and told me “I know what your next job is going to be!” Her friend’s friend had just opened an AR Workshop in Pennsylvania, a DIY workshop where people go to build and paint signs. Basically, like the paint nights, but for wooden signs. She showed me some pictures and said she’d send me the web address. I was mildly intrigued, until I looked at the website… Then I was HOOKED! Charla and I talked more a few days later and we both loved the idea of having and running our own shop. She even worked it out for us to have a phone call with the owner. Butterflies in my stomach to say the least. But, one little snag – Charla was expecting the arrival of her forth baby in just over a month. I struggled for a little while because I really felt like we should move forward quickly, but Charla…? After all, she had introduced me to the concept and the owner of the franchise. Naturally I talked with her and being the amazing, supportive friend that she is, gave me the go ahead.
So, the next step is get the whole franchise thing moving and I’d be set. Right…? Wrong. Without getting into details, I was kind of passed over for someone within their circle of friends wanting to open a workshop in Lawrenceville and therefore didn’t want another workshop too close. Whoa. Another blow to my plans, but what I’ve discovered time and again is God’s plans are always better. With encouragement from Michael and countless friends, we decided to make this thing happen on our own. I even came up with a name, spun off my Etsy store, Custom Crafts by You. We needed a location and the antique store on Railroad Ave was up for rent. We took a tour and pretty much knew it was the perfect spot. We finalized a lease in June and got to work on revamping the place. Over several weeks we put in a lot of work and also hired a contractor to do things we didn’t want to screw up. We built all the work tables ourselves, installed light fixtures, bought lots and lots of paint and supplies. And there was a lot of non-physical work, developing and updating the website, deciding on what paint and stain colors to offer (So. Many. Choices.), finding local vendors for our gift shop, and designing projects to offer at our workshops. And you know what? I’m glad the franchise thing didn’t work out, this has been so much more rewarding. We started small with a few early classes, then on September 7th we had our ribbon cutting and grand opening. This community has really encouraged and embraced our new shop throughout the entire process. We feel so thankful and blessed to be able to live and work in Tucker!
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?
We had lots of ups and downs along the way. Of course, now they don’t seem as big as they did at the time. However, when we realized working with the franchise was not our best choice, it came with some difficulties. Many of the specifics of the business (paint colors, designs, website, etc.) that a franchise would have provide, we had to figure out on our own. Now, that we have, there is a great sense of pride because of all the work we’ve put in.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Custom Crafts by You – what should we know?
Custom Crafts by You is a new DIY workshop experience. We empower our clients to enjoy the process of making something themselves they are proud to display in their home or give as a gift. We believe everyone is creative and help bring out our customers’ creativity. Our workshops specialize in making rustic wood signs and similar wooden home décor items. When a customer attends a workshop they get to experience the entire process. Beginning with raw wood sourced locally from Cofer Bros, a Tucker icon, each participant distresses their wood, assembles their project with power tolls, and then customizes it by choosing from our 10 stain colors and 48 paint colors. We use stencils to create the design, ensuring a clean crisp finished product. Our workshops are great for date night, ladies night, group events and celebrations. And the best part is because we use stencils, each participant gets to make the project of their choice!
We also want to encourage other local artists and crafters. To do this, we setup a retail area in the front of our shop. We carry mainly locally handmade items such as body care, candles, and stationary.
Finally, we want to give back to the community we serve by donating 10% of all revenue to local charities.
No experience necessary (even my husband can do it!) and we provide all the materials.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Helping others – we help other people discover their creative side; we help other artists by selling their handmade goods, and we help the community by donating to local charities.
Pricing:
- Kid friendly Workshops – $35 for kids projects
- Adult Workshops – $45 for small, $55 for medium, and $65 for large
- Gift shop items begin as low as $5
Contact Info:
- Address: 4292 Railroad Avenue
Tucker, GA 30084 - Website: www.customcraftsbyyou.com
- Phone: 678-992-4549
- Email: diy@customcraftsbyyou.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/customcraftsbyyou/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CustomCraftsbyYou
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/custom-crafts-by-you-tucker
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