Our Craftsman Story

Wood You Build It brings craftsmanship to the next level. It’s not just the quality behind the projects, it’s the full package.

From a $0.20 Etsy Listing to a Multi-Million Dollar Handmade Furniture Business — How Taking a Chance Changed Everything

I love sharing the story of how Wood You Build It started because if it inspires even one person to pursue their dreams, that’s a true accomplishment.

Back in 2011, my wife Kate had just given birth to our daughter. At the time, our kitchen “trash bin” was simply a plastic bag hung on the back of the door. Kate asked me to build something better — a way to hide the trash before our daughter started crawling and getting into it.

Though I had very little woodworking experience, I designed a piece to fit the space we had. I salvaged old floorboards from the attic of our home, sanding away 60 years of soot to bring them back to life. That simple trash bin became the very first piece I built.

A few months later, I heard an interview with the CEO of Etsy explaining the platform’s focus on handcrafted goods. On a whim, I took a photo of that trash bin and listed it on Etsy. Within two hours, it was sold.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

We are extremely grateful and blessed to have worked tirelessly to become one of Etsy’s largest accounts over the course of time.

What started out with a makeshift basement workshop, has now become an endeavor of over a dozen employees. We now manufacture out of a 25,000 sqft facility.

Through the years, there have been many ups and downs. The passion of our hardworking crew, and also support from our community is something that never goes unnoticed. We have dedicated so much time and effort since 2012 to help bring furniture and woodworking awareness back to the city of Gardner, MA; which at one time was considered the furniture capital of the world.

“Wood You Build It is trying to bring the notation of handcrafted, heirloom furniture back to the City of Gardner, MA for which it belongs, one home at a time.”