Oak Knot Boutique

My passion for woodworking started in 2006 when I worked at a company that made wood doors. They taught me how to use the power tools I still use today. Back then, I was a young newlywed with a new home, a wife, a job, but not much money. Thankfully, the company was family-owned and treated their employees well. They let me use the equipment in the evenings and weekends. I took advantage of this opportunity to learn all about woodworking and practiced making small furniture and other items for our home.

Since those early days, I've built a small woodshop in my garage and now share my love of woodworking with my son Nate.

In 2017, I taught Nate and one of our foster children how to use a hand router to create rustic Christmas signs and Grinch decorations. After that, I started focusing on making signs and small home decor for friends and family. Naturally, others saw my work and wanted to buy from me.

We still make some signs using a hand router, but we also use a small CNC machine in our shop. My wife, April, is a graphic designer during the day, and she has helped design some of the signs you see. She also taught me how to design. April has her own business making custom t-shirts and mugs.

I still work in the door business, but now I am a project manager. April works for a company that handles social media, advertising, and websites for small businesses. With both of us running two small businesses and working full-time, we stay busy. Our son Nate helps out too, but he spends most of his time on soccer and track and doing regular teenage things.