The Story of a Father and Son and the Company They Built

The Story of a Father and Son and the Company They Built

When it all started we didn’t know where we were going or how we would get there. All we knew was that we wanted to spontaneously and organically create products that would add value to people’s lives and bring a smile to their face. With that in mind, we began. 

Our aim was to uncover a new way of perfectly printing any image onto a piece of wood. This method had to be fast and efficient, while at the same time produce durable, high-quality results every time. Our commitment to this end was unparalleled and countless hours would be spent on finding the solution. After months of experimentation in our crowded one car garage, we had finally cracked the code. A familiar burning smell lingered in the air as we reached down with oil coated hands to peel back the tattered paper and reveal the culmination of all of our efforts. A perfectly printed image of a whitetail deer permanently embedded in the fibers of the wood slowly revealed itself and at that moment Sawyer’s Mill was born. 

 

The next several weeks were some of the most exciting that we had ever experienced together as we worked to create artwork that would complement our new process. Computers hummed quietly as we created a brand and prepared to market and sell our products across the globe. Our next step was to find a sustainable source of lumber for production that would be economically and environmentally friendly. We settled on something that held us true to our southern roots and furthered the uniqueness and creative aspect of our products. 

 

We stared at the large pile of pallet slats stacked in our crowded one car garage. Riddled with nail holes, cracked, splintered and covered in dirt, we were unsure if we could make it work. Bursting with excitement and eager to begin though, we rolled up our sleeves and began working to unearth the beauty that lay underneath years of dirt and filth. After hours of planning, cutting and sanding we stood back, wiped the sawdust from our shirts and pants and looked at our neatly stacked pile of wood with satisfaction. 

 

In the following weeks and months, that small stack of wood was transformed even more and printed with everything from world-class art to quirky one-liners. Selling only a handful each day in the beginning, we had the necessary time to ensure the quality and craftsmanship of our product and forge friendships with the first era of our customers. To this day, we still uphold these same principles and work to maintain unparalleled quality and approach each transaction as an opportunity to create a new relationship. So many hours were spent in that small space in our garage working to craft a brand and a product that we could both be proud to bring to the world. 

 

These days we run the business from a much larger facility than our humble beginnings in that one car garage, but we still control all production and are proud to be 100% Made in America. Each morning we open the shop door we feel the same excitement and passion that we did that first day. Standing in that small one car garage, covered in sawdust and filled with wonder at the thought of what was to come.  

 

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