Conversations with Shawn Grischow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Grischow.

Hi Shawn, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Creating/building things has always been a part of my life. In high school, I took EVERY shop class that was available to me. As a junior and senior I completed the Building Trades program at my local Vo-Tech campus, as a way to fulfill my desire to create with my hands. After graduating I decided to take a job in the electrical field, as it was a more stable and higher paying job.

Last year, the company I worked for got hit hard by Covid. So after 20 years, I found myself laid off for the first time. After much discussion with my wife, she urged me to take my passion and skillset and go in another direction! I have been building things for myself, friends, and family for most of my life, but now I get to wake up and do what I love to do, all while making a living for my family! I use my attention to detail and quality over quantity mentality to create furniture/decor for KC locals that will last for years to come!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The hardest thing I have had to deal with is the lack of room to create my pieces of furniture. I do all of my creating in half of a 2 car garage, with low ceilings. This makes it hard to create anything of size. The other hurdle would be that I went from a full time guaranteed pay job, to a “you’ve got to sell”, to make a paycheck. With losing my paycheck, it was hard to purchase material to create the pieces I needed to sell. It was in that time I got my first, big, commissioned job. Once I got that job, I refuse to look back!!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would consider myself a quality furniture builder. I make anything from simple side tables and nightstands, to modern farmhouse tv/media consoles, to an elaborate and complex day bed. I also make cutting, charcuterie, and cheese boards, as well as coasters and other smaller handmade items at craft fairs. I sell some of my pieces in a store in Greenwood called The Porch Swing, and there I would say I am known for my tv consoles. I am most proud of the first piece I built as a business owner. The one that got it all started. It was a daybed with lots of detail and made solely out of cherry, which is a beautiful domestic hardwood! It took more time than any piece I had built to that point, but it meant so much more to me as well! That is what gave me a head of steam and the confidence to push myself onto the scene! Again, everything that I build is built with quality in mind, and I refuse to deliver anything that I don’t feel is the quality I want my name associated with. I do my best to make every customer feel like they are getting everything they are paying for, plus some if possible!

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My family makes me happy! My wife is the biggest supporter I have!! Without her, I wouldn’t even try a lot of the things that I wanted to so far. If I told her I wanted to build a rocket out of wood to get me to the moon, first she would ask me a lot of questions, but then she would help me try to get a plan together. Of course, starting with a list, that I hate making lol I love watching all 3 of my kids do the things they love to do. Seeing them happy brings a smile to my face. They give me a bigger reason to succeed! Showing them that you can chase your dreams and still make time for your family is very important to me as well!

Contact Info:

• Email: OrangeBoxWoodworks@gmail.com
• Website: OrangeBoxWoodworks.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orangeboxwoodworks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrangeBoxWoodworks