Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric and Sarah Tangblade.
Hi Eric and Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
We are Eric and Sarah Tangblade. When we were first married, we started an antique booth. As our family grew so did our interest in our booth side hustle. We expanded into repurposed furniture and handmade décor; eventually, Eric found his niche was woodworking. One fateful Sunday in 2017, we took a drive through historic downtown Pleasant Hill and fell in love with a two-story brick building with a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. We began pursuing the purchase of the building that day and didn’t stop until six months later when we were moving our kids in upstairs and workshop tools downstairs. Our storefront opened three months later in April 2018. At that time, we had two little girls and both worked other jobs while running the store full time.
Gratefully, our business has blossomed! We are both now full-time entrepreneurs. Our business is really two-fold. Eric builds custom furniture in the back half of the building while I sell locally-made décor and gifts in the storefront. There is a playroom between the spaces where our (now three) daughters play.
Customers are often greeted by sidewalk chalk and tricycles, a sweet reminder that owning a brick and mortar is just as much about creating community as running a business. We genuinely feel that customers are guests in our home; we hope they feel that welcomed and find something beautiful to take back to their own homes!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Time is our greatest obstacle as business owners/operators/makers. We have never built two pieces of furniture the exact same; while constantly creating new items is exciting, it is also time-consuming. Minor miscalculations can lead to big changes in estimated timelines; we’ve learned a lot in the past year about streamlining processes where we can and how to better space out projects. This has helped us a lot in creating pieces we’re proud of while still having time to run the other aspects of our business. Also, working with your spouse while living at your business work/life balance becomes a big blur. An ongoing challenge is creating boundaries for our work and sticking to them so our kids never feel like an afterthought.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our specialty in the workshop is custom tables! Traditional, modern, rustic, rectangular, or circular we build them all out of high-quality hardwoods. We always tell customers, “If you have inspiration pictures and measurements, we’ll take care of the rest!” Our specialty in the store is combining a little old, a little new, and a lot of American-made products!
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The greatest lesson we’ve learned on our business journey is the importance of community. We are blessed to be a part of two great business communities. One is our historic district where our neighboring business owners are friends who cheer for us in good times, encourage us in hard times, and help us move heavy furniture all the time! The other community is KC makers with whom we share techniques, customers, business advice. It’s truly amazing how creative and kind the makers in the area are!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: american-dwelling.com
- Instagram: @americandwelling
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/americandwelling
