Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Farmer.
Doug, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m the owner/operator of this one-man furniture shop and I’m actually an Austin transplant (born and raised, met my wife there).
How I ended up in furniture is really a ‘lost in the wilderness’ story. I graduated from the University of Texas with a Marketing degree in ‘08, right at the beginning of the recession and moved to San Francisco thinking I would do PR and work in an office and live in the middle of a big city for the rest of my life. I did that for a few months, working long hours, never seeing sunlight. The economy got so bad I went from teaching CEOs how to use social media to painting houses and refinishing furniture I found on the street just to make rent. It was devastating, but working on homes in fresh air, with sunlight, problem-solving on the job site brought me so much satisfaction. Eventually, that work dried up too so I moved back to Texas, worked retail and in 2011 built my first commissioned coffee table for a client out of reclaimed Pecan beams. I had to borrow almost every tool I used down to the clamps that held everything together, but I absolutely loved it. After that, I went into automotive selling parts at a Mercedes Benz dealership for the next few years and completely forgot about furniture and working with my hands.
Fast forward to 2015, I started making furniture for friends and family on the side. At the time, I was working 50+ hours a week at my regular job and getting up early every day to work on furniture, usually putting in another 20+ hours a week on that. In 2018 I left my job to make furniture full time and I haven’t looked back.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road, I jumped into entrepreneurship earlier than I had planned, so I’ve learned some things the hard way. For one, all my tools were made for the hobbyist and I had just stepped into the professional world of woodworking. Some of my tools couldn’t handle the stress of what I was asking them to do so I’ve spent a lot of time and money investing in more powerful tools. Without such an understanding and amazing wife who’s been supporting me while we boot-strap this business, it wouldn’t have happened.
Please tell us about Sovereign Carpentry.
Sovereign Carpentry is a one-person woodworking and furniture workshop that specializes in custom, unique pieces of furniture that aren’t found in stores or online. All of my pieces are bespoke, made to size and design specifications for each individual client/interior designer/builder. Mostly I’m known for working with reclaimed, century old barn wood and turning it into beautiful, functional furniture like tables, dressers, bathroom vanities and kitchen islands.
It’s my goal to always deliver above and beyond what the client is looking for, from the furniture down to the quote process and delivery. Because I’ve spent years in customer service, I’m really proud of the focus on taking care of clients from start to finish. For example, there are so many options when you go to order custom furniture it can be overwhelming, frustrating, and scary. How can you trust that your design ideas have carried across and you’ll get what you paid for? Over time I’ve developed comprehensive checklists to cover every facet of furniture design I do and I also use 3D renderings to show clients exactly what they’ll be getting before I step foot in the workshop. I want the process to be as painless and worry-free for my clients as possible, I feel that close work relationship between my clients and myself sets Sovereign Carpentry apart.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Honestly, the way it’s worked out I wouldn’t change. Every setback, including jumping off on my own too early, all the way back to deciding what to do after High School, it’s all prepared me for starting this business. Don’t get me wrong, there were many painful lessons along the way and those aren’t over, adversity is just a fact of life. But I’ve been so blessed that my whole life feels like it’s led up to this – working with my hands, crafting amazing pieces, meeting and working with amazing people, and building a wonderful family with my wife. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sovereigncarpentry.com
- Phone: 5123871810
- Email: info@sovereigncarpentry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sovereigncarpentry/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SovereignCarpentry/
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
