Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Chapman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Houston, TX and come from generations of artists in my family. I first got into metalworking during my undergraduate years at Baylor University where I studied sculpture. I continued my formal education by getting my Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture at Houston Baptist University. My career began in the Houston fine arts scene by producing several successful gallery showings. While this was affirming as a young artist, I craved having my art be functional in addition to its beauty. I came across an opportunity to work on custom designs and fabrications with a local shop and after six months of working on projects with them, the owner decided to close the business. I found myself seriously considering taking the fabrication shop over and ultimately decided to do so – using ownership as an opportunity to expand the business’ services. I then proudly started Chapman Fabrication.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first started Chapman Fabrication, it was just me having to meet with clients, design projects, and then fabricate. The main issue I ran into was not having enough time to get everything done. The struggle added on top of that was my lack of expertise in running a business; Quickbooks and I have had a rough relationship. The best business decision I made was to ask for help. I found friends and mentors that were good at the things I wasn’t and learned when it’s better to hire someone to take over certain business-related tasks.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chapman Fabrication – what should we know?
Chapman Fabrication specializes in transforming a client’s idea or artistic vision into a tangible product. Projects have ranged from the client only knowing the feeling they want the piece to have and we design and fabricate a completed product to a client having a photo of a piece they want replicated. What sets us apart from other companies is that we aren’t just a design firm or a fabrication shop, we’re both. The client can choose to either have a design done, have a project fabricated from an existing design, or have a piece designed and fabricated in one place from materials ranging from utilitarian steel pieces to cast resin or bronze sculptures.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The characteristic I feel is most important to the success of Chapman Fabrication is the desire to keep learning and stay challenged. If a client wants a piece made from materials we’ve never used before, we become experts on that material to execute the project with high quality and to add that to our knowledge bank. Listening to what the client wants is always top of mind. We would not be able to create pieces unique to each client if we did not listen to what their needs and requests were.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1412 Hardy St.
- Website: www.chapmanfab.com
- Phone: 7133022970
- Email: Lauren@chapmanfab.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chapmanfab/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chapmanfab
Image Credit:
Dani Benoit
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