Today we’d like to introduce you to Keith Boone.
Hi Keith, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always had a knack for creating, drawing and painting mostly, but I took a shop class in 8th grade that really sparked my love for woodworking. The first thing that I made was a storage box for my mom that she still uses all these years later.
Fast-forward to 2013 – I was living in a small apartment in Katy with my then-girlfriend (now wife), Corrie, and she had way too many books for the 600 square feet that we were sharing. We had them crammed into every free space in the living room, dining room, and even inside the fireplace. One night she showed me a picture from Pinterest of these bookshelves that she would love to have in our future home “one day.” Because I would’ve done anything to impress her, I bought some lumber, fired up the circular saw, and took to our tiny balcony to build Corrie the bookshelf of her dreams. That bookcase got her books out of the fireplace, decluttered the apartment, and was the beginning of what would grow into become Tiptop Woodshop nine years later.
A lot has changed since that tiny Katy apartment – I’ve traded the suburbs for the country life and a fixer-upper on some family land in my hometown, got married, made several upgrades to my tool arsenal, and learned a ton of new things in the woodshop, but I haven’t stopped creating things.
Like so many others during the pandemic, I had the opportunity to reevaluate my priorities and realized that creating is what makes me truly happy. If I can take that passion and turn it into a business and a platform to share my art with the world… why not? Because it’s a little terrifying, to be perfectly honest, but with my wife’s encouragement and business acumen we’re making it happen! Some days I still can’t believe this is my life.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been the roughest road, but we have definitely had our moments. Putting myself and my work out there for all to see isn’t the easiest thing to do. There have been times when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel on a project or have scrapped it and started over because I wasn’t happy with the direction it was going. I know that I am my own biggest critic and I hold myself to a standard that’s sometimes unattainable, but what creator doesn’t? At the end of the day and with God’s grace, I think that helps me to put forth a product that I know I can stand behind 100%.
The back end of things – the branding, social media, accounting, taxes, and all of those seemingly tedious things – is a full-time job all on its own. Learning how to prioritize and balance those things along with the creative process and the rest of our day-to-day lives has been an interesting journey… one we’re still trying to figure out!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
We specialize in a variety of handcrafted wood pieces from seasonal decor to laser-cut hardwood jewelry, and so many things in between. Our most popular items are our kitchen essentials – cutting, carving, and charcuterie boards that serve a functional purpose while also bringing a bit of beauty and art to kitchen countertops. They are truly heirloom pieces that can last a lifetime. We also love to create outdoor games that will bring families and friends together – cornhole and giant yard dominoes are a couple of our favorites.
When we started this business, we agreed that giving back was something that we both felt was important to do as often as we could. We’re proud to say that we’ve been able to do just that by way of product donations and custom builds at least once a month since our launch in June of 2021. Our favorite build this year was a donation to Citizens for Animal Protection’s annual dog house competition and auction. We built an end table out of the most beautiful piece of local Post Oak that doubled as a dog house with a cozy bed at the base of the table. It was a piece that was both beautiful and functional, and most importantly helped to bring much-needed funding to CAP. CAP is an organization that holds a special place in our hearts and to be able to give back to them this year was truly a highlight, both for our business and on a personal level.
No matter the project – from the smallest pair of hardwood earrings to the biggest piece of furniture – we take pride in each step of the process. We hand-select each piece of lumber used and pour our hearts into the build. We hand-sand, hand-finish, and triple-check each piece before it leaves the shop to make sure it’s a piece that we’re truly proud to stamp our brand on. We are honored that our clients choose to have our pieces in their homes or businesses, and we want to make sure that they can tell by the quality of work that we’re putting forward.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I am not a risk-taker by nature at all, not even close. When we started the business, I felt like that was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. I wasn’t sure how to even begin and I figured that at best, I would have a nice little side hobby where I could channel my creativity and make a couple of bucks. Corrie had bigger ideas, dreams, and goals for Tiptop’s direction and she has pushed me beyond my comfort zone to make them happen. We’ve been able to grow this small business into something bigger than I ever expected we would. This October, I was able to take an even bigger risk and leave a 20+ year career in the transportation industry to be a full-time woodworker. I am so grateful that I get to do something I truly love every day. I still don’t consider myself a risk-taker but I do think that with a little hard work and a whole lot of faith, those risks can pay off more than you ever thought.
Contact Info:
- Website: tiptopwoodshop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiptopwoodshop/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiptopwoodshop
