Today we’d like to introduce you to Doyle Carver.
Doyle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out as a mechanic shop and began to dabble in making things out of spare parts. I was given a bunch of horseshoes and just naturally started making little sculptures. People saw them and bought them. It was fun to do too. Slowly but slowly that little play business grew and I began to have trouble finding enough horseshoes in the area. I asked far and wide and even doubled the amount I paid for them. It didn’t help. My area had dried up. In desperation due to my little business threatening to close up, I sent some used horseshoes overseas and got them made.
Now I am the only large seller of used and worn out looking horseshoes specifically made for crafting. We wound up buying all our own molds and casting our COI into each one to get our brand out. Carvers Olde Iron was born. I make 9 sizes and kinds of cast iron horseshoes. From unicorn (tiny) to Clydesdale (huge). All pre-drilled to make them easy to install on wood and we make them without the clips on the bottom so they lay flat. We also polish every one to make them look old and used. This led us to cast more and more items. Now we have a line of cast iron bathroom accessory sets in different themes. Nautical, western horseshoe, butterfly, and dragonfly.
We may be the only manufacturer in the US that makes stand up cast iron ashtrays. We copied ones we found in antique shops. We invented our own MasterCrush Aluminum Can Crusher, the first of its kind to crush most sizes, even large ones, of drink cans and plastic drink bottles, I also built hand rebar benders and now have a line of hickey bars that will bend bar from 3/8″ to 1 1/8.” I discovered that invention and design is the most fun thing ever in this business and spend most of my time dreaming and then doing whatever I can figure out. The future, even now, is open and bright. Our motto is, NO BOUNDARIES.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No, not really. I bought and sold many closeouts in the beginning as I cast about for a legitimate and stable income. I bought some serious duds too. Luckily I learned how to overcome bad buying. The easy profitable days don’t make a businessman. Its the hard and stormy ones that mold us into survivors.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DC Mach Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
I was selected way back to be recorded for HGTV’s “That’s Clever show.” The video crew came right here to my shop and watched me build a fish sculpture and a crab sculpture. I thought it was pretty cool as I had never done anything like it before.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Desperation seems to have played a large role in my life. I would work myself into a corner and have to figure how to get out of it. My life choices haven’t always been the best. I have remarked that sometimes I seem to be blessed and come out of near-impossible situations without much damage. I can only attribute that to my Grandmother praying for me every day. I certainly didn’t pray for myself way back then. I just wasn’t that smart. LOL.
Pricing:
- Anyone interested in buying for Christmas? Use coupon code, I love Carvers Olde Iron to get 5% forever!
Contact Info:
- Address: 9303 Zaka Rd, Houston, Tx 77064
- Website: www.carversoldeiron.com
- Phone: 713 466 7804
- Email: infodcmach@gmail.com
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
