A Taste of Success | Sawdust & Soda Cans Story (Chapter 5)

A Taste of Success

by the makers behind Sawdust & Soda Cans

Sometimes the best place to test a handmade idea
is the least glamorous place imaginable.

Chapter 5 of 9

 

In 2015, the two makers opened a kiosk called Personal Space Creations.

Not in a fancy gallery.
Not in an artisan district.

In a military mall food court.

Between the smell of fried chicken and the sound of soldiers talking about training.

It turned out to be the perfect testing ground.

Customers walked by and saw things they couldn’t find anywhere else.

Jewelry made from soda cans.

Handcrafted wooden pieces built from real lumber.

And then the requests started.

“Could you make this… but in a different wood?”

“Could you make one that fits this exact space?”

“Could you add this name… this date… this size?”

Factories hate questions like that.

Factories require sameness.

But makers thrive on it.

Every unusual request became a challenge.

Every challenge became a new piece.

Slowly, the experiment began working.

By 2017, Personal Space Creations had its first profitable year.

The dream of building a life as full-time makers in Alaska was no longer just an idea.

It was becoming real.

And then life changed the plan again.

Over the next several weeks we’ll be sharing the full origin story of Sawdust & Soda Cans here on the blog.

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The Soldier’s Second Act  <> Next Chapter: The Long Road South