Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Clifton.
Hi Katie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my woodworking during one of the worst times of my life. I was fresh off of drugs and at an all-time low. My battle with drugs was finally over, and I no longer knew what to do with myself; suddenly, I had all this free time and lots of anxiety on my hands. I started going out in the garage, working with my hands to fill the time, and before I knew it, I had family members asking me to build things for them, complimenting my work and slowly building my self-confidence. My business is not named “Katie’s Garage” for a reason. My grandpa “Bud” worked in that garage for years before he passed. Bud was diagnosed with scleroderma in his younger years, then placed on disability and could no longer work, so he, like many other men in his family, began woodworking. I never had the chance to learn anything from him; I am self-taught, but my grandpa is watching over me, helping me out in his old garage. I named my business Bud’s Garage because it not only was his garage, but I also started with all of his old tools and wood. Of course, I have accumulated several tools over the last year, but I originally started with my grandpa’s stuff.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Since I started with my grandpa’s tools, they were very, very old. He’s been gone for about 13 years! So they all slowly started just to quit working one by one. I do still have his old miter saw. However, one of my most stressful times was when my table saw broke, and I had orders to fill. My neighbor tried his best to take things apart one by one and figure out the problem. We finally determined there was no power to the on/off switch. Thankfully with my parent’s help, I could purchase a new table saw and fill those orders! Other than things breaking, I would ay something that bothers me is when things get slow. I am still getting this business going, so it isn’t as fast-paced as I would prefer, which is why I am working a part-time job at Home Depot. I also get very upset when my customers don’t seem happy. It greatly affects me whether or not my clients are happy with my work.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in home decors such as wooden shelves, decorative trays, welcome signs, bath tub caddy, and my most popular item, the noodle board, aka stove top cover! Everything is handmade by myself. I custom-make bathtub caddies to fit your tub and noodle boards to match your kitchen and personality. I would say I am known for low prices along with great quality items. Many people sell noodle boards for double the price of mine. My favorite part of my business is when the customer gets their item and sends me a picture of it in their home. I love making my customers happy!
Had we love to hear about your fond memories of growing up?
I have to say some of my favorite childhood memories are going out on the boat to Center Hill lake with my family.
Pricing:
- noodle boards starting at $65
- bath tub caddy’s starting at $50
Contact Info:
- Website: www.budsgaragegifts.com
- Instagram: kt.budsgarage
- Facebook: facebook.com/budsgaragegifts
