Hidden Gems: Meet Chelsea Hunter of Board & Brush Creative Studio – Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Hunter.

Hi Chelsea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been crafty and my husband Daniel is an architect and very artistic. When we bought our first house, we started woodworking to build our furniture and found that we really liked it. We laugh about starting our first project (a built-in breakfast bench) with a handsaw! We quickly realized we would need to invest in a miter saw before we went on to our next project.
I fell in love with Board & Brush at a corporate team-building workshop I attended. I loved that we were all able to make different projects and choose all our color combinations. The workshop combined my love for building, staining, and painting with 90s music, friends, and drinks. It was perfect!

I got to talking with the owner and she let me know she was interested in selling this Nashville location that is within walking distance from our house! I moved quickly, getting help from bankers and lenders to figure out how we could make it work. We’re both still working full time and building, instructing, and creating mostly on the weekends. It is fun to work together and bring our kids along when we can, even if they just play with hammers and glitter. We also love that we can provide a therapeutic and creative space for customers to relax and have fun.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think there was anything smooth about 2020. We took over January 20, 2020 and had no idea what we were in for. We closed down for a couple of months and had a slow summer. We were heavily impacted throughout the year by the pandemic since in-person workshops were limited but we’re very fortunate to still be here today. We pivoted to building custom corn hole boards, other backyard games, and @Home DIY kits. We learned a lot this year so hopefully, we can continue to learn, improve, and grow from here.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We host DIY workshops in our studio where we instruct you to make your own custom signs and decor. You register in advance and pick your projects from over 300 design options. Once you arrive for your workshop, we have all your wood, supplies, and stencils ready for you.

In workshops, instructors guide customers through several steps including distressing, sanding, staining, assembling, stencils, painting, and waxing. We take pride in giving customers all the tools and techniques needed to bring out their creativity. My favorite thing is at the end of the workshop when customers show off the signs they created and are proud of their work. Some haven’t used a drill before and others didn’t think they were artsy enough but they feel empowered at the end when they realize they can make beautiful signs.

The cool thing about our brand is that we have so many options and no two projects are the same. We have hundreds of decorative signs but also have functional coat racks, boxes, trays, clocks, and crates. Many designs include personalizations like family names, established dates, pet names, cities, and states. Even if two people happen to pick the same design, they make it their own with each distress mark, stain and paint color choice, and technique. Some love the clean, crisp, modern look and others love the rustic farmhouse feel so we share tips and tricks for both styles and everything in between.

We’re also a BYOB facility so you can bring your own drinks (including alcohol) and snacks. The studio is the perfect place for date night or fun with friends and family. Private workshops are popular for corporate team building, birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties, and holiday events.

Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Podcasts: The Goal Digger, Redefining Wealth, and Code Switch

Book: How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: boardandbrush.com/nashville
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boardandbrushnashville/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boardandbrushnashvilletn/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/board-and-brush-creative-studio-nashville