Daily Inspiration: Meet Nikki Barrow

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikki Barrow.

Hi Nikki, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 
I was a muralist and faux finish artist in my twenties and early thirties. Then, while raising kids, I worked in a fabulous little home studio to create custom, hand-stamped jewelry that I sold online through Etsy and other retailers. 

Over the years, I started to lose a bit of dexterity in my hands, so I purchased a USA-made laser from Boss and quickly fell in love with all of the artistic abilities the machine was equipped with. I had to spend time learning the ins and outs of graphic design while learning the schematics of an industrial-size Co2 laser. 

My husband is a builder by trade, so I used full advantage of the availability of space in his wood shop and the access to tools. We started working together to create beautiful, 3D laser cut signs in the Chicagoland area, and quickly kept growing from making small family and keepsake signs to large business signs and marketing materials, event signage, and more! 

Our business was really taking off when Covid hit. Just months before, our family had purchased a fixer-upper on a beautiful property on Sugar Island with the intention of slowly making repairs and renovations while our kids finished high school in Illinois and maybe eventually moving to the island full-time. After several devastating losses early on, we were faced with the choice of letting go of our little island dream and staying where we grew up or packing up and starting over in a whole new place, and here we are. 

After a handful of obstacles getting the sign business going again once we got settled, we’re back doing local shows and markets while also making time for some special events in Marquette and Escanaba later this year. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Relocation was hard personally and professionally. It always felt like whenever there was a personal win, there were professional setbacks. And vice versa. Such is life yeah? 

Downsizing from a large commercial shop to a home-based shop was difficult. Thankfully my husband is really good at utilizing space well. I’m more of a toss it to the side when I’m finished with it kind of person, so now in a smaller workspace, I’m forced to put things away. He calls it a win; I call it a struggle. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve always been a creative. I was a daydreamer during art class, but still managed to pass with good grades because it was the one class I actually enjoyed and was good at all through school. 

I’ve been doodling on everything since I was young. I love working and observing all forms of creative mediums, from line drawings to watercolor painting, wood carving to building. I really enjoy the creative process. Not being able to create or paint in the way I did at one time opened a lot of doors for me personally once I realized I could still make beautiful things even though I couldn’t hold a pencil or paintbrush in the same way anymore. Learning to create images digitally that can then be transferred in a multitude of ways to wood surfaces, metal, stone…it gave me the ability to continue making beautiful things, just in a different way. 

I think what I’m most proud of is when people recognize my work. I love when I’m at a show or market, and someone rushes over to tell me they purchased one of my pieces in the past or a friend or family member has something I’ve made that they’d like to order as well. Most people love to touch and pick up everything, too, which I absolutely encourage! I want you to be able to really see and feel the quality and texture of the materials we use. Every little detail is important, and people consistently tell us they can feel love and attention that goes into each one. 

What was your favorite childhood memory?
One that sticks out was taking a long weekend trip with my aunt when I was about ten years old, I think maybe we went to Saginaw. I honestly don’t even remember for sure where we ended up, we just got in the car and drove to all these adorable little roadside shops and farms, pottery studios, and art galleries just outside of people’s homes, and we stayed at a teeny but very clean little motel. We ate some very simple but absolutely delicious comfort food-type meals every single day. 

Growing up in the cookie-cutter suburbs of Chicago, this was just not something we saw often, and I absolutely fell in love with all of it. The landscape. The water. The green trees everywhere. The nice, smiley people who were always waving. I couldn’t believe that you could actually be creative, or work your land to harvest, or just basically live a life somewhere beautiful. 

I never could have imagined I’d actually get to be one of the people that lived like that. 

Pricing:

• Custom Family Signs start at $85
• Custom Business Signs start at $125
• Logo Designs available with purchase
• Wholesale is available to shops in Michigan

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheBirchwoodDesignHouse.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/TheBirchwoodDesignHouse
• Facebook: Facebook.com/TheBirchwoodDesignHouse