I’m sure you’ve been in the position of trying to find a gift for someone who doesn’t want much. Well that’s me every year looking for something for my grandpa. He’s a bit of a minimalist, so anything that might become just another bit of clutter is off the table. I always look for something that is both personal and useful.

A few years ago I decided that he needed a sign for the gate on the road up to his little farm in Eufaula, Oklahoma. I looked and looked for somebody who could make a one-of-a-kind carved wood sign on a fine slab of wood and came up with nothing. I had my mind set on a sign, so I decided I’d have to learn quickly and do it myself. I could do that. What could be better than something I made myself? Turns out, nothing.

When the sign was up, everyone loved it and requests for similar signs immediately started coming in – from my mother to the local feed store. And now here I am a few years later making signs for grandpas, moms and feed stores all across the country.