Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian & Kelly Robinson.
Hi Brian & Kelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A few years ago, I met Brian, who has lived and worked in Hamilton since 1996. Shortly thereafter, I visited Hamilton for the first time after living in Columbus for several years. The sense of Community and love the residents here had for their town reminded me of my hometown, Bowling Green, Ohio, and I realized how much I’d missed having that in my life. Eventually, I moved to Hamilton and became even more impressed with the sense of community and pride this town has in its history. Hamilton was also well into a major rebound at that time. Brian and I were close to starting a bourbon bar/cocktail bar or a bakery, but then Covid came into the picture. We are both creative people, so we changed gears and discussions. One night, while looking through some more artistic online sites, Brian became intrigued by laser-engraved items he saw, and that’s how the ideas began flowing.
A few months of in-depth research and we were sold on the idea. We bought our first high-end laser, an AP Laser, and began working learning the machine and engraving techniques in the basement of our historic home. At the same time, we had a “Covid wedding.” We made several items for our own wedding with the laser, and that was the first exposure our engraved items received. We were up and running after that and started selling items as High Main Laserworks that fall and Christmas.
It wasn’t long before we had a steady following and regular customers. The Christmas of 2021 was so busy for us, we had run out of room to store supplies and work on projects at the same time. We started analyzing what options we had to expand our space. With the continued boom Hamilton was experiencing, we began looking for a place to possibly buy in order to open a shop and small retail space. We happened to stumble upon someone who knew of a building on the Main St business corridor that was possibly available for purchase. The building was well known for its previous business occupant, a woodworking shop. The business owner had passed away and the family was going to be selling the building. The building owner lived out of state, so we talked over the phone a few times, and he allowed us to access and tour the building. The building is a historic building and needed a complete renovation on the inside in order to be usable. In the end, we purchased the building and spent over 1 year renovating the building. Completely new wiring, HVAC, etc. We kept the original wood floors and spent hours sanding and refinishing them. During the renovation, we were able to get the shop portion of the building usable as our shop in order to expand our footprint and space.
We continued to renovate the remainder of the building. We attended a lot of local vendor events to help get exposure to public and continued gaining a following and some great customers. Eventually, we were ready to open the retail portion of the building had our Grand Opening for the storefront in May 2023.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? We would not say smooth. Brian still has a full-time career in law enforcement, so he has had to balance working a lot of late nights in the shop, fulfilling orders while continuing with his administrative duties at his work. We have greatly improved techniques and efficiency since those early days!
Attempting to provide a wide range of products and services was another learning curve we experienced.
We have a labor-intensive business, and the equipment we utilize is neither small nor lightweight. Moving lasers from one location to another and into the shop provided some challenges and working out logistics. We found a great moving company that was accustomed to moving high-end items, and they were a blessing. For a little while we came to know them quite well.
We still run the business with just the two of us, so handling all aspects, from designing to production, from operating the storefront to handling all the books, becomes challenging sometimes, as there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about High Main Laserworks, LLC?
High Main Laserworks offers laser engraving and cutting service, as well as sand carving. From our location on Main Street, we operated two large professional Co2 lasers and a sand blaster capable of handling a number of materials. Along with the workspace is a quant retail shop full of items ready for purchase or a number of blank products available for personalization. Some of our most popular offerings include charcuterie boards, bourbon barrel items, glassware, insulated tumblers, jewelry, and our hometown Hamilton collection, but we also specialize in creating commissioned one-of-a-kind pieces. Anything from custom signs, baby plaques, glassware collections, commercial signage, handwritten recipe boards, and trophies and awards. Our unique custom work is designed in-house with meticulous care and detail and is really what sets us apart from being just engravers.
In addition to our hand-crafted items, we also offer an array of cocktail mixers that complement our glassware and bourbon barrel offerings. We have a passion for a good cocktail, and we love our bourbon. So not only can you grab a personalized rocks glass or wine tumbler, but you can add a mixer and an engraved tag to complete a gift or just enjoy to yourself. We’re also available to provide mixing advice and have our own recipes for most of what we carry.
Our shop is a place you can come to emotionalize seemingly ordinary items into meaningful memories.
Memories Saved are Laser Engraved!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We do corporate and sports awards and plaques as well as corporate and event swag. We also work with a many police and fire departments.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.highmainlaserworks.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/high_main_laserworks
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/highmainlaserworks
