Conversations with Isaac & Lottie Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaac & Lottie Smith. 

Hi Isaac & Lottie, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
A month or so after getting married, we bought our first home together. It needed some major renovations- something Isaac and I had never done before. After many phone calls with my parents (thanks mom & dad :)), hours of YouTube videos, and multiple daily runs to Home Depot, we fell in love with DIY projects and interior design. It was amazing to see our hard work paying off while creating a brand-new space. With each project done, Isaac’s tool collection grew substantially. He really needed a workbench, so he decided to make his own 7-foot table, and thus began the journey and love of building furniture. We played around with the idea of starting our own business for a couple of years but really took the full-blown leap into it at the beginning of 2022. The timing just felt right. Both Isaac and I have always loved the artistic process; whether that be with carpentry, home improvements, drawing, weaving, etc., so starting Craft Parlor felt very natural and a great outlet for our creativity. Craft Parlor blends our love of working with our hands with our passion for style and interior design. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has definitely had its tougher moments, and I’m sure there are more to come. Trying to balance expectations, budgets, and time management can be tough, but it has challenged us and made us grow more and more each day. There is a lot that goes into starting a business, which we were well aware of before we jumped into it. The thing is, no matter how much research and planning you do, unexpected things happen and you have to learn to be flexible and wise in the moment. But, as cliché as it sounds, we are grateful for the bumps along the way because they make us that much stronger as a business. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Craft Parlor is a home furnishings and décor store, where everything is created by hand by Isaac and I. We believe that furniture does not only have to be functional but can also be a piece of art. Our products are designed to merge beauty with functionality. We believe in solid craftsmanship, whether it be the joinery techniques used, the hours of hand sanding, or the materials the piece is created from. We love using different textures as well as incorporating simple, clean lines. In addition to traditional furniture pieces, we have many other products available- cutting boards, charcuterie boards, coat racks, canvas art, weavings, photographs, etc., and love getting custom orders/designs! No matter the product, our attention to detail along with the pride which we inject into our craftsmanship is what sets us apart from others. 

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
We believe that honesty and authenticity are two key qualities that represent Craft Parlor. These qualities apply to how we interact with our customers, create our designs, build our pieces, and conduct any aspect of our business. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@craftparlor.com
• Website: www.craftparlor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftparlorstore/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftparlorstore
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftParlorStore