Meet Allison Geneser & Leanna Ford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Geneser & Leanna Ford. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Our story begins with cleaning houses together back in Austin, while also pursuing our true passions, jewelry making (Leanna) and art (Allison). After Allison sold her company (Hummingbird EcoCleaning) in December 2018, we took the plunge to start our longtime dream business, Lone Star Workshop. Allison was living in Lockhart already and heard the historic little “Star Building” on the Square was available. “Mr. Larry” (quite the character!) was ready to go remote with his travel agency and a deal was made. We swiftly began putting together a business plan that would not only showcase our work, but also the work of other artists and makers primarily in Central Texas. The list includes family members, friends, Lockhartians, emerging artists, established artists, etc. We wanted to create a fun, inspiring and safe space. Once we got the keys to our narrow shotgun building at the end of January, we began working tirelessly to renovate the 770 sq ft space, bringing back its historic charm (farewell, mauve carpet and drop ceiling tiles!) and adding our own creative touches. Some of our favorite details: Allison stamped linocut botanical prints along our accent walls and Leanna discovered the brick wall. We were lucky enough to have the help of our partners, family and friends with this intense DIY transformation. We opened on April 13th, 2019 and threw a celebration with friends playing music in the “Pocket Park” behind our shop.

Three years into it we have pivoted with the pandemic (such as launching an online shop, lonestar-workshop.com), we have our first employee, Cecily (a social media whiz-kid!), over 50 artists & makers, a custom chain & charm bar and exciting things lined up for the future (workshops – finally!). We are embedded in the Lockhart community and couldn’t do this without the support of our many wonderful patrons (from near and far) and of course, our artists and makers. Although it is challenging to pursue this dream and stay afloat with the ebb and flow of business in a small town, we are optimistic that it will continue to grow and improve organically. And it doesn’t hurt that we absolutely love what we do!

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?
It has most definitely not been a smooth road. We have had many obstacles, the most obvious being the COVID-19 pandemic that started a year into our adventure. Traffic can be very unpredictable in this small town. Throw in personal life challenges and losing loved ones, plus the growing pains of a new business….it’s been a journey. We are only looking ahead and are so grateful to be here. We have celebrated every small success along the way!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Allison: “I grew up in a creative family in Austin and I was always creating things, but I didn’t start regularly making art until my 20s when I decided to go back to school to finish an undergrad degree. I’d always felt that pursuing art was “impractical” (unfortunately the rhetoric of our society). However, at that point in time, I felt like I needed to make art in order to function. I focused on printmaking at UT but fell in love with painting during my last semester (in 2012). Since then, I have focused on oil painting, often incorporating my linocut prints into my pieces. I’ve gone through many different phases and I’m constantly inspired by contemporary and historic artists and designers. I always wanted to do murals and took the plunge when I was hired to do a variety of murals in a residence in Lockhart. I started painting my botanical murals in August of last year and since that first one (in my own home), it’s the main thing I want to do! I love thinking about color combinations and I love the organic shapes of plants and flowers, so this avenue is perfect for me. I’ve also found that working on a large scale is really freeing and fun.”

Leanna: “I have always been a tinkerer and most certainly always will be. My love for jewelry started at a young age; I blame my mother who worked at a jewelry shop for my obsession. I made my first jewelry sale in the 3rd grade. Fast forward to age 20, this is where the real stuff started. I got my first apprenticeship with a craftsperson who taught me so much about working with my hands and paying attention to detail. I have since worked for 3 metalsmith/jewelry makers in three incredible bead shops. I continued to learn at the amazing ACC Jewelry Department and I was even a lab assistant for some time. I have studied endlessly on my own, so I’m still very much self-taught as well. I love so many aspects of jewelry making, it’s hard to pick a favorite technique and I am inspired by everything. I use many various techniques including fabrication, wax carving and lost wax casting and lots of other fun applications. I’m also a gemstone lover. I even make a lot of my own wire and sheet metal, truly a labor of love. I absolutely love repair and restoration work! I really enjoy sharing and learning new and old knowledge. I’m looking forward to hosting workshops at LSW soon! I believe that jewelry pieces are mementos of our lives, jewelry is important. These pieces remind us of a place, a time, or a person of personal significance. I consider it an honor to be part of the 20,000 years old metalsmithing legacy.”

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
We feel that bringing others up along with us is the most important aspect of the journey. It’s thrilling to be able to provide exposure and income to our artists and makers. We hope to inspire anyone who thinks they are “not an artist” to create, we all have it in us somewhere! We also do what we can to encourage and support our fellow small business owners in Lockhart. We try to donate monthly to the Lockhart Animal Shelter from certain sales and donations from the shop, it feels great! We are also big advocates for the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center. We’ve always been diligent women who know we have to work hard to survive, and we as artists can’t imagine any other way to spend our time here.

Contact Info:

• Website: lonestar-workshop.com
• Instagram: @lonestarworkshop
• Facebook: Facebook.com/lonestarworkshop
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/lone-star-workshop-lockhart

Image Credits
images taken by the owners, Allison & Leanna