Today we’d like to introduce you to Damien and Erica Clark.
Hi Damien and Erica, having you on the platform is an honor. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I had been working at a rug showroom in downtown Austin for a few years when the recession of 2008 hit. As the months went by and sales dwindled, I could not support my family on the income. After many discussions with my wife, we began to dream of starting a rug showroom of our own. We imagined starting something different and unique, offering an experience we thought would be fresh and new. As we talked and envisioned, we ran across this quote “The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around like rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” Anne Morris. That prompted us to take that first scary step.
We decided to make Black Sheep Unique a reality and never looked back. We flew to New York to see if we could get any vendors we could carry. We met with a few who believed in us and were willing to take a risk on a new little venture in Austin. One vendor, in particular, was intrigued by our name; he loved that we were named Black Sheep Unique, not naming it after ourselves but after a concept. We began simply by having a small stack of samples and a few rugs in our garage. We met with designers at their offices or clients’ homes and made our first few sales. It was a very modest beginning. After several months of this, we secured our first little space. It was about 1,000 sq. ft in Back Door to the Trade. We built and painted our sample walls and put in a lot of sweat equity to open that tiny space. We had about 30 samples and a small stack of rugs. It was simple, but we were so happy doing something we loved. Eventually, after a year, we expanded to 2,500 sq. ft, then 2 years later, we expanded to 4,000 sq. ft. We had built inventory to have hundreds of rugs and samples.
We worked at making relationships with designers and growing our reputation in the Austin community. In the summer of 2021, we purchased a building for our showroom. It was an old welding shop, “Ernies Welding.” Ernie had been welding here for 4o+ years; he was a true Austin original ready to retire. Being a welding shop, it needed to undergo major renovations before we could move in—no walls, ac, and covered in black soot. After a year of construction, we opened last summer in 2022. It was surreal. To walk up to this beautiful space and know it would be our Black Sheep’s home. Our friends, family, designers, clients, and vendors have had so much support. All of them helped us make what we have become today possible.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever without obstacles. We have had many growing pains along the way. In the beginning learning the process of creating a business, from the accounting, filings, and taxes, was all new to us. As we deal with vendors internationally, learning how to work with importing and shipping was a learning experience. We want the rugs we carry to be worry-free, so through trial and error, we have also learned what vendors we can work with and what vendors we can’t because they don’t stand behind their products. One of the most important lessons is creating the right team for us. We are such a small family business, so anyone joining our little fold takes up space, so finding the right fit has been an adventure all its own.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. What can you tell our readers who might need to be more familiar with what you do?
We love being able to create one of the kind rugs for our clients. One of our first custom rugs was making the story of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein into a rug for a client’s kids’ playroom. We have also taken personal drawings from clients and made them into their unique rugs. We can alter colors, knot counts, weave types, materials, and textures to make a truly one-of-a-kind piece. One of our most memorable was when we were approached by a wife of an architect who told us her husband was terminally ill. She wanted to take one of his line drawings and turn it into a rug so she could have something of his to keep in remembrance. It was a bittersweet rug to place in her home, but we were so happy to be a part of something special. We have just begun a new sister company called “Lynn Mettee” (my wife’s middle name and mine), in which we are creating our designs. To us, rugs truly are a piece of art, and to be able to create this way is truly a remarkable experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blacksheepunique.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/blacksheepunique/
Image Credits
Fern Santini – Designer, Douglas Friedman – Photographer
