Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Bupp.
Hi Tina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband, Trevor, and I started out about 8 years ago making things as a hobby. He was into woodworking and built random items around the house, which eventually turned into making custom furniture. We sold a lot of cutting boards, home decor, and tables locally and at craft shows. He always wanted to make an epoxy river table, so I began experimenting with the medium. We posted our creations online and received many inquiries for these types of custom river tables. During this time, I realized that there’s actually many different types of epoxy resin, and started making ocean and beach theme wall art and home decor. We continued selling these items online for a couple of years, but when I started experimenting with dried flowers, is when our lives really changed.
I tried different methods of drying with flowers from my garden, and practiced casting them into small resin pieces. I posted some of my creations online, and they instantly became a big hit. Back then, there weren’t many artists that worked with resin, so I had to teach myself with a lot of trial and error. People kept asking me to preserve special flowers from important moments in their life, including from funerals, weddings, anniversaries etc. I am a very sentimental person, so I absolutely loved doing this for people.
Trevor also suggested to include dried flowers in our wood river tables, and people lost their minds. We had several of our creations go viral on social media, and the orders kept flooding in. We knew we had to make a real website and create a plan on how to handle all of the orders. Our “hobby” quickly turned into a full scale business that took over our home, and could support our family. Three years ago, we bought a building to work out of, and this year hired our first two employees. It’s amazing how much social media and referrals can change your life.
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 definitely was not a smooth road, our journey was an absolute roller coaster of not only trying to teach ourselves new techniques while making these art pieces, but trying to figure out what people wanted to buy and value the most. It seemed like every couple of years, the demand for certain items slowly faded, while others increased.
Some of our biggest challenges were balancing work and personal life, especially when working out of our home and trying to raise two kids together. Working with your spouse is also always a challenge in itself. Also having self-doubt when showing your artwork to the world, and dealing with people on social media.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Bupp Woodworks and Designs specializes in professional flower preservation. People from all over the country send us their special occasion flowers, mostly from weddings, but we also preserve flowers from funerals, anniversaries, engagements, birthdays, recitals, etc and turn them into an heirloom piece of art they can cherish forever.
What sets us apart from others is our attention to detail, we are both perfectionists and make sure every item in resin is crystal clear with vibrant flowers. We are also one of the original companies that offers wood charcuterie serving trays and custom wood river tables that incorporates dried flowers.
I am definitely most proud of the fact that we were able to create this successful business from scratch out of our home, and watch it bloom into a company that can now support our family.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We just want to thank our family, friends, and community that have supported our dream from the beginning. We also made so many amazing connections across the country, and could not have gotten to where we are today without the continued support from all of you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.buppwoodworks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bupp_woodworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/buppwoodworks
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC53mjQWCn_seyP8CXmXl4_A
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/buppwoodworks/
