When Tim proposed the idea of a retail store to Amy, she was skeptical. How would we have time for that? Would our small town be able to support that kind of business? Could we possibly sell enough to pay the bills and make a profit?

We decided to take a leap of faith, and we are about to find out the answers. The Woodworking Maniak Store is now open in historic downtown Shelbyville, KY, with the support of the Mayor, our regular customers, and both the local Arts Council and the Main Street preservation society.

Front Door at 545 Main Street | Woodworking Maniak

Over the last three years, Tim has been making his hobby a business. He had always dabbled in woodworking, but when we moved to our current house, he finally had the space for a workshop. He started by making cutting boards for parents and grandparents for Christmas three years ago, and then started making things to sell at the local Farmers Market that next summer.

The past two holiday seasons, Woodworking Maniak has set up as a vendor at various craft and art shows. While we did sell some things (more at some, nothing at others), traveling from show to show took its toll on the products. Tim was getting tired of scratching and denting everything as he would transport it back and forth to the market and shows. We needed a consistent place to sell our products. We also wanted a place to showcase larger furniture items that we couldn’t take to shows.

We searched for and found the perfect little storefront in our hometown. We primed and painted, swept and mopped, put our logo on the door, and arranged the sales floor. We have the Point of Sale system, the bank accounts, and the office supplies. Tim built the sales counter himself, which is an awesome show piece with a cherry frame, maple panels, and a live-edge cherry slab top. Tim still has display shelving and cabinets to make. He will be building lots more products to fill those shelves throughout the holiday shopping season. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are excited to take on this new adventure. It’s going to take our whole family to make this happen.

You are most likely to find Amy working the store on weekdays and Tim there on Friday evening and Saturday. There will also be random days we might need to take off. This is a family owned and operated store, after all. We have no employees, just a husband and wife, and our family comes first.

Ribbon Cutting hosted by the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Hardesty | Woodworking Maniak

Ready or not, we opened on Saturday, October 22, 2016. Send us your prayers, your good vibes, and your positive thoughts. And join us if you are ever in the area!

Woodworking Maniak
545 Main Street
Shelbyville, KY 40065