Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christian and Noelle Portillo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Christian and Noelle, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

Over the years Far Away Hood has had the honor of donating signs and proceeds of signs to several personal as well as international organizations. It feels so amazing to be able to give and give. My dream is to start a scholarship program for individuals who want to enter the trades as opposed to traditional college, regardless of their age. I want our family to be remembered for changing the lives of those who may not have had the chance to afford night school, or just needed a little help financially getting through a low paying apprenticeship because they already have a family to support. My husband’s father was a classic car restorer and my father was an electrical contractor. Both of their trades blessed our families with financial stability that every home deserves. We plan to one day create a scholarship to help give this to others.

What would you change in the educational system? How can we prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
I think the educational system has good intentions. That said, I think it is failing the majority of students. It does not teach some of the most essential basics, namely, learning how to live within a budget or how to save money. Our textbooks don’t teach compassion or emotional intelligence. Educators don’t have common sense scenarios included in their curriculums.
Academically speaking, the top 5% is set up to thrive through college. Remaining students might be feeling like college is a necessity and may not be encouraged to seek out other avenues. It’s been 25 years since I graduated from high school. Things have hopefully changed, but never once did I hear of a construction company recruiting students at school, or hear of a mentorship for students to learn interior design or CNC machining. Diesel mechanics weren’t knocking down kids doors to come learn from them.
Students are pushed to take on great debts to finish a 4 year degree that they may or may not use. This is such a disservice and keeps Americans from saving for fun times, for retirement, and from becoming independently wealthy. I wish students were taught that it’s ok to not take on student debt and seek out other avenues if the traditional educational system doesn’t suit them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are Far Away Hood, a playful small family business that makes custom metal and wood signs with a twist. Far Away Hood began in late 2012. I (Noelle) took a year leave of absence from my job and began selling restored and repurposed home goods at my mom’s consignment store in North San Diego. In a very short time I discovered the fun and excitement of fleamarkets. I appreciate the concepts of reusing, reclaiming, and recycling, so I tried my hand at selling my goods outside of a traditional brick and mortar setting. Selling my refurbished and upcycled furniture and decorating a 10×20 foot booth space with handmade signs gave me a rush and helped build my confidence. I was hooked.

In October 2013, while selling at The Long Beach Antique Market, a couple inquired about a custom sign on the spot. “We see you have a sign that says ‘His and Hers.’ Can you make us a ‘His and His’ for our new home together?” I told them that I didn’t have the wood to make their sign, but I did have the letters. They left but came back with a square board. I dissassembled some of my other signs and used the screws and hangers to make their sign then and there. “Custom signs on the spot” began in booth space E343 at the Long Beach Veteran’s stadium and my family and I have Brandon and Erik to thank for the idea.
The next month at the #LBFlea my booth was dominated by reclaimed wood boards, metal letters and numbers, screws, and a couple of manual tools. I was so busy building signs that I knew I couldn’t do it on my own. My mom and her business partner had just sold their business, so I begged my mom to join me in my new business adventure. My begging paid off and she jumped onboard. Her background in interior design helped immensely. She incorporated color and suggested adding other metal embellishments to our inventory. Neither of us had seen signs with this idea, so I was skeptical at first. We started slowly by adding hearts and birds pieces to compliment our letters and numbers. We joke now that for the first few months “we put birds on things” (watch out Portlandia).
Before long, we acquired hundreds of different embellishment designs. Customers can now design their signs as they like and we make it for them to pick up before closing time. My mom got the taste for custom metal cutouts for weddings, anniversaries, birth announcements, and other milestones They are beautiful statement pieces. Our customers have that option if they don’t need their sign the day of the show and they are keepsakes that bring many of our customers back month after month.
In late 2018, I temporarily stepped away from Far Away Hood when I found out i was pregnant. My mom took it on full-fulltime and even had wine and a sign event out of her beautiful barn in Fallbrook, CA. In the summer of 2021, my mom moved to Texas. My husband, Christian, and I have opened up shop together and now sell from our home in Inglewood, CA as well as at The Coast Vintage Market in Laguna Hills, California and other flea market/marker’s markets in Los Angeles County and Orange County. My mom still designs and assists customers with their custom metal, albeit, remotely.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Over the years Far Away Hood has seen a few vendors sell a modified version of custom signs on the spot using metal pieces as their focal point. It can be frustrating to see similar products, but we work hard to please our customers and build friendships with them. Our product in itself is fun and everchanging, but establishing sincere relationships has been what has kept and established clientele, both old and new. We know so many of our customers by name, we know their stories, we laugh and sometimes cry with them. In a world that is so digital, it is so nice to humanize people. Our sign making experience makes that possible for us to do and we definitely feel the love in return.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have never done things in the traditional sense. My twenties and thirties blew by and I kind of forgot to start a family. I was very comfortable as a single, independent woman and I enjoyed being able to do what I wanted when I wanted. The only person I answered to was my mom regarding our small business. At 38, I fell in love with a coworker at the airline I worked for. At 39, I married my love and best friend, Christian. At 40, I gave birth to our son.
Having a family is the greatest blessing I have ever received, but I have had to completely change the self-centered (I don’t say this in a negative way) ways I do and process things. I now have two people who need my attention, my love, and my time, and that has been a huge adjustment for this girl. Planning anything takes twice as long as it used to.
Working on building Far Away Hood from a new home base has been much slower than I ever imagined, partly because I have a toddler who wants to be part of everything. Building signs at home: he wants to play with the letters and practice his alphabet. Taking photos for our new Instagram account: his head, hands, and feet end up in all of the photos. It’s a fun, crazy pivot in life that has taught me to slow down and enjoy the unexpected. It’s taught me to let go a little.

Contact Info:

• Website: FarAwayHood.com
• Instagram: @farawayhood
• Facebook: Far Away Hood

Image Credits
Black and white photo by Ashley House Photo of me with drill in my hand, making grow sign was taken by Monika Thomas