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

Christina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

My husband and I both love making things. We’re both architects, and while we do love our jobs, we also like getting away from our desks and getting into our fabrication shop. Our relationship actually began around the time we had our first furniture commission together. He’s the metal guy, and I’m the woodworker. We began teaching each other different skills, the tips and tricks, and the required nuances that accompany those respective skillsets. Now, we both work on a variety of projects, and we’re always learning something new.

When we moved in together, we started building our furniture one piece at a time. We also had made a variety of Christmas, wedding, and birthday gifts, and people were loving what we were making and requesting other custom pieces. I also love drawing all sorts of things; flowers, rock formations, fish… anything that strikes my fancy. After a while, our house was seeming a little full of furniture, small items, and drawings, but we were still wanting to try out new ideas.

One day on a drive I said, “Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could have a workshop someday, where people could stop by, grab a coffee [I love coffee] or a beer [he brews beer], buy some fun furniture, garden accoutrements, gifts, and little things that just bring joy?” We both began dreaming, sharing our ideas, and decided that someday a workshop/public house type spot would be an amazing place to share with others. It could be a place where people relax around pretty things and good people, strike up great conversation, be a part of our process, enjoy the things we make, and maybe learn new skills. For us, the first step toward this was an online retail store. We design and fabricate things that we haven’t really seen anywhere else before. So, Free House began.

Christina, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We are both architects. We have always loved figuring out how things go together, solving problems, helping people to dream, and turning those dreams into reality. In our architecture practice, Studio Freeby, that’s exactly what we strive to do.

That mindset works just as effectively with our fabrication projects. Those projects have included tiny things like hand drawings, candle stick holders, garden stakes, folded steel planter boxes, address plates, drawers for the back of our landcruiser for camping, a fully custom off-road capable camp trailer, custom steel stairs, light fixtures, a variety of furniture, and many other odds and ends. There’s always something that needs creating, and we both love doing just that. We believe that the world needs more pretty things in it; things that bring joy to a variety of people.

We are both proud to be Americans, and all of our work embodies the very spirit of American made, small-batch, craftsmanship. People have fought for the many freedoms this country affords, so ten percent of every Free House purchase is sent to heal our veterans in a variety of ways through a variety of non-profits.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

One of my favorite “marketing” moments was actually very serendipitous. A local bakery bought a big collection of our wooden spoons to sell, and a few days after delivering them, I discovered an even better way to finish the spoons. Well, I just couldn’t leave it alone, so I went to the bakery, grabbed all of the spoons off her shelf, bought my favorite chocolate chip scone and latte, and headed out to a cafe table in the front of her shop. I brought my sanding blocks, paper, oils, and started working away on the spoons. After a half hour or so, everyone at the cafe and everyone walking through town began talking to me about our spoons. “Do you hand carve these? What kind of wood do you use? Where can I buy these? I have a spatula that was my grandmothers, and it is all worn out – can you make me a replica?” It was an amazing experience! You would have thought my coffee drinking, spoon perfecting morning was performance art. That moment really showed me that it pays to care about my work. When people see that care, they care, too.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

We have our own retail site. I will say – the internet is a large place. Being found can come with many challenges, especially if it’s a side business where you’re not investing in advertising. On the flip side of that, all of the money that goes through our website is for us – no commissions to anyone. I also love that our website is curated however we like. It can change with the seasons, feature new things, and we can have some fun with it.

We are also on Faire, a wholesale marketplace where retailers from around the world can find our products. It’s easy to upload products, price everything, and even if we’re selling to local shops, it’s an easy place to send them. If you bring retailers to your Faire page, you don’t pay a commission. If someone finds you through Faire, you pay a commission [we consider that our marketing budget]. We don’t make quite as much selling at wholesale prices, but we fabricate much larger batches of things [making it more cost-effective], and we love having our work all over the United States! Again, the world needs more pretty things.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://freehousestudio.com
• Instagram: @freehousestudio
• Youtube: @makethings1792
• Other: for retailers interested in wholesale purchases:
  https://faire.com/direct/freehouse

Image Credits

christina freeby + brent freeby