We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Delanie Holton-Fessler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Delanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Opening Craftsman & Apprentice was a significant risk for me. I had been a unionized teacher for ten years. When I chose to be an art teacher, it was because it was one of the most reliable jobs in the arts that I could think of; consistency, job security, and benefits. Teaching jobs, even union ones, are not as secure as they once were, and I was beginning to see that. When we opened the shop, we sold our car and did everything we could to get our bills to a bare minimum (not that my teaching salary was big, to begin with). We had two small kids to take care of. I knew that I had to start turning a profit quickly. Cheap rent, DIY everything, and loads of support from friends, family, and community made it possible. Nearly ten years later, I can’t imagine my life without the shop.

Delanie, 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?

My name is Delanie Holton-Fessler. Before opening Craftsman & Apprentice in 2014, I was an elementary school art teacher and artist. I have two sons who are now 13 and 16. When they became school-aged, I wanted to do something that would enable me to spend more time with them, and I was a bit burned out from teaching in the public school system. My husband, Jon, has been a stone mason since he was 16. As a tradesman, he learned masonry as an apprentice. His experience of learning from a master craftsman and my experience as an art teacher gave us the initial concept for C&a. We wanted to build a space where people could get together and learn to work with their hands.

Nearly ten years later, we cater solely to children, mostly elementary school-aged. We host hands-on, creative camps, parties, and classes at our storefront workshop. We also provide afterschool enrichments, field trips, consulting, and professional development at local schools.

We are different from other art studios as we focus our work on old-school arts and crafts, and woodworking, fiber arts. We believe in open-ended build and play. We are more concerned with the process than the product and kids come to us to have fun, to get messy, and to be creative.

I am most proud of the warm and inclusive environment that we provide for kids (all kinds of kids). It is our goal, first and foremost for kids to feel seen, valued, and loved.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I went to high school in Boulder and have lived and worked in Denver since 1998. I went to art school here, got my masters here, and worked as a waitress, barista, and artist. I am a mom of two kids, I taught for ten years, and my family has been in Colorado since the 1800s. I’ve lived in the same house (that’s four blocks from our shop) for the past 20 years. I had a leg up when I opened Craftsman. I knew a lot of people, and thank goodness. I was blown away with the support of friends, family, and colleagues. Thank you to my friends who trusted me with their kiddos and told a friend or two to do the same.

Since then, our reputation has grown because we put people over profit, and most of all, we LOVE kids more than anything. People know that we will do everything we can to be kind and reliable adults in their kids’ lives.

Also, when we make mistakes, we own them and do our best to make things right.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I like this question because I feel like we built our business on next to nothing. We sold our car and had saved a few thousand dollars. Our first storefront was $650/month. I had three months of pay after my last day of teaching and the end of the summer. We did all the work to spruce up the place and bought everything from Craig’s List. I went to estate sales and sold vintage tools on eBay to keep things going in the first few months.

My dad and Grandfather ran a successful business for over 50 years without ever taking on debt. I am still debt-averse. I think that has helped us to stay afloat and grow at a steady rate over the years.

Contact Info:

• Website: craftsmanandapprentice.com
• Instagram: @craftsmanandapprentice
• Facebook: @craftsmanandapprentice

Image Credits
Jessica Dory -Shop Shelves Jessica Dory -Dinosaur