We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ross + Brooke Tuggle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ross + Brooke, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

When we tell people when we started our business, people are shocked! Ross and I both worked in the social work field, Ross worked for Department of Child Services and I (Brooke) worked for a foster care agency. We both had creative hobbies that we enjoyed outside of work. During quarantine (Spring 2020) we both had extra time to designate to these hobbies and found our business growing even during a pandemic. Fast forward a few months, I am 6 months pregnant, and we are at dinner talking about this *dream* of starting a storefront someday. Ross says something along the lines of are we just gonna talk about it, or are we gonna do it? So we agree to go for it, and the next day we look at a building (which is our current store-front) and sign the lease the next day. We felt like although it was a wild time to start (while pregnant and during a pandemic, with no retail experience), it truly did feel like the right thing for our family. What we have learned is that starting a business is never easy, so if things fall into place, go for it! We are so glad we started our store when we did, and wouldn’t change it at all!

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

In August 2019, Ross began creating wooden mosaics out of reclaimed wood found in our neighborhood. He had no formal training but just began tinkering with ideas and colors and named the business Tuggle’s Timber. Over time the art has become much more intricate and we have shipped pieces all over the country!

While Ross was out in our backyard making art, I decided I needed a hobby, so I decided to start making polymer clay earrings. I started off by sending them to friends, but my business quickly grew and I began selling hundreds of pairs each month.

When the idea of creating a space to sell our work came about, we decided we wanted to include others in the space.

We wanted to create a store-front where local Indiana makers could sell their goods in a brick and mortar shop. Our store features 75+ local makers, and we are always adding new items!
We feel passionately about helping small independent makers grow their brands and network with other local makers!
Our store carries items ranging from cards, candles, shirts, baby teethers, beauty products, puzzles, jewelry, art and so much more.
We offer a consignment agreement as well as wholesale to makers, based on what they prefer. One of the nice things about consignment is that the maker makes more money and they can restock as they wish, verses wholesale where the split is higher and they only restock when we make a new order. We are glad to offer both options, as some prefer one over the other.

We love connecting with local creatives and giving them a space to sell their items and grow their business!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

This may sound cheesy, but truly the way we have grown out clientele is creating connection with our customers. Our store is located in a really fun neighborhood near downtown and we have some loyal customers! We feel so thankful to know so many of them on a first name basis. They then tell others about the store and share about us with their co workers and friends. We also maker an effort on social media to reply to comments, messages and be interactive with folks that way! We are real people wanting to connect with real people and are always shocked when we find it hard to get ahold of other businesses. We want to be available and helpful and think that it has helped us a lot.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Our story is a little unique. We decided to take a calculated risk and only use our own savings to start up our business. This meant that we had to start with renting a space we could afford, although our space is small and not our dream building, it works for us and gives us room to grow. We also were able to outfit our store when a Pier1 business near us was going out of business and selling their shelving/displays. Again, this wasn’t perfect and we have since upgraded much of it to match the look we want, but it was a good place to start at a really minimal cost.
I am not suggesting that you don’t need money to get a business open, but for us, we decided it was best for us to use our own savings and start small rather than taking out a loan and feeling overwhelmed by that additional risk.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tugglesgiftsandgoods.com
• Instagram: @tugglesindy
• Facebook: Tuggle’s Gifts and Goods

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