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

Todd, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

When I was a little kid, I only wanted to be one thing when I grew up, an artist. But I was discouraged from pursuing it as a career by my father and other ‘practical;’ folks who loved and cared about me and didn’t see it as something a grown man could make a living at. While I went to college to study art, it was to do something more practical like graphic design where I could sit in an office and collect a regular paycheck. I quickly realized that wasn’t for me so when I was out on my own I made commercial signs.
While we were still dating, I told my now wife Sarah my childhood dream of being a real artist. She said, “let’s go for it, We’ll do it together”.
So we did. We embarked on our dream. We closed a successful commercial sign shop and turned an old fruit shack into an art studio. We said no to a bunch of commercial work, while I focused on making art. It was pretty tough going for a few years, and we suffered through it together. Together we’ve carved a place in this world. We decided to make our art, our way.
We learned how to create a press kit and sent it out. One day, the New York Times did a story about us, and things finally took off.
A few celebrities noticed our work. Billy Gibbons from ZZ TOP, Johnny Depp, Joe Rogan and many more. I made the album cover for The Kings of Leon Mechanical Bull and ZZ TOP’s Chrome Smoke and BBQ.
One day Willie Nelson called me and said he wanted to rent some neon pieces for an event he called the Luck Festival. I brought 6 pieces to him. After the event I headed over to get them with a trailer but Willie decided to keep them. He bought all 6. I went home with an empty trailer and a full pocket.

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

Roadhouse Relics is the family owned Austin, Texas, art studio and gallery where neon artist Todd Sanders crafts his vintage-style designs using time-honored sensibilities and specialized weathering techniques. Todd’s wife, Sarah Thompson, is a crafter, a painter, a maker and manages the office. In 1997, Todd turned a crumbling old fruit stand into an Austin landmark that the New York Times has listed as a must see. The gallery is most often identified by the iconic “Greetings from Austin” postcard mural on the side of the building. In true South Austin spirit, the mural was painted before the collapsed roof was replaced.
The couple love mid-century Americana style and Todd has built a career designing and crafting original, entirely handmade neon works with the same care and craftsmanship as the original master sign makers.
He calls his style modern vintage, but considers himself a pop artist, sharing an artistic vein mined by Andy Warhol and similar creative talents. Sanders’ work is prized by art collectors and celebrities including Willie Nelson, Joe Rogan, Shepard Fairey, Kacey Musgraves and Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top).

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Creating a press kit and having publications help tell your story and show your work to new audiences was a huge help to growing our brand. We had been covered in lots of local press but we feel the biggest turning point was when the New York Times listed us in an article about 36 hours in Austin. Today a lot of the ‘press’ you can get is online and through social media. We’ve got an amazing group of friends that run their own small businesses and we’ve been able to do some cross-promotion that has been great. Our biggest bump on social media was after we made the neon art for the “Joe Rogan Experience” and Joe tagged us on one of his posts. Our followers doubled overnight.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I read about 4 books at the same time constantly. Current roster is Poems by Hafiz, How to win Friends & Influence People (again), The Green Food Bible and I’d rather be in the Studio.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.roadhouserelics.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roadhouserelics
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/roadhouserelics