Simply Northwoods: A Small Family Business

Simply Northwoods

Many people have asked us how our business started, and it is hard to summarize because our journey has had a lot of twists and turns! Over the last 3 years our business has changed it’s product line twice, rebranded and has become a bigger blessing to our family than we could have ever imagined.

It All Started with an Astronaut

We opened up our Etsy shop in the summer of 2020 to provide my sister and me a platform to use our creative abilities and also earn extra money for college.

Wood Slice Décor

With help from our mom, we researched and tested a new product idea: personalized watercolor photos and artwork on wood slices. We started selling them in our Etsy shop, and soon after a local friend suggested we try craft fairs and soon after, we had them booked from September till December. We quickly found out that we loved participating in local fairs, because it was so fun to get to meet and talk with our customers in person!

The whole family became involved in keeping up with orders and making enough product for the fairs. However, this product was very time-consuming to make. So we wanted to find a new product that would be faster to make and still allow us to use our creative talents.

Sisters by Design 2002 becomes Simply Northwoods, LLC

Since this has become a family business, we wanted to change the name to reflect that. After an extended family debate, we landed on a new business name that we all liked: Simply Northwoods. Next, we needed to find a new product. We knew we wanted a product that would spark creativity in our customers, and encourage hands on learning and so we landed on the idea of embroidery on wood.

The first month we spent testing out the Glowforge and making products for our first fair. We had four Easter patterns and a few ornaments. A year and a half later we have over 80 different embroidery designs, 50 designs of yarn kits for kids, over 100 earring designs, and made over 7,000 sales!

This has been a continuous journey for our family, but a very exciting one. God had certainly gone before us and provided before we even knew what was needed. Each family member has a special role in our company and all are willing to give their time and talents, and love on people the way Jesus calls us to. It’s been a JOY to have the opportunity to do this alongside each other. It is crazy to think how much our business has grown and I cannot wait to see where it takes us next!

And A BIG THANK YOU to our amazing customers! Without you, Simply Northwoods, LLC would not be where it is today and we are so very grateful for each one of you! We love each opportunity we get to meet you face-to-face at local events or hearing your feedback on our products, and are excited to continue designing and creating products you love!

We thought it would be a fun idea to start selling my sister’s artwork in a digital form on Etsy after our Aunt wanted her painting of an astronaut for her son’s bedroom. So we listed the astronaut and a few of our other pieces on Etsy and started our first business together: Sisters By Design 2002. We soon branched out into creating other digital downloads including calendars, planners and family financial planning pages. And while were were making sales selling digital products, we really wanted to come up with a fun and unique physical product that we could make and ship to customers.

MEET OUR TEAM

Hannah (Twin 1)

Photographer, Designer, Maker

Hi everyone! I enjoy all things related to organizing (especially the transition of seeing a problem and creating a solution!) I graduated in May 2023 with a degree in interior design (and Kitchen and Bath) and love creating the products that you see in our shop!

Tricia (Mom)

Owner, Office Manager, Customer Service, Shipper

Welcome! While my girls are the true creatives & makers of our products; I oversee customer service, product assembly, shipping & finances. On behalf of our whole family, we want to say "Thank You" for your support of our small business!

Emma (Twin 2)

Marketer, Designer, Maker

Hello! I am graduated in May 2023 with my degree in marketing. I love creating & maintaining the social media pages and website for our small business. It provides opportunities for me to use my creativity and love for writing in a fun and unique way! I also love designing new embroidery and yarn patterns for you to enjoy!

Dusty (Snuggle Buddy)

Family Support Dog

I like to sleep most day and if anyone from my family is home, you can find me snuggling right up next to them.

Chuck (Dad)

Product assembly & wood sander

I enjoy helping my family with our small business, even if it means I have the messiest job (sanding all of the wood that goes into our kits!) I have fun traveling with the family to local craft fairs and assisting in any way that I am needed.

Timothy (Brother)

Product Assembly, local craft fair assistant

Hi! I am currently in middle school and enjoy creating and building with Legos in my free time. You might see me help run the check-out station at our local fairs and if you purchased one of our yarn sewing kits for kids it's likely that I wrapped the yarn for your kit.