When walking through the Franklin Farmer’s Market a couple months ago, I was brought to a halt when I spotted a display of signs by Tom the Furniture Guy. The signs caught my eye not just because of the quirky, fun sayings on many of them, but also because of the evident quality of workmanship and the fact that they were re-purposed old barn wood. After talking with the husband and wife team who crafted and sold them, I knew that cSocially Media needed to support their good work and get a really cool sign for my office.
What You Will Love
Quality Custom Work – as I said, one thing that stopped me right away was how well the signs were put together. From design to choice of wood, to framing, I was pleased. I was even more pleased when I asked Tom if he could re-create my company logo on a sign and he said yes. He used my business card as his model and created a logo sign that was true to the colors, font and dimensions of my original logo. This is it…Pretty cool, right?- Timely – We ended up ordering 3 signs all at once from Tom the Furniture Guy, two of which were time-sensitive because they were gifts. Tom finished those two first and we were able to pick them up the next week at the Farmer’s Market. Despite the rain that was pouring down that morning, our signs remained in the back of their truck, dry and sheltered.
- Communication – Tom mentions this below, and I will tell you from my experience that it’s very cool to keep up with the progress of your custom project via email and Facebook. I really enjoyed seeing the signs as they were made and being able to feel like I had a good idea of the process and progress along the way.
Quality Custom Work – as I said, one thing that stopped me right away was how well the signs were put together. From design to choice of wood, to framing, I was pleased. I was even more pleased when I asked Tom if he could re-create my company logo on a sign and he said yes. He used my business card as his model and created a logo sign that was true to the colors, font and dimensions of my original logo. This is it…Pretty cool, right?Tom the Furniture Guy – Their Story & Social Media
“I have always liked to fix and build furniture as a hobby so when we moved to rural middle Tennessee, I thought it would be a great time to try it as a business. So I started Tom The Furniture Guy and my wife started April’s Attic, a vintage store. Both are on property and the challenge was we are out in the country. The only way for us to survive was to generate foot traffic using social media.
“We are on Facebook and we also use email marketing to keep business coming in, whether for April’s Attic or for customers to learn about my next visit to the Franklin Farmer’s Market. My customers love to view before-and-after photos of furniture I am repairing, or in-progress photos of their custom furniture or custom barn wood signs I am building. They feel involved in the process.
I read now that people are basing their shopping decisions less on traditional advertising, and more about what their friends are saying on social media. From what I have experienced, I find that to be true. We have found that we get more business using social media, because we are making friends and fans first, then, after they get to know us, they are becoming our customers second.”
You can keep up with Tom, April and the cats on their Facebook fan page. Also, be sure to look for them at the Franklin Farmer’s Market. Ask Tom about custom orders from wine racks to tables and beyond.
