Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Marten.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been making furniture for over 20 years as a hobby and passion. I learned to weld in the mid 90’s for the purpose making beds and other furniture for our home.
Before starting Stal Timber, I spent 12 years in the photography and large format printing industry. Then, in 2012 I was laid off from my National Director of Franchise Business job.
My wife and I had kicked around the idea of starting our own business for about 10 years prior to my getting laid off but it seemed like a pipe dream.
After a getting laid off, we did a ton of soul searching, checked our budget over and over and then decided it was time to go after our dreams. Three days later, Stal Timber (Norwegian for Steel and Wood) was born. After three years of working out of our garage, building everything from bespoke home furniture to retail and restaurant furniture and fixtures, we moved into our first commercial production space. Today we concentrate on collaborative custom design of home, retail and restaurant furniture, while still producing the steel industrial tables that got us our start.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road is NEVER smooth… If it were easy, everyone would do it, right? I’d been in sales and customer service for a long time, so that part has never been a challenge. The struggles include managing growth intelligently and learning the business of running a company – not just creating beautiful stuff. Becoming an employer and learning how to manage a shop instead of getting into the thick of every piece every day is still a challenge. We sought out business consultation, which helped in the beginning. Time management and production of one-off custom pieces is always a challenge.
At this point, we are working to update our online presence, sales tools and collections of semi-customizable lines. Additionally, we are focused on developing pieces that will make it easier for us reach a broader customer base.
Please tell us about Stål Timber.
Stål Timber is known for striking pieces that extol the beauty and strength of both wood and steel. I like to create substantial pieces (in impact but not always in scale) that will be at home in a range of room environments – transitional design with a contemporary focus. We like to work with big materials. In the last two years we’ve been working a lot with 200-year-old reclaimed barn beams, designing furniture and fixtures that show the age of the wood, but that can be at home in very modern environments. Modern contemporary, industrial contemporary, and rustic contemporary would describe what we create.
Our metal work and use of large solid woods are, I believe, what differentiates us from other furniture makers; along with our consultative collaboration with our clients. Frequently, we get customers that like what we do, like our style, but don’t really know what they want. We sit down with them, talk to them, and work with them to create a unique piece of furniture that they will have for life.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The longer we are in business the better we understand how much there is to learn. I think that the best piece of advice I would give anyone thinking of starting their own company, would be to look for guidance and information everywhere you can. The more you know, the better off you will be. And the more willing you are to learn, the better your chance at success!
Contact Info:
- Address: By Appointment
11951 Hilltop Rd., Suite 19,
Argyle, TX 76226 - Website: www.staltimber.com
- Phone: 214-675-3530
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @staltimber
- Facebook: /staltimber
Image Credit:
Stål Timber and Josh Marten
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