Today we’d like to introduce you to Adam and Jenny Uhrich.
Adam, Jenny, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Adam has always been a really handy guy, fixing this and that. One day, I told him I wanted a jewelry holder and showed him a picture I’d found online. He had some wood he’d saved for some future project and he used that to build me a beautiful jewelry holder. It was gorgeous! We showed some friends and they suggested we start selling them. So we opened an Etsy store online and advertised a bit in local online groups/sites and started selling a few. We started receiving requests for other items, different home décor pieces, furniture, etc. and so Adam began building and I began painting. And Hanky Planky was born!!
It’s been quite the journey since we opened our Etsy shop!! Adam had a steady job in middle management but it wasn’t a job that made him happy. Working his full time job 5 days a week and then working on Hanky Planky in the evenings and all weekend got to be extremely tiring. And after much thought and consideration, we uprooted our family and moved halfway across the country to Texas to pursue dreams of a slower paced lifestyle in a small town and growing our little business.
It’s been almost three years since we started this adventure, 2+ years of it being in Texas. We had to break into the local market which took some time, but once we did, we’ve been incredibly blessed!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think running any business is ever a smooth road. But we’ve been fortunate to have steady work and as time has gone on, our work load has increased. One of our initial struggles when we first moved to Texas was breaking into our local market. We were new to town and no one knew us and had never heard of Hanky Planky. It took some time, but once one person gave us a chance, business started to come in. It’s taken some trial and error to figure out how best to advertise for our company. I decided to start a private Facebook group for people to better see our work and it’s been instrumental in spreading our name.
Another struggle that we’ve faced is running a company as a husband/wife team. I don’t think it’s for everyone as some people have a really hard time being with each other constantly. It can be a struggle to balance business, family life and time for our relationship. But we’re committed to all of those things, so we put a lot of effort into each one and trying to make everything run as smoothly as possible.
Hanky Planky – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Hanky Planky is a handcrafted home décor and custom furniture business. We’re known for our farmhouse style and we try to use reclaimed wood in our designs whenever possible. Our specialty is building custom pieces to fit your space. We’ve come across so many people that have a hard time finding furniture that fits their home. That’s where we come in! From an inspiration picture and measurements, we’re able to provide you with a custom piece that fits your home perfectly in the style and design you’ve been looking for.
The thing that makes us most proud of our company is when we receive client pictures and are told how much they love what we made them and how they’ll never buy something from a furniture store ever again. It’s an amazing thing to see something you built with your two hands make someone so happy and add such beauty to their home.
What sets us apart from others is the time, thought and consideration put in by the two of us. We truly want our clients to be fully satisfied with their pieces and know they made the right decision in coming to us. I think that shows in the communication with the clients as well as the final product. Also, the fact that none of our pieces come from plans and everything is built from the ground up. Everything that comes out of our shop has come straight out of Adam’s mind. He brings visions to life!!
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Having Ana White share a picture of one of our kitchen islands on her Facebook page. She’s well known in the DIY woodworking world and to receive recognition from her was very cool.
Contact Info:
- Address: Van Alstyne, TX 75495
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/hankyplanky
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hankyplanky
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/hankyplanky
- Other: www.facebook.com/shophankyplanky
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