Hidden Gems: Meet Nick & Rachel Hallman of BackCountry Wood Design

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick & Rachel Hallman.

Hi Nick & Rachel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our journey began with a shared dream. The undying love for the outdoors and exploration of the unknown took us to hidden gems and breathtaking landscapes. We roamed through dense forests, hiked beautiful mountains, and watched the Milky Way float across the sky as we camped under the stars. It was then that we felt an unbreakable connection with nature and all its wonders.

During these adventures, we stumbled upon the beauty of woodworking. We immediately became fascinated with shaping raw wood into intricate masterpieces and realized that woodworking was our way of capturing a piece of nature and sharing it with the world. Both of my {Nick} grandfathers were woodworkers until their passing. I was always in awe at what they could create with their hands and a few rusty tools. But I never realized my potential until much later.

Together, we wanted to become more than just a small woodworking business. As a veteran-owned establishment, we bring the same dedication, discipline, and attention to detail that defined our military service into our craft. We try to create exceptional handcrafted items that not only embody the essence of nature but also capture the adventurous spirit that drives us, all while maintaining the natural look and feel of every piece of wood.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. We decided to pick a hobby that is fun, expensive, and difficult to get your returns. Neither of us ever expected to start a business from it. Of course, with every start-up, you want to buy the cheaper tools and products, because you never know if the business will work out in your favor. You also don’t have any money to throw into it.

Unfortunately, with the accuracy that is involved in woodworking, most of the inexpensive tools seem to not be as favorable to alleviate that issue. I’m not trying to take anything away from expert craftsmen (or women), who could do a thousand times better job than us with lesser tools but sometimes a beginner could be best suited with the more professional/expensive tools.

One of our biggest struggles, though, is that we both work full-time jobs, not to mention going to the gym 5-6 days a week, Nick coaches CrossFit four days a week on top of that, and to round it all out, cooking dinner and laundry seem to never end. It’s tough to find enough time in the day when we aren’t drained from everything else to get into the garage and create something. But we’ve accepted that nothing will come easy and there has to be a grind to the process.

As you know, we’re big fans of BackCountry Wood Design. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We specialize in handmade authentic woodworking products such as coasters, serving trays, cutting boards, charcuterie boards, key holders, bath caddies, stove top covers, Christmas ornaments, earrings, wine caddies, wine presentation boxes, sushi boards, and more.

The woods we choose consist of common hardwoods – Walnut, Maple, White Oak, and Cherry as well as exotic hardwoods – Purple Heart, Yellow Heart, Black Limba, White Limba, Padauk, Zebrawood, Wenge, Bloodwood, Olivewood, Leopardwood, etc. Our designs are created from our creativity and what we think would look best in any type of home. We ensure the woods that we choose have a beautiful wood grain and color. If we wouldn’t use it in our own home, we wouldn’t sell it.

Our brand is veteran-owned. We are a husband and wife who both love woodworking and our skills shine through our products. We both have unique ideas from the woods that are placed together or the design of the products. We offer engraving on any product and love custom requests. We can also create small furniture pieces such as bookcases, desks, tables, side tables, and nightstands.

Supporting our small business brings us closer to creating a brand that many can keep coming back for new products that fit their home. Finding a specific item that fits the exact space that you are looking for can be a challenge, but making that idea come to life is the best part.

How do you think about luck?
We have had great luck with selling our products on Etsy. We were surprised to sell our first items in the first month of the opening show. We received great reviews and started receiving more sales. Some businesses struggle to receive a sale in the first couple of months of opening on the Etsy site but we have been successful from the beginning. We’ve also been lucky enough to maintain all of our fingers, for now.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.backcountrywooddesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backcountrywooddesign/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backcountrywooddesign
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@backcountryliving
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/backcountrywooddesign/