Life and Work with Tina Hoffer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Hoffer.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My fascination with wood working started in my dad’s garage when I was a youngster. Even with rudimentary skills, he was still able to fashion cupboards and shelves out of planks of wood. He gave me my first lessons in how to select lumber, how to calculate the necessary amounts, how to respect and use power tools. My carpentry skills were basic but I still manage to construct a futon frame and room divider for my first apartment after college.

By the late 1990’s I was a mother of two small kids and hadn’t touched a power tool in years! My wonderful husband found a Rec Center in Denver that was offering fine woodworking classes for women, taught by a woman. He thought it would be a perfect outlet for me to rekindle my love for making things and to get out of the house. He was right! I was hooked! We started with small projects in order to master equipment that we might not be familiar with like routers, jointers and table saws. My house slowly filled with the pieces of furniture that I build from the two sessions of classes that I took. When the classes were no longer available, my husband offered to have a garage built on our property that would become my shop. I am forever grateful that on every gift-giving opportunity, I received power tools instead of jewelry! At the time, I built only what was needed in my household: built-in shelving unit in my daughter’s room, our beds, a five drawer china cabinet out of Maple, a train table with storage for my son, a corner coat closet of Walnut and our dining room table with inlayed Malachite.

There is a Japanese technique of reconstructing broken and fractured pottery with gold or silver called Kintsugi. This technique repairs and mends what was fragmented. A few years ago, after my husband passed away, I found that I needed to reinvent myself. I was a little damaged and broken as one is after losing a spouse so I turned to what had always given me a calmness and centering: woodworking. I selected to take my hobby and establish a small, one-woman business. Furniture building was too subjective so I decided to make smaller and more manageable pieces with the same artistry as my dining room table. KNOTS Custom Wooden Creations was created with the intent of making functional art. The woods that I choose for my Cutting boards, Charcuterie, Serving Platters and Dipping Trays are selected because of their flaws and cracks and imperfections. These voids and fractures are enhanced with semi-precious stones like Turquoise, Malachite and Lapis thereby giving the wood strength and endurance.

KNOTS Custom Wooden Creations is now in its fourth year of operation as an artist vendor at Farmers Markets, Handmade Markets and Seasonal Art Shows.

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?
Starting over at any age can have its challenges but there’s nothing wrong with that since growth and learning come from adversity. Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t be afraid to try. I had been an accountant in our Photography business so the transition for all the tax and administrative work wasn’t too daunting.

Contact Info:

• Website: knot-wong.squarespace.com
• Phone: 303.875.6766
• Email: knotwong@hotmail.com
• Instagram: knots_custom_wooden_creation
• Facebook: KNOTS Custom Wooden Creations

Image Credit:
Tina Hoffer

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