Bring on 2021!
We know it is a bit late but we thought it made sense for our first post on here to say HELLO 2021 and see ya never 2020. The past year has been full of so many unknowns but we did want to reflect on some of the positives — because no one likes a Debbie Downer.
When the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2020, Eric and I were out bowling with some good friends. We had gone out to a great restaurant and were just enjoying the company we had. Not once that night did we think that our day to day would be changing in only a matter of months. Once COVID-19 began to ramp up, Care began working remotely and Eric was still working his full time job.
Dusty Dude had always been a side hustle…something that we could both talk about after our days at work and something that we could do together. As the summer passed and fall was coming in hot, we made the decision to go for it! Even though it was scary and full of question marks…we just kept thinking, “now is the time”.
Since that day, it has been an absolute whirlwind. Eric has been busy creating pieces in the shop every day since and it’s all thanks to you. To all of you who have supported Dusty Dude — whether you knew us before we even built our Etsy page almost 4 years ago or if you just started following our journey recently.
The City of Bristol, the small businesses in our community and everyone who has reached out truly warms our hearts. We have worked with numerous customers who have now become long term clients. Eric has created so many cornhole boards this past holiday season that we needed to order custom packaging just to help keep things moving with the demand. We thank each and every one of you who has either liked a post, said hi to us while we are out, has referred us to someone you know or has worked with us on a project. YOU are the reason why we do what we do. Making your dreams come to life is what makes us smile.
Not only have the past couple of months been full of custom orders but it has also been full of new and exciting friendships and business partnerships. We wanted to take the time to shout out a few below:
Better Half Brewing
Rachel & Mike (owners of this great Bristol brewery) have become great friends of ours. We have worked together on a couple of custom projects - custom Better Half beer taps & branded coasters. Eric and I are frequent flyers of the brewery and highly recommend that you stop in if you are looking for great beers, a fun date night spot, a place to take your family or if you just want to grab a brew with a friend. You may even see some of our work up on their walls! - https://www.betterhalfbrewing.com/
Cafe Real
Eduardo (or as we call him - Eddie) is someone that we met while having other conversations with the City of Bristol. Since that day, we have had many coffees and conversations about building a business in the city of Bristol. Eddie so kindly asked Eric to build him some custom displays for the coffee shop which were so much fun! This is another spot in Bristol that you should absolutely check out! Steve - the head barista makes a mean latte (just sayin!) - https://cafereal.co/
Family Roots Produce Market
As soon as Eric and I had heard about this amazing produce market getting ready to open in Bristol, we knew that we wanted to stop by and show our support. Our pop-in very quickly grew into a friendship and April asked us if we wanted to have a spot in her market with our products?! We couldn’t believe it! Not only do we LOVE getting our produce from Family Roots (because it’s beyond affordable & delicious) but we always get to see our nook of product when we stop in. Just like the two businesses above, we HIGHLY recommend you making the stop to see April if you are in town (or even if you want to come for a visit — because the produce market is super close to Cafe Real AND Better Half Brewing!!! Talk about convenient). We promise that you won’t regret it. — http://www.familyrootsproducemarket.com/
The Cutting Broad - We recently started to work with Danie of The Cutting Broad. She is someone that Eric had known while growing up. Over the last couple of months, we had chatted back and fourth about how we could work together. We are excited to say that we just completed our first wholesale order of cutting boards with her! From age old family recipes to custom engraved ornaments and more…the Cutting Broad focuses on creating custom momentos for her clients. — https://thecuttingbroad.com/
Below are some of the custom projects that we have worked on in 2021 so far. Be on the lookout as we are planning to be posting here much more throughout the year ahead.
Signing off for now…
-Care Verikas-
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