Is word of mouth still the most powerful marketing tool? QC business owner chats promotional methods
November 8, 2023 • 30 mins
Christina, along with her husband Brooks, own Board and Brush Quad Cities, a vibrant DIY creative studio. They've made it their mission to provide a creative getaway for groups and individuals looking to get creative, with paint and sip workshops, kids' parties, and more. Christina walks us through her journey of owning a business, the twists and turns she's encountered, and how she's carved out a unique niche in the bustling Quad Cities community.
Christina’s infectious passion for her business doesn’t stop there. She talks about the triumphs of her first year, the challenges she faced, and her grand plans for the future. With Board and Brush's rich variety of projects they offer, Christina reveals her personal favorites and shares fascinating insights into their integral part in promoting the Quad Cities' bragging rights. And if you thought being part of a franchise might limit creativity, Christina's experience tells a different tale - the flourishing local events coupled with the support of a larger network has been a winning combination.
Are you ready to get crafty with your family? Christina shares heartwarming stories of families bonding over their unique DIY projects, workshops, and events at Board and Brush. From a popular pumpkin workshop to a snowman event, she emphasizes the joy and memories created. Christina’s personal family involvement in the business shines through as she explains how it has shaped their decisions and offerings. Lovers of DIY or crafting novices, everyone’s welcome here.
#VisitQuadCities #BoardAndBrush
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I can't believe you ran out that quickly, that's
amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Yeah, I wish I was exaggerating.
My dad was out front cuttingmore with a.
Saw it was it was it got verybusy?
We felt you know, we were like,yeah, we did not realize that
it was going to be that popular.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Where do you find a family of communities connected
by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and
dreamers, investors andentrepreneurs thrive?
Where can you connect with realpeople living and creating in a
place that's as genuine as itis quirky QC?
That's when.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Welcome to QC.
That's when I'm, katrina, yourhost, and today I'm so excited
to be talking to Christina, theowner of Borden Brush, quad
Cities Super cool shop withworkshops.
I'm going to have you,christina, just go ahead and
talk about what Borden Brush isand how you guys got started.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, well, thanks for having me on.
We're a DIY creative studio sowe do a lot of paint and sip
workshops.
Most of them entail a woodcomponent, but we also do door
mats and we do bags anddifferent things.
We're located right behindBarrel House and Viagra's on
Yudhik Ridge Road, so right atYudhik Ridge in 53rd, and we've
(01:18):
been there about a year and wereally came to be because I
visited a Borden Brush myselfwith my mom.
We visited the Borden Brush inDubuque and we thought, you know
, it was really fun.
We had a great time.
My husband and I are big DIYersourselves.
We've done a lot of homerenovations.
We build a gazebo on ourproperty.
(01:39):
We just love that type of thing.
I kind of was raised doing that, so also great to have my dad.
He's a super help with BordenBrush.
But we decided to open our ownand again, we've been there for
a year and we've really had agreat time.
We've been really busy.
This is our busy season.
We have a lot of people in forworkshops and it's kind of like
(01:59):
a party, so we serve beer andwine.
We've got music playing, musicvideos on.
It's definitely a three hourescape for a lot of people to
kind of get away and dosomething fun and escape the
everyday.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
You know rigmarole, so I had the pleasure of coming
in I think very early on youmight have been opened two weeks
and came in, did a littleinterview with you and Brooks
and just kind of got to see thewhole process from the outside
looking in.
So like one year later, fromstarting to being like fully
(02:33):
established in the Quad Citiesat your location, what has
evolved for you guys?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, we've definitely learned a lot.
We've definitely masteredlittle, just tips and tricks
that I don't even know thatcustomers would notice, but
we've definitely, you know,gotten more receptive to what
really works workshopsscheduling.
So all of our workshops youactually go out to our calendar
and then you register for apublic workshop and then we also
(03:00):
do private events as well thatyou'd reach out to us to
schedule.
But just working on getting youknow events that people really
want to do, definitely, customerfeedback is really important
for us and, yeah, we've justmade a lot of friends too.
We have, you know, regularsthat are in there every couple
of weeks and they're once amonth, once a quarter, and they
really love it and we love, youknow, having those people and we
(03:22):
love having new people andthey've never come in.
We've done, you know, a lot ofbachelorette parties, team
building events, kids' birthdayparties is something we kind of
entered into, which is super fun, and we've really enjoyed doing
all that.
So there's always a learningexperience.
You know.
There's always a little bit tolearn every time.
Every workshop you learnsomething new.
I almost think for everybody.
(03:44):
But, yeah, it's been a greatexperience, and you can check
out our Facebook page at Boardand Brush Quad Cities.
You can see all of the projectsthat people create in our
studio.
We post after every workshop soyou can see.
You know people's projects turnout awesome.
So that's what we're about.
It's good customer service andmaking sure that everyone really
has a fun time.
That would be our number one,our number one goal at every
(04:04):
workshop.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So, uh, board and Brush is a franchise correct.
Yes, so like having your ownlocation in the Quad Cities, are
you guys?
Do you guys have the freedomand flexibility to take on new
types of events?
Like you said, you entered intokids' birthday parties, which
was kind of a new awakening.
Like, what kinds of things areyou able to expand to?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah, so we have a lot of autonomy.
I mean, it's really we're localhere.
My husband and I were both, youknow, born here, raised here,
went to the University of Iowaand, you know, are starting
growing our family here, and soyou know, we have a lot of
autonomy to kind of, you know,make it what we want.
The nice part about thefranchise system is that we have
(04:45):
a lot of, you know, connectionsacross the country.
Up in Heartland, wisconsin, iswhere Board and Brush was
founded.
We get to pump out 20 newdesigns to you guys every single
month, and so that's somethingwe wouldn't have the capacity to
do on our own.
So there's definitely a lot ofbenefit to that.
And then, but they give us alot of autonomy and you know,
(05:06):
they're definitely a family-runorganization as well as we are.
You'll see my dad in there.
We've got, you know, otherfamily members in there helping
and it's definitely a family-runbusiness and we kind of make it
our own.
But yeah, we've expanded to kidsparties.
We do.
You know, we're doing a fewmore walking events, we do
(05:27):
snowmen and we just did pumpkins.
That was a fun one $5 for those, that was really busy.
So, yeah, we like to offer asmuch as we can and continue to
evolve.
We're always trying to think ofsomething new, put something
new on the calendar.
We did cookbook stands thisyear, so at Christmas cookbook
stands, we've added.
We do a lot of collaborationstoo.
(05:47):
We've done florals for aGallantines Day and Mother's Day
, and then we're doing Christmascookie decorating class with a
little trays, christmas cookietrays this winter.
And we're always looking to do,you know, work with other small
businesses in the Quad Citiesand bring new events, something
with a twist and something funthat customers will really enjoy
(06:08):
.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
So when you say DIY, like I think there's two types
of people.
People that like really jump atit and are like, yes, I'm a DIY
person, and then the other halfthat's like, whoa, I'm going to
mess this up, right, yeah, Imean, I'm sure you get a little
bit of both.
Like, how do you instructpeople who are really not
comfortable in that space?
And like, do you have any funstories of people who you know
(06:33):
maybe came in uncomfortable anddid a rockstar job or left with
something?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
to do with it?
Yeah, no, that's a greatquestion and point.
So we have customers that theyown a Cricut, they do DIY, they
do stencils, they know what theword transfer tape means and
that's awesome.
We love those type of customers.
We also have customers who comein and say I have no idea what
I'm doing, I don't like crafting, I'm here for the bride, I
(06:59):
don't.
You know, we've had a fewpeople have no idea and that's
totally fine.
That's what we're there for.
We use stencils, so you don'thave to have some super, you
know artistic ability or be abig crafter.
It's really.
You know, my five year oldniece does this and she has a
blast.
So really I do think, whetheryou're five or 95, you could
(07:21):
accomplish this, and my husbandor I are typically we are, we
thus far have been, you know,running the workshops and we've
added on a few employees to helpjust because our schedule is
getting so busy.
But you know, we've got somegreat employees who have worked
at other board and brushes or,you know, younger or older or
whoever it is, but reallyenjoyed it and done this a few
(07:43):
times and have really goodexperience with it.
But I would say our employeesreally make the experience worth
it and we know the tips andtricks.
We've done it for a year.
We've seen over a thousandcustomers.
We've done hundreds of signsourselves.
So, yeah, we've got your back.
I would say in the studio that'sthe main thing and everything's
(08:03):
fixable.
That's kind of my motto in lifeand at Board and Brush we're
not doing, you know, life savingsurgeries.
Here we're making projects andDIY.
And sometimes DIY is a you knowDIY.
Don't you accidentally do thewrong thing, and we can always
grab another piece of wood, grabnew stain, grab new paint color
, sand something down.
It's always able to fixsomething.
(08:25):
So I would say, nothing you'regoing to do is going to, you
know, is going to be life ordeath at Board and Brush and
we're always, you know, happy tomake sure it works out.
We say we always want to makesure it's wall worthy.
So our goal is like you're notgoing to shove this in a closet,
you're not going to throw it inthe trash, we want you to give
it as a gift or put it on yourwall.
And there's definitely somepeople who are more
(08:45):
perfectionist and some peopleare like I, like the
imperfection of it.
So we'll definitely cater to.
You know our customer base andwhat they want and we just want
to make sure they like it.
At the end Our goal is to makesure you like it and want to.
You know I had a good time anda good experience, so it's a
little two part there theexperience and then the project.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So something that you're proud to display,
whatever that looks like for theyeah yeah.
So, being a creative studio,you guys are in kind of a unique
space, because it's not likepeople can just come mosey on in
like accidentally, right Likewhen people come as customers,
it's a scheduled workshop event,so how do you advertise
(09:25):
yourselves, how do you get theword out when you've got an
event coming?
I know you guys use our eventscalendar, so talk about that a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, so 95% of our workshops you're right there
they require pre-registration.
You'll go online and on ourcalendar you'll pick the project
and the workshop you want to doand you'll register.
We really like to utilize yourcalendar.
It's really great for us to popan event on there just so
people can access that and seewhat we're doing.
(09:55):
You know we've used some socialmedia marketing.
I think word of mouth is reallybig for us, just even organic
reach within our followers onFacebook or Instagram, the
people who follow us.
They'll share their posts witha friend, but I would say
definitely a lot of it's word ofmouth If someone wants to do an
(10:15):
event and they'll talk to afriend at work and say, hey,
have you heard of this board whobrush?
And that's how we get a lot ofreturning customers as someone
who came with somebody else andhad a great time and then they
bring somebody else and that'sreally how I think we've been
successful.
But I do like to utilize yourcalendar.
We've done some advertising, alittle print advertising before.
We've done some outreach justin the community.
(10:39):
We've dropped bags off.
We've definitely hustled anddone some you know, boots on the
ground there.
I've knocked some doors almost,if you will, and kind of cold
calling that way to just get ourname out there.
And that was definitely halfthe battle last year, I'd say.
This year it's now we'regetting a lot of interest in
trying to make sure we canaccommodate every single group
that wants to come in, and wedefinitely do that.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So would you say that that word of mouth has been the
largest driver of like new andreturn customers?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I think so.
I think if people have a goodexperience, I mean, I think let
me go out to Google and we'vegot a lot of good Google reviews
and Facebook reviews and peoplesaying this is something they
like, I prefer the organicoutreach.
I just think that's, you know,the organic reach.
I think that's important.
I think that would be ourbiggest.
I think it's hard to gauge allthe metrics.
(11:33):
We like to ask people how didyou hear of us?
You know we have had people sayyou know, I was out on your
calendar, I was at Google, thator, you know, use these
different means to find us.
But I think word of mouth isdefinitely important.
We did have someone call, Ithink a couple of days ago and
this was one of the first timeI've actually heard someone say
(11:54):
this and she said my mom was inmy house and she saw I changed
something out in the law.
I had your sign up and sheasked what it was, where did I
get it?
And you know she told her thatshe made it and she said where
did you make that?
And now they're coming intogether and a mother-daughter
group of moms wants to do it now.
So they're gonna do that beforeChristmas together.
So we've heard that a littlebit, but I think definitely, you
(12:15):
know, people having a goodexperience somewhere would help,
would definitely help.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
So that's awesome, I think.
I think, like one of our pushlike pushes of messaging here at
like, visit Quad Cities is justtalking about the experience
you have, whether it's, you know, at a studio like Board and
Brush, or if it's at a museumyou like, or if it's like an
(12:39):
asset, you know, walking alongthe Mississippi River, whatever,
like.
That's something that we'rereally trying to push is just
the more that we talk about whatwe like here and what we do,
and you know what makes us tick,the more we can like
successfully spread the word,you know the word of what the
Quad Cities is, what things wehave like you know, like your
(12:59):
creative studio.
It's the braggability factorthat, like the Quad Cities does
have so much to offer in so manydifferent aspects, like you
know, arts and culture, creativeQuad City arts.
There's a QC art trail that weput on, where we can, you know,
lead people around the QuadCities to show our murals and
(13:20):
standing sculptures and placesto see art, places to do art,
like Board and Brush orButtercup Candles, where you can
actually make and take your own.
So there's just there's so muchto brag about and that's
something that we're alwaystrying to push.
There was a stat and the numberescapes me, but there was a stat
that said you know, people whohadn't been to the Quad Cities
(13:43):
had, you know, no perception ofwhat we were.
And then after they left, itwas a positive perception.
So just trying to get that likeyeah, just that friendly word
of mouth, push about our area,and so you guys are definitely
doing a lot of light work onthat just by being here and
having a positive experience forso many people, how many people
(14:06):
would you say you've seen inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
you said I mean over a thousand, for sure.
I mean I'd say we see, I meanover 1200.
I over a hundred a month, butit just it varies.
This is our busy season sowe're seeing you know way more
than that.
But yeah, I think, without justoff the top of my head, I'd say
(14:29):
we've seen you know 1200 in thelast year, plus a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I mean it's honestly.
It's honestly so impressivebecause now think about it going
into your second year.
All those people know about youand all those people have
something that they made andtook away from board and brush
that they're hopefullydisplaying somewhere or gave to
somebody.
It's really just gonna grow.
It's really cool.
So do you guys have plans toexpand on the line, like, what's
(14:56):
your five, ten years look like?
And I know that's a horriblequestion because nobody knows
what they're doing tomorrow.
I mean we would love to stayhere.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
We, you know we do like to, you know, be that
entertainment source for peoplehere.
You know, this is definitelysomething fun for people to do
and kind of get out and dosomething a little different.
You can still get a drink andstill listen to music.
You can go to the bars aftereat dinner, before bring dinner
to board and brush.
It's something fun to do.
So we'd like to stay here, youknow, as long as people would
(15:28):
have us.
You know, I think the locationwe're at is very critical to our
success.
That was something I wanted tomake sure we're in a more
central location.
We want to serve, you know, notjust one of the cities in the
Quad Cities and we live, youknow, more rural.
Even so, we want to make sureeven people on Eldridge and
DeWitt and whether it's, youknow, more like Bluegrass, we
(15:50):
want those people to definitelycome and be able, you know, to
come out here in Milan, and wehave people from all over.
So we want to serve, you know,the Quad City areas and
surrounding areas Geneseo,clinton and we do have a lot of
people from those areas come aswell, and so I think the
location is very central andthat's important.
So I think we would definitelystay here.
I definitely, you know,hopefully we can continue to
(16:11):
expand and you know we love tobe able to, you know, have more
employees on board when we, youknow, are reaching our capacity,
which we are right now.
We're kind of realizing that wedefinitely need to continue to
grow and, you know, growing at avery good pace, I would say
it's a very comfortable pace and, yeah, it's been, it's been
(16:32):
really good.
So I would say, you know,hopefully we continue to be
successful and get to maybe toexpand in other areas and we've
definitely done some differentthings.
We do board and brush broughtto you now so we can bring board
and brush to you.
We've done several events at acouple of schools and we have
one at JFK this Friday.
We're doing one at AugustanaCollege for a fraternity, for
(16:55):
their mothers.
The mothers are coming for thefraternity.
We're doing an event with them.
We've done to whip farmersmarkets and a few other markets.
So we want to continue toexpand and, on, board and brush
brought to you is definitely away we can reach other
communities or just largergroups in a really big group
with John Deere.
We've done at TBK.
So we want to continue to dothat as well and always, always
(17:16):
evolve and expand and grow, growwho we can, who we can work
with.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
So of the projects that you offer, do you have a
personal favorite that you liketo instruct, or like that you'd
like to just do?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I definitely am.
I like the trays.
We do a lot of trays.
I just I have a lot of traysaround our house like coffee
table trays and just evencenterpieces I'll put on the
dining room table for holiday.
So I really like those and Ilike the ones that are
personalized with a name orsomething.
That's.
The first project I did was,like our, a monogram with our
(17:52):
last name and wedding date.
We're getting married that yearso I did that.
I thought that was reallyspecial.
I did that with my mom and thatwas kind of cool to be able to
keep that and we wrote you knowthe date we did it on the back
and that was just kind of a nicememory to have.
So I think being able to makememories with it is really cool.
With you know certain people.
I think that's what we like aimto do is bring families
(18:12):
together and friends that maybedon't get to see each other
enough and get to do somethingkind of special like that.
So we definitely like to do youknow groups that get together
and sometimes it's really happy.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It's usually happy events.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Sometimes it's, you know, more sad in honor of
someone they've lost and we canstill be with them and they can
get together and that's a reallycool, a cool time too.
But a lot of you know we do alot of bachelor up parties and
we do a lot of bridal events,that we do a lot of birthdays
and anniversaries and thingslike that and we like to get
people together to have a goodtime.
So let's say those are the mostfun to instruct.
(18:45):
And then I just I like thetrays lately I like a lot of our
planter, we planter boxes Ithink those are kind of
different and fun and got clocksand shelves and a lot of
different projects.
So if you don't want to sign,we have got door mats.
We do a lot of different funkind of specially workshops too
do you have like a?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
is there like a fan favorite one that you keep
recurring because it's verypopular?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
yeah, we'll post that every year.
So the top four projects pickedI know one of them was a
welcome sign, it was.
It was one of our new.
We do it.
We had a new release and thenone was a Christmas, a holiday
sign last year and I'm not surethis year.
But we'll go through and we cankind of categorize and figure
out what the top projects werethat were picked and we'll post
(19:30):
that.
So that's kind of cool to see.
But we have over a thousanddesigns.
So I mean there's a lot ofworkshops where nobody picks the
same thing and then sometimesthere's workshops where two or
three people pick the sameproject and they turn out
completely different, becausewe've got 70 paint colors and
nine stains and different painttechniques that people use to
really make it their own.
(19:51):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I love that.
And do you guys, um, do youguys ever like just close the
doors and bring in your ownfriends and own family, like, do
you utilize it for your own,you know, family events and
stuff?
Yeah, we do.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I wish we did a little more.
I think we're tired a lot,we're spending a lot of time.
I feel like a lot of people arelike you don't have more of
these in your house and we havea good.
I count.
Another day we had like six orseven.
So I said that's pretty, that'spretty good.
But you know, we we do havetimes where I'll go in there
with my mom and we'll makesomething.
Or you know, we want to do alittle Christmas family get
(20:29):
together and things like that.
But a lot of times when we'remaking things, we're making
things for customers, we'remaking things new seasonal
projects.
You guys can see our newreleases, new things for the
walls.
There's a, there's a lot ofthat.
That goes on, especially duringthis busy season.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
What workshops do you have coming up seasonally?
We're coming up on Thanksgiving.
We're coming up on Christmas,new Year holidays yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah.
So we have our cookbook standworkshop.
That one's a specialty workshop.
They're $40.
That one's in November, sodefinitely check out our
calendar for that one.
That one's starting to fill up.
We have added this is a newthing we've added.
Since we've been open a yearWe've added bonus signs to all
our workshops.
So you pick a project you wantto do in our pick your project
(21:16):
workshop and then you're able toadd a bonus sign which is a
smaller project for $15.
And you can add those that youpick your project workshops.
And we've had a lot of freebonus sign workshops and those
have sold out.
I think we have one left inDecember but we'll continue to
do those monthly for people.
People really like the freebonus sign, so we will continue
(21:37):
to do that.
That's a fun one.
And we've got a cookiedecorating class in December.
That'll be really fun.
And we have ornament ornamentclasses too and those are family
friendly.
Those are really fun too.
It's a set of five ornamentsand we have a ton of different
design options for those.
And then we've got our littlesnowman.
I wish I should have Bush hadan example, but they're really
(21:59):
cute.
That's a walk in event.
It's $5.
I think it'll be very busy.
I would say come to the secondsession, you.
They sold us out of pumpkins inabout 10 minutes.
We had 100 and almost 40pumpkins and we got sold out of
those back in October.
In about about 10 to 15 minutesthose were all gone.
So we've made plenty of snowmen.
(22:20):
We've opened up two sessionsfor our walk in snowman event
and we will.
We will be ready for the crowdsto come for that one.
That one's going to be a fun, afun, busy day.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
That's awesome.
I can't believe you ran outthat quickly.
That's amazing.
Yeah, wish.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
I was exaggerating.
My dad was out front cuttingmore with a.
Saw it was it was it got verybusy.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
We felt you know, we were like, yeah, we did not
realize that it was going to bethat popular, so shout out to
the dads and the and the familymembers and the helpers, like
when, when something like thathappens, like, okay, this went
better than expected.
Now you got to go do somemanual labor and make.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
yeah yeah, my dad is great.
He's.
He's been like the superhero ofit all.
He's.
He's a, he's great.
He helps us do a lot of thebuilds and he's helped.
He's helped a lot, especially,and he's very good at good at
that and he really steps in whenhe needs to.
And Brooke's mom has beenawesome.
She will.
We told her we should bring outa glue for these pumpkins.
(23:22):
I mean, we just obviouslythought 120 was enough and it
was not.
So we are 140, we ended uphaving 20 more, but yeah, it was
.
It was crazy.
So we definitely appreciate allthe family that has stepped in
when we need it.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You said something earlier that kind of resonated.
So you know, you said anytimeyou can bring together people to
make a memory, you know, notjust a positive experience, but
like something that they willphysically take away and
something that they'll rememberdoing.
Yeah, I love that you guys do,you know, not only just happy
occasions and celebrations, butevents that you can, you know,
(23:58):
come together and in memory ofsomebody or in honor of somebody
.
That can be so beautiful, and I, you know, I wouldn't have
thought of that.
Normally, when you're doinglike a workshop, get together
event, it's some kind of, youknow, celebratory, but it can
really span a huge list ofmeanings and purposes.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, I think that's true and it's important.
Family is very important toBrux, my husband.
He also owns Board and Brushwith me and to me as well, and
so it's really important for us.
And we found Board and Brush itreally fit what we like and how
we live our lives and what weenjoy to do, and we said this is
a really cool business becausethis is very fun and it really
(24:40):
can allow people to get togetherand we do.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
It is really a two-part business.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
It really is the experience people have.
And a lot of times it's justlike some people are not there
for the project and that's OK,it's to get together with their
friend they haven't really seenin a year.
And then again, for some peopleit is only about the project
and they're coming by themselvesbecause they saw the new
release and they need thatChristmas sign and that's
totally fine, and that's threehours for them to step away from
(25:06):
whatever else they have goingon and they want to do that and
that works too.
So we've got a total spectrumof interest and we definitely
serve all our customers and wantthem to have the best
experience.
And we kind of have that level,that bar set, of our board and
brush experience.
And whether you spend $5 at awalk-in event one time or you've
(25:27):
spent $500 with us, we want youto have that board and brush
experience and that's definitelyreally important to us.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
When you have your open workshops, do you ever have
people who come in as strangersand leave as friends or one
mentor?
Yeah, I think we have.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
I think we have, and again, typically our workshops
do require preregistration I'dsay like 95% but we do have
these walk-in events and it'llsay walk-in on our calendar and
we do have had people and we'venever met them before and
they'll come back.
Or you'll have someone who camein with a team building event
and they weren't really sureabout this and then they're
(26:05):
having their kids' birthdaythere and they want to have a
girls' night there and theirbook club there, and it kind of
just grows like that.
So that's why I think theorganic reach in the word of
mouth is really so important.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
So I mean I have to tout again like so glad that you
guys use it.
I want to extend my message tobusiness owners to let you all
know visitquadcitiescom slashevents calendar.
It is user-generated, it's free, we don't charge anybody to use
it.
Pop in your event namedescription, any information
(26:39):
about it.
And the cool thing about ourevents calendar is it's the
number one clicked page on ourwebsite.
You know it's dual purposeserving, because not only does
it get people to our site to,you know they Google something
what's going on in the QuadCities.
They land on our site, theyhave the opportunity to see all
the events going on, do a search, you know, based on their
(27:00):
interest or dates they haveavailable.
But also, you know, they canpop around and learn more about
the Quad Cities, which justhelps everybody.
And then right back.
It is, like I said, a free wayfor people to get eyes on their
events, and so it's just acomprehensive, it's the
community calendar, and I'm justso thrilled that you guys have
(27:21):
made use of it and hopefullyhave gotten some turnaround from
it too.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Oh, I think we definitely have.
We have had a couple of people,I think, especially people that
are visiting the Quad Cities.
I mean, I understand visit QuadCities, but they really do,
people that are coming herelooking for something to do.
I think I have promoted eventson it since I found it.
I've done it every month.
I try to put all of our eventson there, or majority of them,
so people you know have accessto it and I do think for other
(27:48):
business owners, I think it's agreat way to get, you know, eyes
on what you're doing and, youknow, really showcase the things
you're offering in the QuadCities.
And it's nice when I'm out there, because I'll look and then
I'll say I didn't know this washappening this week and I was at
a music concert I didn't knowabout.
So like I find things now thatI probably didn't before I owned
Board and Brush, I wasn'tlooking at it as much.
(28:09):
I've found, you know, eventsthat we've gone and done, or
whether it's a trivia night or a.
We've done.
You know a few concerts andthings we've gone to and it's a
nice resource.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, and you know we challenge anyone who's ever in
their life said, oh, there'snothing to do in the Quad Cities
, go to that events calendarbecause we will prove you wrong
with multiple things daily.
We have over a thousand eventsin the Quad Cities every year.
I mean, there's just there's nomatch for this area and we're
just so proud to be able to helphost that resource where people
can find out what's going on,and thank you for being part of
(28:42):
it.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Yeah, for sure I appreciate you guys having it
and it's definitely, you know,for a new business like us, it
was a great resource to find andI said you know I was really
excited to utilize it and we'llcontinue to utilize as long as
you guys have it out there,because it is a good resource.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Definitely not going anywhere.
So thank you for that, yeah,and so I think it is time,
Christina, for us to have youfill in the blank QC that's
where Home is.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
That's where home is for us.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I love it and that needs to be on a board or a tray
or sign.
Oh, a tray.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
I love that we could do that.
I think we could do that.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
We'll have to come and do a visit, visit Quad
Cities, where a staff have abouta dozen.
So we should come in sometimeand do a team building for our
next exercise.
Make some, make some things forour office here.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, we'd love to have you guys.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Well, thank you so much, Christina.
Please tell everybody wherethey can find you on social
media and how to register for anevent.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, so it would be Quad or jeez, if I can even
speak Board and Brush QuadCities.
That's how you can find us onFacebook and then you can find
us at boardandbrushcom.
So you can just Google us, youcan just put us in the search
bar, We'll pop up.
But we're on Facebook andInstagram, Board and Brush Quad
(30:08):
Cities, and we'd love to haveyou guys like us follow us,
check us out, see what we'redoing on our calendar and sign
up for a workshop.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Thanks for listening to QC.
That's where a podcast poweredby Visit Quad Cities Text Visit
QC to 38314 for insider events,activities and updates sent
straight to your phone.
That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C one wordto 38314.
(30:36):
Message and data rates mayapply.
I can't believe you ran out that quickly, that's
amazing.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Yeah, I wish I was exaggerating.
My dad was out front cuttingmore with a.
Saw it was it was it got verybusy?
We felt you know, we were like,yeah, we did not realize that
it was going to be that popular.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Where do you find a family of communities connected
by the storied Mississippi River, where young explorers and
dreamers, investors andentrepreneurs thrive?
Where can you connect with realpeople living and creating in a
place that's as genuine as itis quirky QC?
That's when.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Welcome to QC.
That's when I'm, katrina, yourhost, and today I'm so excited
to be talking to Christina, theowner of Borden Brush, quad
Cities Super cool shop withworkshops.
I'm going to have you,christina, just go ahead and
talk about what Borden Brush isand how you guys got started.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, well, thanks for having me on.
We're a DIY creative studio sowe do a lot of paint and sip
workshops.
Most of them entail a woodcomponent, but we also do door
mats and we do bags anddifferent things.
We're located right behindBarrel House and Viagra's on
Yudhik Ridge Road, so right atYudhik Ridge in 53rd, and we've
(01:18):
been there about a year and wereally came to be because I
visited a Borden Brush myselfwith my mom.
We visited the Borden Brush inDubuque and we thought, you know
, it was really fun.
We had a great time.
My husband and I are big DIYersourselves.
We've done a lot of homerenovations.
We build a gazebo on ourproperty.
(01:39):
We just love that type of thing.
I kind of was raised doing that, so also great to have my dad.
He's a super help with BordenBrush.
But we decided to open our ownand again, we've been there for
a year and we've really had agreat time.
We've been really busy.
This is our busy season.
We have a lot of people in forworkshops and it's kind of like
(01:59):
a party, so we serve beer andwine.
We've got music playing, musicvideos on.
It's definitely a three hourescape for a lot of people to
kind of get away and dosomething fun and escape the
everyday.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
You know rigmarole, so I had the pleasure of coming
in I think very early on youmight have been opened two weeks
and came in, did a littleinterview with you and Brooks
and just kind of got to see thewhole process from the outside
looking in.
So like one year later, fromstarting to being like fully
(02:33):
established in the Quad Citiesat your location, what has
evolved for you guys?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yeah, we've definitely learned a lot.
We've definitely masteredlittle, just tips and tricks
that I don't even know thatcustomers would notice, but
we've definitely, you know,gotten more receptive to what
really works workshopsscheduling.
So all of our workshops youactually go out to our calendar
and then you register for apublic workshop and then we also
(03:00):
do private events as well thatyou'd reach out to us to
schedule.
But just working on getting youknow events that people really
want to do, definitely, customerfeedback is really important
for us and, yeah, we've justmade a lot of friends too.
We have, you know, regularsthat are in there every couple
of weeks and they're once amonth, once a quarter, and they
really love it and we love, youknow, having those people and we
(03:22):
love having new people andthey've never come in.
We've done, you know, a lot ofbachelorette parties, team
building events, kids' birthdayparties is something we kind of
entered into, which is super fun, and we've really enjoyed doing
all that.
So there's always a learningexperience.
You know.
There's always a little bit tolearn every time.
Every workshop you learnsomething new.
I almost think for everybody.
(03:44):
But, yeah, it's been a greatexperience, and you can check
out our Facebook page at Boardand Brush Quad Cities.
You can see all of the projectsthat people create in our
studio.
We post after every workshop soyou can see.
You know people's projects turnout awesome.
So that's what we're about.
It's good customer service andmaking sure that everyone really
has a fun time.
That would be our number one,our number one goal at every
(04:04):
workshop.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
So, uh, board and Brush is a franchise correct.
Yes, so like having your ownlocation in the Quad Cities, are
you guys?
Do you guys have the freedomand flexibility to take on new
types of events?
Like you said, you entered intokids' birthday parties, which
was kind of a new awakening.
Like, what kinds of things areyou able to expand to?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Yeah, so we have a lot of autonomy.
I mean, it's really we're localhere.
My husband and I were both, youknow, born here, raised here,
went to the University of Iowaand, you know, are starting
growing our family here, and soyou know, we have a lot of
autonomy to kind of, you know,make it what we want.
The nice part about thefranchise system is that we have
(04:45):
a lot of, you know, connectionsacross the country.
Up in Heartland, wisconsin, iswhere Board and Brush was
founded.
We get to pump out 20 newdesigns to you guys every single
month, and so that's somethingwe wouldn't have the capacity to
do on our own.
So there's definitely a lot ofbenefit to that.
And then, but they give us alot of autonomy and you know,
(05:06):
they're definitely a family-runorganization as well as we are.
You'll see my dad in there.
We've got, you know, otherfamily members in there helping
and it's definitely a family-runbusiness and we kind of make it
our own.
But yeah, we've expanded to kidsparties.
We do.
You know, we're doing a fewmore walking events, we do
(05:27):
snowmen and we just did pumpkins.
That was a fun one $5 for those, that was really busy.
So, yeah, we like to offer asmuch as we can and continue to
evolve.
We're always trying to think ofsomething new, put something
new on the calendar.
We did cookbook stands thisyear, so at Christmas cookbook
stands, we've added.
We do a lot of collaborationstoo.
(05:47):
We've done florals for aGallantines Day and Mother's Day
, and then we're doing Christmascookie decorating class with a
little trays, christmas cookietrays this winter.
And we're always looking to do,you know, work with other small
businesses in the Quad Citiesand bring new events, something
with a twist and something funthat customers will really enjoy
(06:08):
.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
So when you say DIY, like I think there's two types
of people.
People that like really jump atit and are like, yes, I'm a DIY
person, and then the other halfthat's like, whoa, I'm going to
mess this up, right, yeah, Imean, I'm sure you get a little
bit of both.
Like, how do you instructpeople who are really not
comfortable in that space?
And like, do you have any funstories of people who you know
(06:33):
maybe came in uncomfortable anddid a rockstar job or left with
something?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
to do with it?
Yeah, no, that's a greatquestion and point.
So we have customers that theyown a Cricut, they do DIY, they
do stencils, they know what theword transfer tape means and
that's awesome.
We love those type of customers.
We also have customers who comein and say I have no idea what
I'm doing, I don't like crafting, I'm here for the bride, I
(06:59):
don't.
You know, we've had a fewpeople have no idea and that's
totally fine.
That's what we're there for.
We use stencils, so you don'thave to have some super, you
know artistic ability or be abig crafter.
It's really.
You know, my five year oldniece does this and she has a
blast.
So really I do think, whetheryou're five or 95, you could
(07:21):
accomplish this, and my husbandor I are typically we are, we
thus far have been, you know,running the workshops and we've
added on a few employees to helpjust because our schedule is
getting so busy.
But you know, we've got somegreat employees who have worked
at other board and brushes or,you know, younger or older or
whoever it is, but reallyenjoyed it and done this a few
(07:43):
times and have really goodexperience with it.
But I would say our employeesreally make the experience worth
it and we know the tips andtricks.
We've done it for a year.
We've seen over a thousandcustomers.
We've done hundreds of signsourselves.
So, yeah, we've got your back.
I would say in the studio that'sthe main thing and everything's
(08:03):
fixable.
That's kind of my motto in lifeand at Board and Brush we're
not doing, you know, life savingsurgeries.
Here we're making projects andDIY.
And sometimes DIY is a you knowDIY.
Don't you accidentally do thewrong thing, and we can always
grab another piece of wood, grabnew stain, grab new paint color
, sand something down.
It's always able to fixsomething.
(08:25):
So I would say, nothing you'regoing to do is going to, you
know, is going to be life ordeath at Board and Brush and
we're always, you know, happy tomake sure it works out.
We say we always want to makesure it's wall worthy.
So our goal is like you're notgoing to shove this in a closet,
you're not going to throw it inthe trash, we want you to give
it as a gift or put it on yourwall.
And there's definitely somepeople who are more
(08:45):
perfectionist and some peopleare like I, like the
imperfection of it.
So we'll definitely cater to.
You know our customer base andwhat they want and we just want
to make sure they like it.
At the end Our goal is to makesure you like it and want to.
You know I had a good time anda good experience, so it's a
little two part there theexperience and then the project.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
So something that you're proud to display,
whatever that looks like for theyeah yeah.
So, being a creative studio,you guys are in kind of a unique
space, because it's not likepeople can just come mosey on in
like accidentally, right Likewhen people come as customers,
it's a scheduled workshop event,so how do you advertise
(09:25):
yourselves, how do you get theword out when you've got an
event coming?
I know you guys use our eventscalendar, so talk about that a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, so 95% of our workshops you're right there
they require pre-registration.
You'll go online and on ourcalendar you'll pick the project
and the workshop you want to doand you'll register.
We really like to utilize yourcalendar.
It's really great for us to popan event on there just so
people can access that and seewhat we're doing.
(09:55):
You know we've used some socialmedia marketing.
I think word of mouth is reallybig for us, just even organic
reach within our followers onFacebook or Instagram, the
people who follow us.
They'll share their posts witha friend, but I would say
definitely a lot of it's word ofmouth If someone wants to do an
(10:15):
event and they'll talk to afriend at work and say, hey,
have you heard of this board whobrush?
And that's how we get a lot ofreturning customers as someone
who came with somebody else andhad a great time and then they
bring somebody else and that'sreally how I think we've been
successful.
But I do like to utilize yourcalendar.
We've done some advertising, alittle print advertising before.
We've done some outreach justin the community.
(10:39):
We've dropped bags off.
We've definitely hustled anddone some you know, boots on the
ground there.
I've knocked some doors almost,if you will, and kind of cold
calling that way to just get ourname out there.
And that was definitely halfthe battle last year, I'd say.
This year it's now we'regetting a lot of interest in
trying to make sure we canaccommodate every single group
that wants to come in, and wedefinitely do that.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
So would you say that that word of mouth has been the
largest driver of like new andreturn customers?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I think so.
I think if people have a goodexperience, I mean, I think let
me go out to Google and we'vegot a lot of good Google reviews
and Facebook reviews and peoplesaying this is something they
like, I prefer the organicoutreach.
I just think that's, you know,the organic reach.
I think that's important.
I think that would be ourbiggest.
I think it's hard to gauge allthe metrics.
(11:33):
We like to ask people how didyou hear of us?
You know we have had people sayyou know, I was out on your
calendar, I was at Google, thator, you know, use these
different means to find us.
But I think word of mouth isdefinitely important.
We did have someone call, Ithink a couple of days ago and
this was one of the first timeI've actually heard someone say
(11:54):
this and she said my mom was inmy house and she saw I changed
something out in the law.
I had your sign up and sheasked what it was, where did I
get it?
And you know she told her thatshe made it and she said where
did you make that?
And now they're coming intogether and a mother-daughter
group of moms wants to do it now.
So they're gonna do that beforeChristmas together.
So we've heard that a littlebit, but I think definitely, you
(12:15):
know, people having a goodexperience somewhere would help,
would definitely help.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
So that's awesome, I think.
I think, like one of our pushlike pushes of messaging here at
like, visit Quad Cities is justtalking about the experience
you have, whether it's, you know, at a studio like Board and
Brush, or if it's at a museumyou like, or if it's like an
(12:39):
asset, you know, walking alongthe Mississippi River, whatever,
like.
That's something that we'rereally trying to push is just
the more that we talk about whatwe like here and what we do,
and you know what makes us tick,the more we can like
successfully spread the word,you know the word of what the
Quad Cities is, what things wehave like you know, like your
(12:59):
creative studio.
It's the braggability factorthat, like the Quad Cities does
have so much to offer in so manydifferent aspects, like you
know, arts and culture, creativeQuad City arts.
There's a QC art trail that weput on, where we can, you know,
lead people around the QuadCities to show our murals and
(13:20):
standing sculptures and placesto see art, places to do art,
like Board and Brush orButtercup Candles, where you can
actually make and take your own.
So there's just there's so muchto brag about and that's
something that we're alwaystrying to push.
There was a stat and the numberescapes me, but there was a stat
that said you know, people whohadn't been to the Quad Cities
(13:43):
had, you know, no perception ofwhat we were.
And then after they left, itwas a positive perception.
So just trying to get that likeyeah, just that friendly word
of mouth, push about our area,and so you guys are definitely
doing a lot of light work onthat just by being here and
having a positive experience forso many people, how many people
(14:06):
would you say you've seen inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
you said I mean over a thousand, for sure.
I mean I'd say we see, I meanover 1200.
I over a hundred a month, butit just it varies.
This is our busy season sowe're seeing you know way more
than that.
But yeah, I think, without justoff the top of my head, I'd say
(14:29):
we've seen you know 1200 in thelast year, plus a little bit.
Speaker 1 (14:33):
I mean it's honestly.
It's honestly so impressivebecause now think about it going
into your second year.
All those people know about youand all those people have
something that they made andtook away from board and brush
that they're hopefullydisplaying somewhere or gave to
somebody.
It's really just gonna grow.
It's really cool.
So do you guys have plans toexpand on the line, like, what's
(14:56):
your five, ten years look like?
And I know that's a horriblequestion because nobody knows
what they're doing tomorrow.
I mean we would love to stayhere.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
We, you know we do like to, you know, be that
entertainment source for peoplehere.
You know, this is definitelysomething fun for people to do
and kind of get out and dosomething a little different.
You can still get a drink andstill listen to music.
You can go to the bars aftereat dinner, before bring dinner
to board and brush.
It's something fun to do.
So we'd like to stay here, youknow, as long as people would
(15:28):
have us.
You know, I think the locationwe're at is very critical to our
success.
That was something I wanted tomake sure we're in a more
central location.
We want to serve, you know, notjust one of the cities in the
Quad Cities and we live, youknow, more rural.
Even so, we want to make sureeven people on Eldridge and
DeWitt and whether it's, youknow, more like Bluegrass, we
(15:50):
want those people to definitelycome and be able, you know, to
come out here in Milan, and wehave people from all over.
So we want to serve, you know,the Quad City areas and
surrounding areas Geneseo,clinton and we do have a lot of
people from those areas come aswell, and so I think the
location is very central andthat's important.
So I think we would definitelystay here.
I definitely, you know,hopefully we can continue to
(16:11):
expand and you know we love tobe able to, you know, have more
employees on board when we, youknow, are reaching our capacity,
which we are right now.
We're kind of realizing that wedefinitely need to continue to
grow and, you know, growing at avery good pace, I would say
it's a very comfortable pace and, yeah, it's been, it's been
(16:32):
really good.
So I would say, you know,hopefully we continue to be
successful and get to maybe toexpand in other areas and we've
definitely done some differentthings.
We do board and brush broughtto you now so we can bring board
and brush to you.
We've done several events at acouple of schools and we have
one at JFK this Friday.
We're doing one at AugustanaCollege for a fraternity, for
(16:55):
their mothers.
The mothers are coming for thefraternity.
We're doing an event with them.
We've done to whip farmersmarkets and a few other markets.
So we want to continue toexpand and, on, board and brush
brought to you is definitely away we can reach other
communities or just largergroups in a really big group
with John Deere.
We've done at TBK.
So we want to continue to dothat as well and always, always
(17:16):
evolve and expand and grow, growwho we can, who we can work
with.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
So of the projects that you offer, do you have a
personal favorite that you liketo instruct, or like that you'd
like to just do?
Speaker 2 (17:28):
I definitely am.
I like the trays.
We do a lot of trays.
I just I have a lot of traysaround our house like coffee
table trays and just evencenterpieces I'll put on the
dining room table for holiday.
So I really like those and Ilike the ones that are
personalized with a name orsomething.
That's.
The first project I did was,like our, a monogram with our
(17:52):
last name and wedding date.
We're getting married that yearso I did that.
I thought that was reallyspecial.
I did that with my mom and thatwas kind of cool to be able to
keep that and we wrote you knowthe date we did it on the back
and that was just kind of a nicememory to have.
So I think being able to makememories with it is really cool.
With you know certain people.
I think that's what we like aimto do is bring families
(18:12):
together and friends that maybedon't get to see each other
enough and get to do somethingkind of special like that.
So we definitely like to do youknow groups that get together
and sometimes it's really happy.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It's usually happy events.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
Sometimes it's, you know, more sad in honor of
someone they've lost and we canstill be with them and they can
get together and that's a reallycool, a cool time too.
But a lot of you know we do alot of bachelor up parties and
we do a lot of bridal events,that we do a lot of birthdays
and anniversaries and thingslike that and we like to get
people together to have a goodtime.
So let's say those are the mostfun to instruct.
(18:45):
And then I just I like thetrays lately I like a lot of our
planter, we planter boxes Ithink those are kind of
different and fun and got clocksand shelves and a lot of
different projects.
So if you don't want to sign,we have got door mats.
We do a lot of different funkind of specially workshops too
do you have like a?
Speaker 1 (19:03):
is there like a fan favorite one that you keep
recurring because it's verypopular?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
yeah, we'll post that every year.
So the top four projects pickedI know one of them was a
welcome sign, it was.
It was one of our new.
We do it.
We had a new release and thenone was a Christmas, a holiday
sign last year and I'm not surethis year.
But we'll go through and we cankind of categorize and figure
out what the top projects werethat were picked and we'll post
(19:30):
that.
So that's kind of cool to see.
But we have over a thousanddesigns.
So I mean there's a lot ofworkshops where nobody picks the
same thing and then sometimesthere's workshops where two or
three people pick the sameproject and they turn out
completely different, becausewe've got 70 paint colors and
nine stains and different painttechniques that people use to
really make it their own.
(19:51):
That's awesome.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I love that.
And do you guys, um, do youguys ever like just close the
doors and bring in your ownfriends and own family, like, do
you utilize it for your own,you know, family events and
stuff?
Yeah, we do.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
I wish we did a little more.
I think we're tired a lot,we're spending a lot of time.
I feel like a lot of people arelike you don't have more of
these in your house and we havea good.
I count.
Another day we had like six orseven.
So I said that's pretty, that'spretty good.
But you know, we we do havetimes where I'll go in there
with my mom and we'll makesomething.
Or you know, we want to do alittle Christmas family get
(20:29):
together and things like that.
But a lot of times when we'remaking things, we're making
things for customers, we'remaking things new seasonal
projects.
You guys can see our newreleases, new things for the
walls.
There's a, there's a lot ofthat.
That goes on, especially duringthis busy season.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
What workshops do you have coming up seasonally?
We're coming up on Thanksgiving.
We're coming up on Christmas,new Year holidays yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah.
So we have our cookbook standworkshop.
That one's a specialty workshop.
They're $40.
That one's in November, sodefinitely check out our
calendar for that one.
That one's starting to fill up.
We have added this is a newthing we've added.
Since we've been open a yearWe've added bonus signs to all
our workshops.
So you pick a project you wantto do in our pick your project
(21:16):
workshop and then you're able toadd a bonus sign which is a
smaller project for $15.
And you can add those that youpick your project workshops.
And we've had a lot of freebonus sign workshops and those
have sold out.
I think we have one left inDecember but we'll continue to
do those monthly for people.
People really like the freebonus sign, so we will continue
(21:37):
to do that.
That's a fun one.
And we've got a cookiedecorating class in December.
That'll be really fun.
And we have ornament ornamentclasses too and those are family
friendly.
Those are really fun too.
It's a set of five ornamentsand we have a ton of different
design options for those.
And then we've got our littlesnowman.
I wish I should have Bush hadan example, but they're really
(21:59):
cute.
That's a walk in event.
It's $5.
I think it'll be very busy.
I would say come to the secondsession, you.
They sold us out of pumpkins inabout 10 minutes.
We had 100 and almost 40pumpkins and we got sold out of
those back in October.
In about about 10 to 15 minutesthose were all gone.
So we've made plenty of snowmen.
(22:20):
We've opened up two sessionsfor our walk in snowman event
and we will.
We will be ready for the crowdsto come for that one.
That one's going to be a fun, afun, busy day.
Speaker 1 (22:29):
That's awesome.
I can't believe you ran outthat quickly.
That's amazing.
Yeah, wish.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
I was exaggerating.
My dad was out front cuttingmore with a.
Saw it was it was it got verybusy.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
We felt you know, we were like, yeah, we did not
realize that it was going to bethat popular, so shout out to
the dads and the and the familymembers and the helpers, like
when, when something like thathappens, like, okay, this went
better than expected.
Now you got to go do somemanual labor and make.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
yeah yeah, my dad is great.
He's.
He's been like the superhero ofit all.
He's.
He's a, he's great.
He helps us do a lot of thebuilds and he's helped.
He's helped a lot, especially,and he's very good at good at
that and he really steps in whenhe needs to.
And Brooke's mom has beenawesome.
She will.
We told her we should bring outa glue for these pumpkins.
(23:22):
I mean, we just obviouslythought 120 was enough and it
was not.
So we are 140, we ended uphaving 20 more, but yeah, it was
.
It was crazy.
So we definitely appreciate allthe family that has stepped in
when we need it.
Speaker 1 (23:36):
You said something earlier that kind of resonated.
So you know, you said anytimeyou can bring together people to
make a memory, you know, notjust a positive experience, but
like something that they willphysically take away and
something that they'll rememberdoing.
Yeah, I love that you guys do,you know, not only just happy
occasions and celebrations, butevents that you can, you know,
(23:58):
come together and in memory ofsomebody or in honor of somebody
.
That can be so beautiful, and I, you know, I wouldn't have
thought of that.
Normally, when you're doinglike a workshop, get together
event, it's some kind of, youknow, celebratory, but it can
really span a huge list ofmeanings and purposes.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Yeah, I think that's true and it's important.
Family is very important toBrux, my husband.
He also owns Board and Brushwith me and to me as well, and
so it's really important for us.
And we found Board and Brush itreally fit what we like and how
we live our lives and what weenjoy to do, and we said this is
a really cool business becausethis is very fun and it really
(24:40):
can allow people to get togetherand we do.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
It is really a two-part business.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
It really is the experience people have.
And a lot of times it's justlike some people are not there
for the project and that's OK,it's to get together with their
friend they haven't really seenin a year.
And then again, for some peopleit is only about the project
and they're coming by themselvesbecause they saw the new
release and they need thatChristmas sign and that's
totally fine, and that's threehours for them to step away from
(25:06):
whatever else they have goingon and they want to do that and
that works too.
So we've got a total spectrumof interest and we definitely
serve all our customers and wantthem to have the best
experience.
And we kind of have that level,that bar set, of our board and
brush experience.
And whether you spend $5 at awalk-in event one time or you've
(25:27):
spent $500 with us, we want youto have that board and brush
experience and that's definitelyreally important to us.
Speaker 1 (25:35):
When you have your open workshops, do you ever have
people who come in as strangersand leave as friends or one
mentor?
Yeah, I think we have.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
I think we have, and again, typically our workshops
do require preregistration I'dsay like 95% but we do have
these walk-in events and it'llsay walk-in on our calendar and
we do have had people and we'venever met them before and
they'll come back.
Or you'll have someone who camein with a team building event
and they weren't really sureabout this and then they're
(26:05):
having their kids' birthdaythere and they want to have a
girls' night there and theirbook club there, and it kind of
just grows like that.
So that's why I think theorganic reach in the word of
mouth is really so important.
Speaker 1 (26:15):
So I mean I have to tout again like so glad that you
guys use it.
I want to extend my message tobusiness owners to let you all
know visitquadcitiescom slashevents calendar.
It is user-generated, it's free, we don't charge anybody to use
it.
Pop in your event namedescription, any information
(26:39):
about it.
And the cool thing about ourevents calendar is it's the
number one clicked page on ourwebsite.
You know it's dual purposeserving, because not only does
it get people to our site to,you know they Google something
what's going on in the QuadCities.
They land on our site, theyhave the opportunity to see all
the events going on, do a search, you know, based on their
(27:00):
interest or dates they haveavailable.
But also, you know, they canpop around and learn more about
the Quad Cities, which justhelps everybody.
And then right back.
It is, like I said, a free wayfor people to get eyes on their
events, and so it's just acomprehensive, it's the
community calendar, and I'm justso thrilled that you guys have
(27:21):
made use of it and hopefullyhave gotten some turnaround from
it too.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Oh, I think we definitely have.
We have had a couple of people,I think, especially people that
are visiting the Quad Cities.
I mean, I understand visit QuadCities, but they really do,
people that are coming herelooking for something to do.
I think I have promoted eventson it since I found it.
I've done it every month.
I try to put all of our eventson there, or majority of them,
so people you know have accessto it and I do think for other
(27:48):
business owners, I think it's agreat way to get, you know, eyes
on what you're doing and, youknow, really showcase the things
you're offering in the QuadCities.
And it's nice when I'm out there, because I'll look and then
I'll say I didn't know this washappening this week and I was at
a music concert I didn't knowabout.
So like I find things now thatI probably didn't before I owned
Board and Brush, I wasn'tlooking at it as much.
(28:09):
I've found, you know, eventsthat we've gone and done, or
whether it's a trivia night or a.
We've done.
You know a few concerts andthings we've gone to and it's a
nice resource.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Yeah, and you know we challenge anyone who's ever in
their life said, oh, there'snothing to do in the Quad Cities
, go to that events calendarbecause we will prove you wrong
with multiple things daily.
We have over a thousand eventsin the Quad Cities every year.
I mean, there's just there's nomatch for this area and we're
just so proud to be able to helphost that resource where people
can find out what's going on,and thank you for being part of
(28:42):
it.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Yeah, for sure I appreciate you guys having it
and it's definitely, you know,for a new business like us, it
was a great resource to find andI said you know I was really
excited to utilize it and we'llcontinue to utilize as long as
you guys have it out there,because it is a good resource.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Definitely not going anywhere.
So thank you for that, yeah,and so I think it is time,
Christina, for us to have youfill in the blank QC that's
where Home is.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
That's where home is for us.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
I love it and that needs to be on a board or a tray
or sign.
Oh, a tray.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
I love that we could do that.
I think we could do that.
Speaker 1 (29:22):
We'll have to come and do a visit, visit Quad
Cities, where a staff have abouta dozen.
So we should come in sometimeand do a team building for our
next exercise.
Make some, make some things forour office here.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Yeah, we'd love to have you guys.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Well, thank you so much, Christina.
Please tell everybody wherethey can find you on social
media and how to register for anevent.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Yeah, so it would be Quad or jeez, if I can even
speak Board and Brush QuadCities.
That's how you can find us onFacebook and then you can find
us at boardandbrushcom.
So you can just Google us, youcan just put us in the search
bar, We'll pop up.
But we're on Facebook andInstagram, Board and Brush Quad
(30:08):
Cities, and we'd love to haveyou guys like us follow us,
check us out, see what we'redoing on our calendar and sign
up for a workshop.
Speaker 3 (30:15):
Thanks for listening to QC.
That's where a podcast poweredby Visit Quad Cities Text Visit
QC to 38314 for insider events,activities and updates sent
straight to your phone.
That's V-I-S-I-T-Q-C one wordto 38314.
(30:36):
Message and data rates mayapply.
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