Daily Inspiration: Meet Steve and Nancy Montgomery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve and Nancy Montgomery.

Hi Steve and Nancy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Like many hobbies, Pops learned how to hand turn pens during the Covid time period. His ShopSmith is the perfect unit with attachments to everything from cutting, sanding,drilling and lathe . After several very successful pens the plan was then decided to start selling them locally! Little by little more and more items were decided on for a small pop up shop at near free local vendor events!
Within 6 months a whole business was started and as a family we were off to weekly events and getting to know our clients and what would sell best to fill their needs.
With requests for projects coming in and reaching out to several local merchants to carry our products we continued to expand sales and reach a wider audience. We added the support of our daughter, Stephanie and granddaughter, Anna for events and IT support as our social media presence started to grow and then even more projects started to flow!
Although still a Mom and Pop shop, Pops Pens Woodshop prides itself on great customer service, quick turn around and outstanding handcrafted products!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Time is the biggest challenge along the way. While still working driving school bus for a local rural school the biggest challenge was our need for more time to get into the more time consuming projects! The dream was to retire completely to focus on the woodworking but the business needed to start paying for itself. Would the orders come in? Would it be enough?
We always thought of the expression, “Chicken today. Feathers tomorrow”
We had confidence in our product, pride in our work but would it be enough!?!
Being older at 75 and 60 it was a time decision to start a new business. Time, strength and drive. Yes, setting priority for this new business and the clients definitely was a hurdle we wanted to overcome!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
All their lives Steve and Nancy worked with their hands in various fields. After all these years they decided to lean towards the art world of woodworking. No longer taking directions from other boss/owners to complete tasks they choose how and what they were going to create! Art comes from imagination, wood and grain choices and specific projects for a purpose.
Pens, home decor, laser engraved signs and small home items makes this the right fit to be able to express themselves and share with their clients.
One project was working with a local business and the Morristown Postmaster, Barb Williams. She had seen our lasered coaster art work and mentioned it would be the perfect postal cancellation stamp. She worked it out and we signed contracts with the postal service and for 30 days our art of the 1899 Hotel in Morristown, AZ became an international collectors item! We felt it was making history with history! What a quiet honor in our local community.
Leaving our art in the local community allows us to give back in our own way. Maybe someday someone will quietly say, “Well done! We have a piece of your art as our history in the community! ”

What are your plans for the future?
The business has always been a part of the transition into retirement where full-time art woodworking would still be first on the list everyday. “Getting up every day making ourselves happy in our woodworking choices is top priority. We hope by sharing our craft, other people can use these items with as much care and appreciation as when they choose them originally. Classic wood pens and home items should be as much heirloom quality and treasured family tradition as they age and are used in the home and business.” We definitely want to keep creating. We definitely want to expand and explore different avenues available to us to share our craft. If we can partner up with other businesses we look forward to that opportunity. If we can be seen as a leader in the local art world we’d love to show off our skills and learn to keep giving back to our community. Whatever direction we still desire to go we want it to be with forward momentum!
We want to thank so many local vendors, clients and supporters believing in us and look forward to creating with you!

Pricing:

• Pricing is affordable in various budgets. We pride ourselves in making our items family friendly!

Contact Info:

• Website: Popspenswoodshop.com
• Instagram: Pops_pens
• Facebook: Pops Pens Woodshop