Todd and Lynette Stewart, the owners of Board & Brush Creative Studio Asheville, strive to support the community through business.
“As a native of Western North Carolina, the community we build together is a reflection of who we are as individuals,” Lynette says. “By partnering with small businesses, non-profits and schools our goal is to help provide resources, funding and visibility.”
Recently, Board & Brush partnered with a local elementary school to provide the teachers and staff an appreciation discount and are also offering fundraising for their parent-teacher organization as an avenue to raise money. Through efforts like this, the DIY studio looks to support organizations and individuals who make up all of our communities.
Read our full Q&A with Todd & Lynette below…
Tell us about your business and the role you play in it.
We are Todd & Lynette Stewart and we own and instruct at Board & Brush Creative Studios located at 1011 Tunnel Road in East Asheville. Board & Brush is a DIY woodworking experience. Customers register online for a workshop date and choose from over 400 designs – most of which can be personalized. When it comes time for their workshop, the customer comes into the studio and we provide all the materials and instruction needed to create a beautiful piece of decor they are proud to display in their home. Our goal is to create an atmosphere that allows friends and family to come together in a safe space all while learning how to make an heirloom piece for their home or as a gift. We opened our doors in November of 2021 and hold not only workshops for individuals, but also private events for corporate team building, bachelorette or bridal parties, fundraisers, birthday parties and many more! We do kid’s camps and specialty workshops throughout the year as well.
What experience do you strive to create for your customers?
We want our customers to come to a workshop ready to have fun! We make the instructional process easy to follow and understand with assistants helping out along the way. We love engaging with the customers and taking the time to get to know them and their friends or family. We strive to create a carefree, low maintenance atmosphere where friends and family can meet, socialize, build relationships, and make new friends, all while creating a fabulous home decor piece.
What is your company’s relationship with the community?
As a native of Western North Carolina, the community we build together is a reflection of who we are as individuals. By partnering with small businesses, non-profits and schools our goal is to help provide resources, funding and visibility. For instance, we recently partnered with a local elementary school to provide the teachers and staff an appreciation discount and are also offering fundraising for their parent-teacher organization as an avenue to raise money. Through our efforts we hope to improve where we live and work by supporting those organizations and individuals who make up all of our communities.
What do you enjoy best about working in your industry?
We enjoy being creative with projects without having to be a professional artist or woodworker – anyone can create a beautiful piece of home decor in our studio! Through our instructor led workshops, customers gain the confidence they need to become DIY masters. It’s a great opportunity to learn something new without having to go out and buy a bunch of supplies and watch a ton of how-to videos. The best part about coming to a workshop is creating a project, hanging out with friends and leaving the mess behind!
Through your experiences, what have you learned about customer service?
We strive to find a way to say yes to any request. It’s not always easy or feasible. We listen to the customer and ask a lot of questions. We aren’t afraid to ask for help and usually come up with a compromise if we can’t make a request work. We are also very patient. Not everyone learns at the same speed and mistakes happen. There is almost nothing we can’t fix in a project. Customers appreciate our honesty and candor when helping them perfect their imperfect works of home decor.
What does “hospitality” mean to you?
As one of our wood signs states, “always be gracious and kind” we try to do that with not only our customers but also our employees. The atmosphere in our studio is laid back and welcoming, from the warmth of our lobby to the personal attention each customer gets as they get situated at their table. We make sure we learn their names and treat them like family. We always end the night with a picture of each person and their project so we can thank them on social media and share their experience with others.