Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Johnson.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always had a passion for creating. In what feels like a different lifetime, I worked in a phlebotomy lab as a medical assistant. I repurposed unused, expired materials (destined for the trash) to create decorations in order to make the lab a more welcoming place for patients.
Fast forward a few years, and you’d find me in our little one-stall garage in Duluth making furniture and working on small home improvement projects with my husband. We were too broke to really afford, or justify, purchasing things that we could otherwise make – or learn to make. This was the beginning of my journey into woodworking. I was lucky to learn from a skilled teacher, my husband Dan, who had learned from his very skilled tradesman, his father Wendell, a trim carpenter.
My skills have grown over the years. A process that I imagine will continue for the rest of my life, as long as I continue to make. It wasn’t until we moved to Nisswa to put down roots and start our family that I felt the pull to do more. After a little over a year of dedicating myself to being a stay-at-home mom, I felt that I was losing a part of myself. I needed an outlet; an opportunity to get out of the house and reclaim part of who I was. While I always dreamed of having a shop, it wasn’t really the plan until the kid(s) were in school… but an opportunity to lease a space became available and my husband encouraged me to take it.
I had no idea what I was doing. A feeling that I occasionally, even now, experience (in more facets of life than I’d like to admit). But despite the fear of the unknown, I jumped in with both feet. The original space was a shell, with no flooring, holes all over the walls, and even a huge blank white wall adorned with a painted black tiki head. With the help of my father-in-law and husband, we started to build the space to fit my needs. There were days that I would be painting the exterior (previously yellow with a palm tree) while pushing my one-year-old son in a swing with the dog laying nearby. The space was coming together as were my hopes for what I wanted to offer inside.
I started small. Very small. A good portion of the space was set up for teaching classes (different crafting skills and projects). I was offering items that were handcrafted by me, and my husband (when he wasn’t busy with his real job, doctoring).
Then I reached out to some creative family members and offered their goods (knitting, paintings, handsewn mobiles). Over time, I started to meet some local makers and began taking on their products – providing them a physical space to showcase their work while helping fill the gaps.
When the pandemic hit, the shop shifted. The doors closed. Classes stopped. My landlord adjusted my rent to allow me to afford my space when I wasn’t able to be open. I made a plan for how to move forward. The register moved to a window that opened and I brought products in and out of the shop every day to sell outside. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. The shop continues to shift and change with time. The large space for craft classes no longer exists, though I still enjoy teaching and take opportunities to do so when I can. I continue to add new tools (and skills) to my arsenal, widening and upgrading my product lines.
Something that I’ve struggled with over the years is defining my shop. Success is a very fluid term. I didn’t really know what (success) looked like for me – and my shop has been experiencing a lot of growth and change.
Ultimately, it continues to fulfill its initial intention: it helps gives me purpose, a creative outlet, and a sense of self. It is an extension of me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Oh my goodness, so many struggles. A major obstacle that I continue to face is that I am the sole employee supporting the shop during open hours.
Because of the current format of the shop (seasonal, and generally a “small” business – emphasis on small, and still in a phase of development/growth), I play many roles: maker, shop-keep, web designer, social media/marketing, secretary, accountant, cleaner, etc.
I’ve been very lucky to have the support of my husband, who steps up to lend a hand wherever and whenever I need as well as some very supportive friends *you know who you are* who tend to the shop and help keep me open when life happens.
An additional struggle that I don’t anticipate I am alone in, as a maker, is when a customer visits the store and comments how beautiful the store and products are, and/or snaps a picture, and then leaves. I’d like to tell them that the beautiful store and products wouldn’t survive without the monetary support of its customers. Even a small purchase goes a long way. And yes, I will do a happy dance when you make a purchase. You’re supporting my dream and my art.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a number of different crafting skills that I dabble in and can offer a variety in my products but the ones I am most passionate about right now are my woodworking and soap making. Last year was the first time that I offered a large-scale project in the shop, an oak dining table. The wood was a red oak that we acquired from a local (Pequot Lakes). The rough-sawn material had dried for several years but still required a lot of work. After planing, sanding, cutting, constructing, sanding (again), and varnishing – the finished project was a focal point and a huge accomplishment for a new offering in the shop.
The process inspired the investment in a new tool for the shop that could allow us to offer something really special – a sawmill to enable the creation of lumber from our very own property. Before the addition of the sawmill, my husband was able to chainsaw rounds that were dried and used for different purposes (adornments on furniture, wall decor, trivets, and even cribbage boards.) I love being able to offer a completely local product (from sapling to finished product… giving a second life to a tree).
Soap making, not unlike woodworking, is a continuous learning experience. The real work was in the establishment of a cold process recipe that was replicable and resulted in a quality soap. I have my flagship bars but I enjoy trying new combinations of essential oils to create pleasing scents. Over the years that I’ve played with the chemistry of soaping, I’ve taken on new challenges: recently creating shampoo bars.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I always had creative aspirations: besides reading, coloring, and working quietly by myself, I liked working with my hands. My personality hasn’t changed much since childhood. Although I enjoy time with others, I know that I am introverted and tend to feel overwhelmed when I’ve had too much interaction. Friendships are of great value to me, but my circle tends to gravitate to smaller, more meaningful relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: northrootstudio.wixsite.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northrootstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthRootStudio/
Image Credits
Sarah Larson Photography
