Today we’d like to introduce you to Chad Sypnieski.
Hi Chad, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story really starts at childhood. Some of my favorite memories are visiting my grandfather in the Seward neighborhood who had a wood shop in his basement. He would encourage me to play around and create in the shop while I visited with him. My father also has an artistic side in creating new uses out of items from thrift stores and creates inventive holiday village displays by sculpting landscapes and transforming my childhood home into a holiday wonderland.
From these experiences I have developed a purpose in life to minimize waste and find new uses for materials that may otherwise be discarded. As many experienced in 2020 I had more time on my hands to really focus on what I want to do and what brings me joy in life. I took the time to let my artistic side come to life. I had access to used whiskey barrels through work and decided to start tinkering with creating new things out of barrels that were no longer able to be used for their original purposes. Once I started creating with barrel wood I expanded to dunnage wood from steel mills, end cuts from cabinet shops and more. This is when I created Roaming Workshop. We came up with the name from our road trip travels my wife would say we are coming back with more in our vehicle and not less because I would find treasures from different areas of the country.
In 2021 my wife and I made the decision to move from the twin cities up to the Brainerd lakes area to give us a change in life style and more space for me to be able to create and give me opportunity to continue to do what I love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Roaming Workshop is what many would call a ‘side hustle’. While I would love to make it full focus there are challenges. My main challenges I’m navigating is finding the right spaces to be able to get my products to the people who want them. I’ve been fortune to find some wonderful small businesses to sell through in Hamel and Buffalo that have since closed. I’ve also tried selling in stores and ended up paying them more money to be in their store than I made. In 2026 my focus has been to try new art and craft fair shows to see where my style is most appreciated and my time is well spent. The art & craft shows can be quite the monetary and time commitment so it truly is trial and error to see what works. Even in failures I continue to learn and grow and look forward to what the future brings to Roaming Workshop.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I create handmade decor and useful items using barrel wood and other reclaimed wood and metal.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
While working in my shop I enjoy listening to audiobooks such as Nick Offerman’s books, J.R.R. Tolkien, the Harry Potter series and lately really enjoying the Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/Roamingworkshop
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/Roamingworkshop
