Daily Inspiration: Meet Tyler Eichelberger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyler Eichelberger.

Hi Tyler, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I served eight years in the Marines, serving three combat tours in Iraq. I had been working mainly manual labor jobs for my first few years back in the civilian workforce and had little to no downtime or energy once I got home. By chance and luck, I got into IT facilities work which allowed me more free time, and I found that I missed working with my hands. My wife and I bought her childhood home in Fuquay Varina which has a shop in the backyard, so I decided I wanted to start building up my tool collection and get into woodworking. My stepdad owned his own home remodeling business and would build amazing pieces of furniture when I was growing up and I always thought it was amazing to see the pieces come together. I started building decor and furniture for our home and would always push myself to learn new techniques with each project. I quickly fell in love with the craft; it was therapeutic for me.

When I made the decision to start building items to sell, I knew I needed to come up with a name. With a last name like Eichelberger, naturally I got nicknames. From playing high school football to my time in the military, people just called me ‘Ike’. So I went with ‘Woodworking by Ike’. It didn’t fit. It felt generic and lazy, which was the opposite of what I was looking to do with my woodworking. Coming from a large family, my grandparents were the unquestioned leaders of our family. By 2018 we had lost both of them. Through our mourning and celebration of their lives, we coined the phrase ‘Grit and Grace’ to describe the manner in which they lived. They raised six children with little money. There weren’t a lot of luxuries. They had to work their tails off to provide, and they did so with extreme grace. I thought to myself, what a great way to describe what I’m doing. I have no formal training, and most of my tools were used or handed down from family. But I was determined to provide others with the beautiful decor or furniture they wanted and deserved, regardless of how old my tools were. With that mantra in mind, Grit & Grace Woodworking was born.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth, and that’s ok. Lessons are learned far more permanently through failure than through successes. In terms of the work, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that sometimes the simplest route is the best route. There can be pressure to use advanced joinery methods simply for the sake of using them, but I find that 9 times out of 10 a simple butt joint or pocket joinery works best. That can solve a lot of headaches and design stalls. With the business side, the biggest struggle has been marketing. If Walmart wants to compete with Target in selling a particular item, all they typically have to do is charge less money. It’s not that simple with small businesses. I can’t compete with the prices of major retailers. While I pride myself on appropriately priced pieces and timely turnarounds, I’m a one man shop doing this in my spare time. My prices won’t be as low as Walmart or Amazon, and I can’t deliver a piece the next day. For better or worse, society has become accustomed and dependent upon those services. What I can do however is provide a timeless piece of handcrafted decor or furniture that can become a family heirloom passed down through the generations.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I build handcrafted wood decor and furniture, along with nearly anything you can think of. In terms of specializations, I’d say that somewhat blends with what I’m known for. I’m primarily known for my outdoor furniture pieces. That’s how I got started and the first items I built to sell. Over time, I’ve branched out and tried my hands at anything I can think of or whatever idea a customer has in mind. I build each piece to order, so there’s no shelves to pick through or online store to select from. Each piece is unique in its own way. I’d say I’m most proud of helping customers who maybe think they can’t afford nice things get a totally custom piece for their home that they can be proud of. A common misconception with woodworking is that it’s prohibitively expensive for the average consumer. Sure, an 8 foot walnut table isn’t going to be cheap. But there’s so many other wood species that’re just as beautiful if not more so and at half the cost. You don’t typically see furniture makers advertising that. I pride myself on a small-town feel to the way I do business. I’m not in this to make truckloads of money. I’m not in this to make people go broke just to buy my pieces. I do this to show people the value of craftsmanship and shopping local.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory would probably be any interaction with my stepfather. It was and still is amazing to me to see someone create such amazing things with their hands, which always seemed to be something so physically daunting and powerful, yet in the next minute be joking around and playing with four pretty rambunctious kids as gently as could be. He was and still is so larger than life, thanks in large part to those childhood memories.

Pricing:

• Cutting boards ranging from $25
• Outdoor furniture sets from $250
• Decor pieces from $20
• Indoor furniture from $125

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/grit.and.grace.woodworking
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gritandgracewoodworking