Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandi Dunkel and Andrew Gooding.
Andrew grew up with a passion for mechanics and carpentry. From an early age, he showed talent in construction and as a teenager, he could bring crippled machinery back to life. After high school, Andrew attended WCC for construction and welding. Unfortunately, construction had come to a screeching halt due to the recession. This led Andrew to continue his education at MIAT in the field of power generation. After working on wind turbines in North Dakota for a year, Andrew came home and met Brandilyn within the first week.
Brandilyn had an eye for design since she can remember. She excelled in art classes and expressed herself through fashion. It was this passion for creation and form that led her to graduate in Commercial Interior Design from Michigan State University. Similarly to Andrew, her ideal job was unattainable due to the recession. So, she worked as a partner in her mother’s Cabinet Studio. It was here that she learned essential business skills while she designed custom cabinetry. It was three years after graduation when she met Andrew through a mutual friend.
After they met, they began dating almost immediately. Both of them are very upfront people so they didn’t have to play games with each other. It was great because it made their relationship very easy. After about a month of dating, they realized that they had very similar goals and had the idea of starting an industrial furniture business. Andrew’s family had an abandoned barn that they could use so they decided to go for it… now, the barn was an amazing place to start but it was also extremely dirty. They like to compare it to the show “hoarders” . They decided that if they were going to use it, they would have to clean and organize it. So, the next weekend they woke up at 8 am, worked out and began cleaning the barn. (They had a whole Mind body spirit plan going on…they even started juicing. lol!) They continued to do so for many months. Every cool thing they would find, they would set aside. They would draw new ideas and talk about their dreams. It wasn’t long before this hobby turned into a full on passion. They were so excited about the opportunity and the fact that they had found another person who shared the same vision and drive.
After about 5 months, the barn was ready for manufacturing. At this time they began building furniture with anything and everything that they could find. Old grates, scaffolding, semi-trailer wood… Their first pieces are still some of their favorite. (In fact, they still own one of the originals.) They think it was a combination of being so young and in love with unadulterated imagination.
After they made their first pieces, they shared them through social media and had a gallery party at the barn. From there, they began getting more and more work throughout Ann Arbor. So, things were going great the first year but they both wanted more. They knew that they wouldn’t be able to achieve their crazy goals in a small town. That’s when they decided to begin showcasing their product in Chicago street markets. This way they could test their product and see what the response was. So, they applied to the first show that came up on google, Randolph Street Market. They prepared a bunch of furniture and loaded up their truck and trailer and drove to Chicago. They would stay with their friends, work all weekend, sometimes not selling a single thing, then drive home… it was extremely draining, to say the least. Although, they were getting good feedback.
After that summer they decided they needed to move to Chicago. They packed up everything and came to the city. It was a crazy move and non of their family really agreed that it was the right thing to do, but they didn’t care.
They found an apartment and a workshop and began their new life. After moving to Chicago, they kept doing street markets and art shows. It was and still is a great way to get their name out there and test products. From there, they met customers and other artists. There have definitely been ups and downs throughout their time there. Months where they had to pay rent with a credit card or debated giving up all together… Luckily, they always had each other to lean on and keep them going.
2018 marks the 4th year they have been in Chicago and it is their most successful one yet. They are now showcasing in tradeshows, working with commercial projects and custom work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, we have had lots of struggles. From the moment we finished cleaning the barn, everyone in Andy’s family wanted to use it. His brother would throw parties without us knowing and people would break our things and steal our stuff. At that same time, I was working with my mom, who didn’t like my idea of starting this company with my boyfriend. So that was what motivated us to leave sooner rather than later.
We did many street markets at the beginning that we didn’t sell a single thing. It was extremely hard because it cost money and time. Although we would listen to people and because of that we began making some smaller home decor items. Which are some of our best sellers today.
There are tons of other things I could go on about but who wants to hear depressing crap. I think that everyone’s life is full of struggle. The most important thing is how you react to each one. If you can learn to stand back and look at your problem as a lesson instead of a failure, you will learn an incredible amount about yourself and your journey. And one other thing I would say is sometimes the best thing is NOT getting what you want. At the time it is hard to understand, but I can think of so many occasions that I look back on and am thankful that it didn’t happen the way I wanted.
We’d love to hear more about Vault Furniture.
We design and create home furnishings from reclaimed and locally sourced materials. Our specialty lies in custom design. We have a passion for creating functional designs that solve problems and look great. Some of our best known items are wall mounted shelving units.
We are very proud of our company for many reasons. Some of my favorite is the value our products hold. We use materials that have minimal impact on the earth and they are built to last forever. We stand by our products forever. Meaning if you ever have a problem with them you can get in contact with us and we will either fix it or replace it.
Another thing is the diversity our company has at such a young age. Male and Woman owner. Our two employees have completely different backgrounds. One is Mexican and the other is mixed African American/Persian. I am so proud that we can all work together and are paid equally.
What sets us apart from others is how much we care. I will treat each project as if it were my own home. We do the same for product quality. I refuse to let anything go out the door that I would not be satisfied with in my home.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Well, the first is obviously sexism as a whole. I do think it is an advantage that we have both a male and female owner for our business. There are many times where I will have Andy call and speak with people that I normally would because I know they prefer to speak with a man. It’s just the day and age we live in. I think a lot of women may take that too personally but I try to understand that not everyone has my upbringing and they just may be more comfortable talking business with a man.
I know this may sound dumb but I feel another barrier for women is our maternal instinct. It is hard for me sometimes to think too far into the future without getting overwhelmed. We are like a ticking time bomb. You have to go to school, begin a career, be successful, get a house, have a husband, have kids… all within like 15 years. It’s crazy. Lol!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vaultfurniture.com
- Phone: 734.664.8677
- Email: vaultfurniture@gmail.com
- Instagram: @vaultfurniture
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VaultFurniture
Image Credit:
Vault Furniture
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