Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Maassen.
Gary started building furniture as a high school student in Avoca, Iowa and went on to major in Industrial Education at Iowa State University. After graduating college, Gary taught high school wood shop to high school students before entering the corporate world, managing installations, trouble-shooting, and training for complex machines with multi-national companies. Gary’s understanding of woodworking, paired with his corporate field service expertise, is the foundation of Owen Street Studio.
Today, Owen Street Studio is the neighborhood handyman service Chicagoans trust. The Studio is a referral-based company that provides hourly service and quoted projects to meet your home needs. As a home repair and improvement service, the Studio offers professional handyman services to repair doors and windows, install wood floors and built-in furniture, paint and repair walls and ceilings, as well as minor plumbing and electrician services. Customer satisfaction is the cornerstone of our business. You will not find a more timely, reliable, cost-conscious and skilled Chicago handyman service.
The Studio also is a collection of high-quality home goods and furniture, handmade from the finest materials. Because each item is made-to-order, we can customize the color, wood, size, and other details to meet your specifications. Each item is inspired by Gary’s hometown of Chicago, as well as ideas from family and friends.
Great, 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?
Owen Street Studio began as an Etsy store, with the idea to grow a vacation fund. It took two months before I got our first order. I spent that time researching how to grow our Etsy business and began strategically changing the way we sold our products. Once I understood the SEO behind Etsy, online sales took off.
A year later, a corporate layoff pushed me into realizing a lifelong dream: making the Studio a full-time career. The business expanded from an online home accessory line to include custom furniture and built-ins, as well as small home remodel projects and handyman jobs. Word-of-mouth marketing, along with smart social media campaigns, helped the business grow from a vacation fund to a full-time career.
Being a small business owner is not without its challenges. Along the way, I’ve learned a great deal about customer service, proper pricing strategies, maintaining high quality standards, and staying true to our brand. After two years, I am still learning something new each day.
Early on, people hired me without knowing much about me. Those customers have helped grow my business to their friends and family. The most rewarding part of my day is when someone calls for a job and says one of my early customers referred them.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Owen Street Studio – what should we know?
There are probably a lot of things on your to-do list that you are perfectly capable of doing. And if you actually had the time to do them, you would. But between the kids, groceries, the car, and whatever else you over-committed yourself to, it’s easy to live with that leaky faucet or damaged drywall for one more week. That’s where the Studio can help. Our professional handyman home repair and improvement service includes a variety of services, including electrical work, simple plumbing, carpentry, custom furniture, painting, decking, dry walling, and small remodel projects.
We’ve made the home improvement process easy and straight forward. When you hire the Studio, we want you to understand exactly what you’re getting, when we’ll be there, and what it will cost.
Owen Street Studios is also a collection of high-quality home goods and furniture, made of the finest woods, hand-turned on the lathe and sanded to perfection. From tables and organization units to refinishing furniture, we’re able to customize furniture to meet your style and space needs. Our collection of home accessories is available on Etsy. If you are looking for a custom built-in or piece of furniture to fit a special space, we offer custom furniture to meet your needs. Contact us for a free quote or consultation.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Moving from the classroom to the corporate world, I began managing field service technicians to troubleshoot and install high-tech machines for international customers. Owen Street Studio combines my love of woodworking with my professional project management experience. My background gives me the unique opportunity to offer big-picture project analysis, competitive pricing, and high-quality craftsmanship.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.owenstreetstudio.com
- Phone: 7735759932
- Email: gary@owenstreetstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/owenstreetstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owenstreetstudio
Image Credit:
Gary Maassen
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