Flagstaff Featured Business: Willow Hill Designs
The Flagstaff Region Featured Business is a monthly newspaper and web feature presented in partnership by Flagstaff County and The Community Press.
Willow Hill Designs
willowhilldesigns.com
willow.hill.designs@hotmail.com
780-781-5166
But this formidable husband-and-wife home décor business didn’t always carry that smooth-sounding handle and it wasn’t always so well-established. Circa 2011, the business was known simply as “Designs by K” and it was only just getting started.
Back then, Karen Wolbeck had a “well-behaved kiddo at home” in the Heisler area and husband Dennis was working shift work at the coal mine in Paintearth County.
“I was looking for things to fill my time,” Karen recalls.
“Dennis was adamant that he didn’t want to be involved in my little projects, but he couldn’t help getting his hands busy with the woodworking (especially when he saw me using his skill saw and cutting boards on the ground). Something about ‘safety’ concerns made him step in.”
Their projects started out small and simple – small signs, boards, simple designs, a little bit of glass etching, all done with vinyl and stencils.
Soon, the couple was getting busier and busier with custom orders. They participated in approximately eight markets a year, more so around the Christmas season, completing orders and gifts for family and friends.
“The majority of our work was local, word of mouth,” Karen says. “We started a small Facebook page, however, the majority of our traffic was local within Flagstaff County. We have always felt supported in our area.”
Up until then, the Wolbecks had been doing all of their woodworking outside.
“On one particularly blustery day (i.e. minus-25 degrees and snow), we decided we couldn’t work outside anymore. We converted a portion of our garage into a little heated workshop.”
The couple would continue to do their painting, staining, and assembly right on the kitchen island, but there was no turning back for this creative duo.
They eventually bought their first CNC machine to assist with their manufacturing process.
And then came the name change, which was hotly debated.
“Finding a name that we both liked was tricky – to be honest, we spent more time debating the name of our business than we did our firstborn!” says Karen.
Inspiration struck when they looked out the window.
“Our house is built on a bit of a hill and there was a giant willow tree in front! Thus, Willow Hill Designs was born,” explains Karen.
These days, a decade later, Willow Hill Designs prides itself on quality, craftsmanship and colour, with a focus on wholesale products.
“We create handmade signs and DIY kits for customers across Canada. So we aren’t your typical sign shop.
“Not only do we work with individual customers to create custom signs, but we’re also stocking retail stores with our colourful collection of signs as well,” Karen notes.
Dennis adds: “We started out by creating do-it-yourself craft kits for workshops and paint parties. And we are proud to say we have grown that collection to over 500 designs.”
Along with a five-foot-by-10-foot CNC router for large custom-cut designs, the Wolbecks use two 24-by-18-inch laser cutters/engravers for fine engraving, personalization and detailed designs, as well as a four-foot-by-eight-foot UV printer for permanent printed designs direct to wood/metal, plastic or other substrates. All machines work cohesively together to create custom one-of-a-kind pieces for everyone.
Dennis, who has since left his job at the mine, and Karen are now the parents of three beautiful children who fill their lives with “love, happiness and a tad bit of chaos.”
As for the future, Dennis and Karen are set on aiming high, much like their namesake giant willow tree.
“The future has us looking beyond Flagstaff County, reaching beyond Alberta’s borders to stock retail stores with high-quality handmade signs is a goal of ours,” Karen explains.
“We will always call Flagstaff County our home. We want Willow Hill Designs to be known Canada-wide.”
