This feature is a question-and-answer session with a new Blount County Chamber member. So, here we go with our 193rd visiting with Lee and Lori Martin, owners of Mauldy Hill Gallery (329 Gill St., Alcoa) filled with handcrafted wood furniture and gift items.
Tell me more about your business. “Lee is an avid builder of all things. For years people have sent him Pinterest photos and said, “can you build this for me?” He can take a picture and build it all. So, we opened a store front with handcrafted wood furniture and gift items. Lee also is an artist as a hobby, so we are also an art gallery. We have dining tables, entry tables, sofa tables, planters, benches, wall hangings with hooks, dog beds, coffee tables, charcuterie boards, outdoor games, book place holders, candle sticks, and hand painted cutting boards.”
What is your background? “Lee has been a local contractor for 20 plus years and has been a builder of all things from a very young age. He taught school at Heritage High School in the Building Trades while our children were students there. He enjoyed building smaller projects that the student could enjoy building themselves. He has a gift of looking at a picture and being able to build without too much effort. His art has been a past time since he was very young. He has continued to paint as a form of calm throughout the years. He enjoys all forms of art from cars to cows.”
Describe your customers. “Our customers are anyone who has a passion for American handcrafted furniture and decor items. One has to appreciate the effort and materials that goes into our business model and brand. We wish to have an actual brand people can go to friends and family and show that it is handcrafted and stamped with the Mauldy Hill logo.”
What your business unique? “We are marketing to those who understand that there are very few items made right here locally anymore. Our inventory is one of a kind. It is not shipped from a faraway land with subpar materials used. Our materials are from reclaimed wood and are 100% wood. No particle boards. Our inventory should last a lifetime and be an heirloom for families to enjoy.”
What do you enjoy most about your business? “It is exciting to hear what people are looking for in the decor and furniture dept. We love to hear suggestions and then go home and build them. We enjoy when people come into the store and buy something and then they send a picture of it in their home and it is exciting to know they will have that item for years to come.”