By Jason Klaiber

Staff Writer

The owners of the Board & Brush Creative Studio in Skaneateles that opened last year recently started up another location in Fayetteville.

Like the 250-plus Board & Brush spots nationwide, the studio at 104 Towne Drive in Fayetteville conducts pick-your-project workshops for people looking to bring home pieces of décor they make themselves.

Over three hours workshop attendees are guided, to a limit, by instructors through the particulars of using power tools and painting materials to craft vintage farmhouse-style wooden signs, which can later be gifted to others or hung up in their households and business spaces.

“They’re super proud of what they make and they’re proud to put it in their house,” instructor Laura Kowal, one half of the wife-and-husband duo that owns both the Fayetteville and Skaneateles studios, said. “If they need a little extra help, we’re there to help them. We walk around and see where people are and meet their needs.”  

The “do-it-yourself” approach arches over the workshops, which are open to everyone from novices to expert craftspeople.

The studio offers over 400 design templates in its gallery to implement in these wooden signs as well as seven wood-staining colors and over 90 paint colors.

“Everything is kind of customizable,” Kowal said. “Everybody can choose something different, so that’s kind of unique and great because everybody has different taste.”

To take part in one of these workshops, individuals need to go online to register and select a personalized design, which are stenciled beforehand. The webpage boardandbrush.com/fayettevilleny displays a calendar with available dates.

“My ultimate favorite thing is connecting with the customers and building relationships,” Kowal said. “I love making connections with people, remembering them when they come in and remembering what sign they did.”

The Fayetteville Board & Brush, managed by Kelcie Adams, serves wine, beer, alcoholic seltzer and hard cider. The studio also has an interior meant to look like a living room, complete with rugs and seating for 30 people.

At a cost of $68, the studio regularly caters only to those 16 and older, but parent-and-child workshops are occasionally held. Private parties can also be scheduled.

According to Kowal, the grand opening on Oct. 26 brought in around 50 people, who were handed gift bags.

Laura Kowal and her husband Marc decided to move to the area from Denver, Colorado, where Laura worked as a social worker.

Outside of assisting his wife at the Board & Brush studios the couple owns, Marc has a day job with a medical software company.

The Board & Brush in Fayetteville is located in the shopping plaza between Kohl’s and the YMCA.

The company was founded by Julie Selby in March 2015 in Hartland, Wisconsin.