This past year has been the proverbial “roller coaster” for Wiley Concepts.

When searching for our new home, Wiley was at the forefront of finding the perfect property with a wood shop we could call our own. While a 1930s wood shop may not have been ideal, we made it work. Patching holes, insulating, building new tables, rearranging equipment a million times, and integrating its character into our brand.

 

Through the spring and summer, we jumped into pop-ups and markets – a first for Wiley.

We worked endless hours, trying to produce enough product to take to market. Because, if we’re being honest, our struggle with Wiley is being a business. We’re stuck in this wave of highs and lows, and have been for years. It’s the constant excuse of not being good enough layered on the contemplation of if this will work, and if we’re the kind of people that can make it work.

The “ifs” derive from the low points in the waves of change. The failures. We’ve failed repeatedly on shipping, because we were simply not aware. We’ve made money at markets, just to celebrate it away on tacos and tequila. We’ve created new one-off products, and never carried them to market. And we’ve reached out to retailers, only to fall back into a lull of silence.

Add that to the competing attention of the evolving Henstooth Homestead last spring, and we were starting to see a sinking tank. So what are we doing to change that?

Priorities & Grace.

We’re searching for balance, and learning to prioritize along the way. One thing a product-based business and homesteading have in common is seasons. While exploring the seasons in our new home, we’ve constantly had to remind ourselves we’ve only been here for a year. One year. In that time we’ve changed, our goals have changed, and without coincidence our businesses have changed.

Within a year’s time we’ve discovered our niche, found a market we never knew existed, learned our land’s natural bounty, and have said yes to more business, stress and learning opportunites than one can possibly imagine.

So where does Wiley stand? Optimistic. The hope today, is that we can bring Wiley Concepts & the Henstooth Homestead together for a unique perspective on what home and garden can be. Demonstrating that self-sustaining work and a handcrafted life has a quality to it that anyone can experience, but out of all your options you’d choose to experience with us.