Interview with Sarah Detweiler from Church Street Designs
Dani: Hi Sarah!! I'm so excited to have you share with us today! Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sarah: My name is Sarah Detweiler and I live with my husband and 3 kiddos in PA. I am a coffee lover, a DIY enthusiast and a painter of anything that doesn't move. My decorating style is a mixture of Industrial and Farmhouse, and my favorite color is Navy, as it pairs well with any other color. Jewelry as well as power tools are always on my Christmas wish list.
I am a transplant to PA, having grown up on a small farm in a beautiful, Southern TN valley. After falling head over heals for a PA boy, I married him and moved up north in 2005.
Dani: What’s the story and inspiration behind Church Street Designs? How did you get started?
Sarah: Church Street Designs really began as a hobby. After our second child was born and I had quit my full time job in the banking world becoming a stay at home mom, I realized I needed a hobby and something to work towards. I had always loved creating beautiful things and my house was full of DIY projects and re-purposed items, so I decided to start blogging about how I created them. My projects led me to create a few hand painted signs for my home, and I learned that I loved being able to dream up a design in my head and then actually create it into a decor piece.
After selling a few to friends and family I decided to open an Etsy shop to see if I could expand my audience. Over the years, my little hobby grew to include a shop of our own, www.churchstreetdesigns. com and God has blessed our business, expanding it from just hand painted signs into chalkboards, jewelry, digital art and more. It is now my full time job and our team at CSD is growing.
Dani: Do you handcraft all the signs yourself?
Sarah: All of our signs, trays, and jewelry are all handcrafted by a member of the Church Street Designs Team. We believe there is still a place in this fast passed, cheaply made, world for quality items. All our signs are meticulously handcrafted, from the lumber we use to the attention to detail in our painting process, we want to create a product that will outlast us.
Dani: Do you view your business strictly as a business or also as a ministry?
Sarah: The motto of Church Street Designs is, "Life Inspired". We not only want to inspire people by the beautiful items we make, but also encourage them to be an inspiration to someone. Investment in people's lives is the only thing that will outlive us. Our prayer is that God will use Church Street Designs as a conduit to bring blessing, encouragement, and inspiration to those it reaches.
Dani: What’s your favorite part of sharing your beautiful artwork with the world and running your own business?
Sarah: There are so many things that I enjoy about running my own business, but my favorite part of the process is the designing aspect. I love coming up with new products and design layouts, and figuring out how to get what's in my head onto paper and then into an actual item. I also enjoy helping customers create one-of-a-kind pieces that fit their homes and office. My husband, Jamie, is also a huge part of the Church Street Designs Team.
As a "spreadsheet and numbers" kind of guy, he balances out my creative side, fixes all the tech problems, takes care of all the paperwork, business legalities and a little thing called, paying all the taxes on time. Several nights a week the clock may strike midnight and you'll still find us brainstorming new marketing strategies, fine-tuning our website design, or putting the finishing touches on a new project. The work is never done, but we love that God has given us a dream we can work on together.
We are currently offering a FREE printable sign on our website as a thank you for connecting with us. We also have some great, new products that are coming soon, so stay in touch!
Use code: CSDinstagram10 to receive 10% off any item in our shop!
