Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Larke.
Hi Megan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
During the hardest season of my life, I found myself looking for something to occupy my time + my mind. I was walking through the store + randomly bought a $15 wood-burning too thinking “this looks cool.” I began going out to my garage, blaring worship music + making random knick-knacks like cutting boards + home decor items all while worshiping, praying, + let’s be honest. totally sobbing & crying out to God.
In February of 2017, I began to feel this heart call to take this wood-burning thing a step further. At the time I was working a corporate job I didn’t really love + I felt like God was calling me to take a leap to start a business. Two weeks after I felt this calling, I had already quit my corporate job, secured a part-time gig for some steady income, created an Etsy shop + a little Instagram account + was well on my way to creating. I had zero business plans, zero ideas about what I was doing, and oddly enough. I had zero fears that it wouldn’t work out.
One morning on my drive to my part-time job I was telling God that this was our business + asked Him what we should call it. Two days later, again on my morning commute, I felt Him say “Lumber + Lace” …And so, our business was born.
Over the last five years, He has grown + morphed Lumber + Lace into more than I could have ever dreamed it would be. Never did I ever think buying that little wood burner would have led me to where I am now. I went from making personalized home decor items to doing calligraphy for wedding envelopes & wedding signs, planning, coordinating, styling + designing for weddings with an amazing team of young women, creating my own fiber art + tapestry line, + even creating custom builds + backdrop rentals for events + weddings.
All of this was made possible by one thing. Faith. Not business school, art classes, or any kind of teachings. Just faith. Faith in trusting God, that wherever He was leading me would be awesome no matter what my current situation or the road ahead would look like.
Everything that I am, everything that I have, this business, my heart for people, my talents, the way I love, the way I see, it is all because of Him. He placed these talents + these desires in my heart long before I knew they were even there. The coolest thing is, that He did this with every intention of fulfilling them. It required something of me first; seeking Him, so He could reveal these hidden things to me. My life + this business, it’s all a living testimony of His goodness, His faithfulness, His love + His heart for his children + I’m just so thankful to wake up every day loving what I do + being able to serve people in the process.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Lord no! This road has had every pothole, speed bump, stop sign, U-turn, throw it in reverse Terry, make another U-turn, yellow light, green light, traffic stop, you name it!
Starting up + growing a business is not for the faint of heart. You are going to be hit with obstacles + challenges left + right. You’re going to have lots of financial highs + lows. You’ll have lots of awesome clients + some hard-to-deal with, not-so-awesome clients. Things are going to go wrong with projects + you’ll have to choose to fight through + pull some all-nighters to get things done. Other times, things will go exactly to plan + turn out perfectly. There will be times when you question yourself + your capabilities + even your own mental sanity in choosing to start a business, but then there are always those days that remind you you’re doing exactly what you were created for.
It’s in choosing to learn from the financial opposites, the difficult clients, the wrong turns in the creative process, + all the obstacles + turn it into an opportunity to grow as a business owner. This is truly where you find out what you’re made of + in my opinion, this is what a successful business is all about. Not only growing in clientele + financial success but growing your business’s character + integrity into something you can be proud of at the end of the day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
It all started with wood burning. I’ll always tell you; that this is where my roots are. Again, I really had zero business plans when I started L+L. I was just simply creating. I was essentially wood-burning + engraving calligraphy/personalization into all things wooden; coasters, spoons, cutting boards. Eventually, people started hiring me for custom wood-burned art commissions + signs for their homes.
I then had a bride reach out asking if I had ever done calligraphy for wedding envelopes. My exact response was “No, but I can!” Boy, if I knew where that statement would take me months + years later! It’s wild to look back on!
From here the wedding wheelhouse opened up. I was creating calligraphy for wedding envelopes, wooden wedding signs, acrylic wedding signs, leather wedding signs, linen wedding signs, mirrored wedding signs, seating charts, place cards, personalized wedding hangers, personalized wedding gifts, etc. Calligraphy on everything! Ha
One aspect that I feel sets me apart from your traditional calligraphy artist is the forms in which I offer calligraphy. Not only can I handwrite everything for my clients with good ole pen + paper, but I can also wood burn calligraphy to create unique wedding signs, art + keepsakes, as well as engraving my calligraphy in glass or acrylic to create personalized wedding glasses + all sorts of acrylic designs for my client’s events. I also design a lot of the unique signs + wedding displays I’m creating vs having someone tell me exactly what they want. So, I would say design is a huge aspect in itself that makes my craft unique from the rest.
While the majority of my business is calligraphy-related, I also started a handmade fiber art, dyed tapestry line somewhere in the mix. Here recently I’ve even taken my calligraphy to new heights by creating custom builds + backdrops for weddings + events + offering wooden cutout calligraphy/lettering to embellish the backdrops.
Eventually, all these calligraphy/creative-related things led me to meet a bride/client, turned her closest friend + then later boss lady. While owning + creating for L+L I also work as the Lead Wedding Planner + Designer for the School House Venue here in Greenville, SC. Our fearless leaders, Erin + Sean Eads, hired me to create their wedding signage for the very special, very first, wedding at the School House Venue. From there, the rest is history.
I could not be more thankful for this journey + for the amazing clients + friends, turned family God has led me to along the way.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I would definitely recommend finding successful artist/business owners within your craft + following them on their social media platforms to learn from their tips + tricks or any wisdom they have to offer from their years in the biz.
In the art world, this can be tricky. I was very hesitant to follow other artists within my niche in the beginning because I never wanted to risk accidentally copying their work. That sounds a little crazy, but it’s so easy to see something + then a few months later go to create something yourself based on something you think you’ve thought of or seen on Pinterest + then later realize, “oh wait, this was actually not my idea” Art is everywhere, + it’s okay to draw inspiration from other artist but it’s never okay to full-on copy someone else’s work, style, or idea so you just have to be careful here.
As far as networking; staying on top of growing your social media in today’s world has been the best way for me to network + advertise my business.
Contact Info:
- Email: Lumberandlacegv@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.lumberandlaceco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumberandlaceco_/
Image Credits
Cameron Budove
