Whether Mansfield resident, Chris Little will ever admit it or not, his talent is like the acorn, that fell close to the family tree.
Little’s Father, Charlie is an accomplished “do it yourselfer” with producing handmade cedar furniture, and at one time, molding actual crawfish to used as plastic bass fishing baits.
We sat down in Chris’ garage in Mansfield, and asked him a few questions.
RP: How did this actually begin?
Little: While watching the TV show Fixer Upper, my wife, Cheyenne started making a list of items she wanted built for our house. Family and close friends showed interest in those things so I started making pieces for them also.
After I made the chalkboard/iPad holders Cheyenne mentioned that they would be good Christmas gifts for people so we decided to put them for sale on Facebook. After we saw how many people were interested in buying them I decided to make a whole album dedicated to my work. I never thought this would be something I made money off of, but once we realized people outside our family were wanted them, I am excited that people are willing to pay me for something I truly enjoy
RP: Do you see this growing beyond your garage?
Little: Our plan is to create a Facebook page dedicated to our work. I plan on staying in the garage because it’s more of a hobby than work. Plus, if I move out of the garage, I’ll have to drive home when Cheyenne cooks dinner. This way I’m already home ready to eat!
RP: Do any of your pieces hold any symbolic relevance? (Family history, memories, etc)
Little: Every piece I make is important to me. When I make a table for example, I imagine a family using it for generations to come. That makes me happy knowing people enjoy my work, and it possible creates a family heirloom. Also, this work is important to me because it runs in our family. My dad has been building things as long as I can remember. I’ve always thought his work was amazing. I remember my grandfather, Dale little, always building things in his small shop when he wasn’t busy being a Barber. My mom’s dad, Ruben Elmore, was also a carpenter. He helped build a lot of the buildings out at Fort Chaffee. So I like to think of it as carrying on a tradition that has been in my family for a long time.
If your’e interested in learning more about the available products, such as the ones below, CONTACT Chris Little
