Families create hand-made Father's Day gifts at The Factory woodworking shop in Columbia
Liam Winnie was happy to share his thoughts about his dad while making a very special gift for Father's Day on Wednesday.
“He really takes care of me,” Liam said, smiling. “He is super funny, and he works hard at church. He’s the best dad in the whole world!”
One of Liam’s favorite recent memories is the hike the family took at Stillhouse Hollow Falls in Summertown in Maury County.
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Mom Allison Winnie brought her children Liam, 7, and Bella, 4, brimming with excitement, to The Factory at Columbia to make their dad a unique gift for his special day.
Bella quietly worked away on her picture to be engraved at Mountain Ash Home, a woodworking and home goods shop, which conducted a Father's Day gift-decorating event last week at The Factory.
This event is for anyone hoping to make a one-of-a-kind gift with a special note or picture for Dad, store owner Cassie Benzinger said.
The shop also had a similar event for Mother’s Day.
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It was the first time Liam or Bella had a hands-on experience making something personal for their dad.
Laughing, Allison said, “now if we can just have them not tell dad before Father’s Day.”
“We came in to eat one day and walked by and saw it,” Allison said. “I got a Mother’s Day gift then, but some of my friends and I got together to do a workshop and make some signs.”
After following store owner Cassie Benzinger on social media, she saw there was also a Father’s Day gift-making opportunity at Mountain Ash Home and decided to come back.
“This is way better than getting on Amazon and buying a generic gift,” Allison said.
“It’s a great spot to make personalized gifts,” Benzinger said. “We’re trying to show people that we are here.”
From bottle openers to hammers, framed desk signs, leather wallet clips and keychains, kids had the opportunity to draw their own art and have it engraved by a laser on the item of their choice.
“We like to create things that are going to stick with people,” Benzinger said. “Doing these keepsake gifts is really fun for us.”
She says it gets the kids to come out and do something different than just picking out a random gift.
“It can be hard to find a gift that means a little more,” Benzinger said.
One child even made a Father’s Day gift for her mother.
“We had one child come in to make a Father’s Day gift for her mom, which was really sweet,” Benzinger said. “It shows that moms can do it all.”
Coasters have also been popular, she says. One large family with multiple children chose to have each child draw a picture on a coaster and have it engraved.
Pictures are uploaded and converted to the engraving machine, then placed on the item.
“We have a machine in-store now, so if it’s not already running another project, kids can come in and see how the machine works,” Benzinger said.
“That’s part of the fun.”
The store is currently open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit https://www.mountainashhome.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Columbia: Families create hand-made Father's Day gifts at The Factory
