Craft-E-Family started out as a hobby for Joyce Ebert. She was a prolific painter and her husband, Lloyd, was interested in carpentry. After retiring, they combined their skills into creating handmade perpetual calendars, which Joyce sold at local craft shows. That was forty years ago and what began as a hobby has grown into a successful international business now operated by their daughter Karry Ebert and her husband, Cory Craig.
Craft-E-Family is and always has been a family company. The family has grown, and the business has grown right along with it. Joyce was the driving force getting it started. Creating customized blocks was also her brainchild. The blocks would be like children’s building blocks but would have designs and words on them to celebrate events. They would be special gifts for families as keepsakes. No one else in the family shared her vision or the excitement she had for it.
When she announced a road trip to Minnesota to purchase a laser cutting machine, the family saw it as a wild hair but went along with her and off to Minnesota they went. Lloyd was joking that he did not think they would recoup the cost of the machine. She and Lloyd designed and created several blocks that she took to the local craft shows. It was evident that others were as excited as Joyce about the blocks. With this promising new product, she decided to expand the market to include out-of state festivals, fairs, and shows and recruited Lloyd to go with her. That was the critical turning point for the business.
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