Emma Dashner started her business unexpectedly. A new college graduate majoring in strategic communications at TCU, she was exploring what she would become when she had the chance to return your grandparents’ house in Hurst – and she found the answer.
She completely gutted the house, added large windows and kept the original doors after removing layers of paint from the wood. Through this process, she found her calling: working with her hands and turning a design vision into reality.
She launched Iradell Designs in 2022 and works out of her parents’ garage. She currently focuses on small, handcrafted household items, like charcuterie boards, artwork, and small furniture.
Dashner spoke to The Report’s Shomial Ahmad about her creative upbringing, how she structures her day, and what she’s learned along the way about running her own business.
The interview has been edited for clarity and space.
Contact details:
Websites: Iradelldesigns.com | Facebook | Instagram | Etsy Shop
E-mail: hello@iradelldesigns.com
Shomial Ahmad: You say on your website that you come from a “long line of actors.” Can you tell us about how you grew up as a maker and what that upbringing was like?
Emma Dashner: I guess you could say my family always needs a project. My mother’s father built all the houses she lived in and I was constantly involved in projects such as renovating houses growing up. My parents are both creative and handy. My mother taught preschool and was always making crazy things like an igloo out of milk jugs. My father, an engineer, was always fixing things around the house or fixing a car.
I was surrounded by projects growing up and the creativity and problem solving that came with them. My parents never shied away from making a mess or trying something new. One year in high school, for homecoming, my mom helped me make a life-size Oscar trophy out of foam, wood, and whatever else we could find. It was absolutely ridiculous and we had no idea what we were doing, but things like this were pretty common in my house growing up.
Ahmad: One of your big sellers is a custom charcuterie board? How long does it take to make one and what is the process?
Dashner: It really depends on the size, complexity, and whether or not resin is added, but making a custom board takes a lot of time. I hand select the wood from a lumberyard – usually hard maple or black walnut – then mill it to size.
After that it goes to my CNC machine to cut out the shape or design. Next comes sanding, which may seem to take forever, but it’s a crucial part of the process. If the board is personalized, I usually laser engrave it before finishing it with mineral oil and food grade board wax.
Ahmad: What else does your company do and how do you divide your time or structure your day?
Dashner: My days vary, partly because I wear so many different hats running a small business, but also because I’m still figuring out my process and what works best for me. I usually have “admin” days, where I like to go to different coffee shops and work on things like accounting, social media, or other marketing tasks. Then I’ll have workshop days where I’ll be in the garage making things and working on projects.
Ahmad: Do you do this full time or is it a side hustle? Do you have any ideas on how to grow your business?
Dashner: Thanks to the sale of my grandparents’ house, I am able to do this full time and I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Right now, most of my sales come from Etsy and local markets. I plan to continue to expand in these areas, but I would also like to market my products in Fort Worth stores and start doing more bulk or group orders.
Most of the opportunities I’ve had so far have come from simply talking to people, letting them know what I do, and making sure everyone I meet leaves with a business card to the hand.
I don’t like the word “networking” because it sounds very professional and makes me think of sitting in a sad cubicle all day, but just talking to people has been really great for my business .
Ahmad: Much of the work you do is done solo in a shared garage with Rubye, a red Camaro from 1968. Do you have an artistic community that you have cultivated? If so, how did you train it?
Dashner: Since my Arlington Heights apartment isn’t conducive to woodworking, I work out of my parents’ garage — a garage that also houses a bright red 1968 Camaro, a project my father and brother took on years ago. about 10 years now. We call her Rubye, after my grandmother, and she keeps me on my toes.
I don’t know how my father, who so graciously lets me use his garage, would react if something happened to this car, so I do my best every day to make sure I never have to find out.
On a related note, I spend a lot of my days working solo, so I make it a point to try to connect with other Fort Worth creatives, mostly in the markets or via social networks. I’m still fairly new to the Fort Worth creative community, but I’ve found everyone to be very approachable and welcoming.
I think it really captures the vibe of Fort Worth, “the biggest little city in Texas.” Fort Worth is a huge city, which means it has lots of opportunities and incredibly creative people, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming or too big to handle.
Ahmad: What have you learned about business during your journey and what are the key takeaways for running your own business?
Dashner: Running a small business has been a real lesson in self-awareness and personal reflection. You quickly discover what you’re good at – designing and creating – and what you’re not so good at – accounting, or anything that involves numbers, really.
One of the key takeaways, especially when renovating my grandparents’ house, was the importance of leveraging my strengths and outsourcing the rest – when I can afford to .
I love the challenge of turning a piece of wood into something people can use, but staying organized throughout the process has been a whole other skill to master. I also learned how vital it is to find a balance between creating something unique and creating things that people actually want to buy. It’s that constant dance between standing out while remaining appealing to the masses.
The goal is always to create something memorable while keeping it functional and practical, because if no one buys what you’re making, it’s just a very expensive hobby.
Ahmad: Can you describe one thing about Fort Worth that served as inspiration for one of your creative projects?
Dashner: Fort Worth’s history with the cattle trade and the Stockyards is important, but aside from that I have to say all the different architecture around the city. I have always been passionate about architecture, partly because I love admiring beautiful buildings, but also because I am fascinated by the balance between form and function, which is what I try to do – at a much smaller scale – in my woodworking.
I love the clean lines of a more modern building like the Kimbell Art Museum, the simple, unadorned shapes of Southside’s brick facades, and the small, intricate details found in art deco places like the old train station of Lancaster. I could talk about Fort Worth architecture forever, but I’ll stop before it leads me to list the buildings around Fort Worth. No one needs to read this!
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and funders. Learn more about our editorial independence policy here.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus for higher education coverage.
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