It’s about time we introduce ourselves!
I’m Lindsey, the one on the right in the picture, but Hunter calls me, “Z.” I’m the Smith half of Hunter + Smith Rustics. (My maiden name was Smith before we secretly got married 2 years ago... but that’s a story for a different day😉).
The big bearded dude to my left is my husband, Hunter. Obviously, he is the Hunter half of Hunter + Smith Rustics Limited Co. We have been together going on 11 years! Yes, we were really young. 15 and 17 years old when we met to be exact, and I couldn’t have picked a better human to love for the rest of my life. We are BEST FRANDS. Yes, I said, “frands.” We talk/type goofy on purpose because we think it’s funny. Get ready.
Hunter knows a little bit about A LOT of things, enough to allow him to do some REALLY cool stuff and enough to [sometimes] get him in trouble (sorry babe), but most times not. Seriously, the man don't miss. He is the maker, the do-er, of all things, from leather products, to food, furniture, wrenching on cars/trucks/motorcycles, wiring, music, technology, design, the list goes on. He can do it all, and most times, better than you. (Sorry ‘bout it.) But seriously, he’s the dude you want on your side to make you laugh, make you a tasty meal, and/or get you out of a pickle.
I’m Z, the support role, the camera gal, the facilitator, cheerleader, team mate. If you have ever bought a product from us, odds are Hunter designed, cut and constructed it, and I either sewed it and/or burnished it. I also answered all the questions, like, “What do you think about the size? Which hardware do you like best? What colors do you like? Would you prefer to have a pocket here or here?”😂 The list goes on. Most of the posts on social media that you see, I edit. (He posts one while I’m a work sometimes, and I accidentally miss it.) 99% of the pictures we have, I took. Fun fact: I just started taking pictures on our Canon DSLR to learn how to take and edit properly exposed and framed pictures, and I absolutely LOVE it. I am so excited to take more professional looking pictures of all the crazy fun stuff we do and make to share with y’all! I just started and have tons to learn, but I will be the one taking product and process pictures and videos of all of our projects to put on our future website and hopefully share with the world, if anyone wants to listen.
What we want you to take from this post is that every thing we do and every piece we make is discussed and thought out for hours, sometimes days or weeks. Research is done, designs and measurements are drawn out and edited time and time again. Once we finalize the design, a prototype is made and normally taken to our design team (ahem *friends/family*) and asked to test and give feedback. And then more modifications are made, and about the 3rd or 4th one made normally ends up looking near perfect.
You see, it takes time to hone in these products and skills. It’s not just something anyone can pick up and perfect in a day. It’s not something that you make just one of and it’s perfect the first try. It is a process that takes years to learn. You really have to spend time in the thick of it, using your hands and actively learning how to work with certain materials that behave in different ways, whether it be wood, metal or leather, in our case.
And boy, are we in the thick of it. This little handmade business of ours isn’t our only current endeavor. We bought a house built in 1900 in June of 2019, and we decided to completely renovate it ourselves. Hunter has done every bit of the work himself. I mean, I help carry what I can, but I have done nothing compared to the work he has put into making our 121 year old house a home. Another fun fact: Hunter ripped up our floors and dug our crawl space out by hand, which was around 500 wheel barrel loads of dirt so he could encapsulate the crawl space to protect our house from moisture. We are still working on our renovation. We will not be taking custom orders for a few months so we can get back into “house mode,” and get it finished so we can move in!
Ok, this is getting a little wordy, but our story is hard to tell from the beginning without detail because it’s so long. We have been in the process of making sacrifices to build our dream life for years. We’ve been doing things differently, things those around us didn’t understand, for quite some time now. We’ve been collecting tools since we moved into our first apartment together in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in August of 2014, when we were 19 and 20 years old.
We pride ourselves on always trying to keep it real, make real products that will last, and always do what makes us happy. And ultimately, what makes us happy is being together, making each other laugh, and seeing what crazy projects we can get into to create something great for ourselves, and learn a new skill, that we can also share with those around us.
So here’s the start of our story. I don’t know exactly how I will end up sharing all of it, and I imagine it will be long and winding. But if you want to listen along, I can almost guarantee that you will he entertained. All things owning your own handmade business, remodeling an old house yourself, cooking good food, wrenching on things with engines, and life, coming up soon.
Thanks to those that have made it this far!
-Z