Today we’d like to introduce you to David Cheaney.
Hi David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I come from a very creative family. My dad was an engineer and an amazing woodworker my mom was Martha Stewart before Martha Stewart and my sisters all took up the mantle as well. I sorta kept all that at bay most of my life but, a little over a decade ago found myself stuck and deeply bored in a corporate job. One weekend I bought a beat-up piece of furniture at a thrift store and fixing it up made me feel very very happy for what seemed like the first time in a long time. So I started buying furniture regularly and working on it and eventually started selling my creations at the Rose Bowl Flea Market.
It was great but lugging big pieces of furniture around got a bit rough so, on a whim really, I made some coasters and it kinda snowballed from there. I expanded out into other practical home goods (trays, bookends, etc.) and pretty soon made the leap to doing it full-time. I named my company Cheltenham Road because that was the street I grew up on and where my creative family taught me every skill I’m using now.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve been quite fortunate in that the business has grown steadily over the years.
Early on, when I was contemplating going full-time with all this, I met with a friend who is a finance whiz. She sat me down and made me look at the hard realities of how much money I would need to make and how/if I could make it doing what I was doing. It was a sorta harsh wake-up call but it also provided me with a clear sense of what I needed to do and how much I needed to save before I could go full throttle with the business. I’ve been grateful to her ever since.
I still struggle with the real business side of things – social media, financial planning, deal-making, etc. and I’m a complete failure as a self-promoting “salesman” which, unfortunately for me, is a huge piece of a business like mine. I also never really imagined that I’d have to be a good photographer and I really get hung up on the photo side of things. And, like so many others, I work from home and my life and my work are one in the same. I am, in fact, the worst boss I have ever had – ridiculous hours and little or no time off. But I’m trying to carve out a more reasonable schedule – wish me luck!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I used to make a sorta ridiculous variety of things but have narrowed it down now mostly to drink coaster sets and serving trays. I’ve been a lifelong collector of bits of ephemera – matchbooks, postcards, advertising, etc (I was a weird kid and I’m a weird adult too I guess) and all my work features those sorts of images. I think there is amazing artistry in these often overlooked designs – they tell such stories and evoke such fun memories.
I think my work stands out to folks because I really try to find the images and graphics that people haven’t seen before and I try to find unexpected themes.
I think I’m most happy when someone tells me that some coaster set or tray was “the perfect gift” for whatever hard-to-buy-for uncle or friend. And I’ve gotten to hear wonderful stories when someone recognizes a club or a restaurant or a bowling alley that they used to go to or that their mom worked at when she was young. I love finding out the history behind a cool matchbook design or advertisement – helps to keep a bit of history alive I like to think.
Any big plans?
I’ve recently gained a lot more wholesale accounts and my stuff is traveling sorta far and wide (just sent a fairly large coaster order to Australia) so I’m going to have to find ways to speed up and expand my operation to keep up with demand. Sooner rather than later, I’m going to have to give up my “one-man-band” status and I’m excited but also a bit nervous about how to do that.
Hopefully, that will also give me a bit more time to develop new products and designs – I have a million ideas but not quite enough time in the day to execute them at the moment.
Contact Info:
- Website: cheltenhamroad.etsy.com
- Instagram: cheltenham_road
