Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron & Jennie Berger.
Hi Aaron & Jennie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We are a husband and wife duo building furniture and home decor. It all started about three years ago when Aaron made us a coffee table for our living room. I have always had a passion for home decor and decorating, and Aaron is very creative and has always built stuff for fun. After the coffee table came a credenza and a few other things for our home. After that, friends started requesting tables, wall decor, etc. for their homes.
We were really enjoying this newfound passion/hustle so we kept at it as much as we could in our spare time.
We launched our Instagram page in January ’19. At the time, we both had full-time jobs so we were only able to build on the weekends. At the start of 2020, we decided to pursue High Vibe more seriously. We put together a business plan, registered for an LLC, and started planning projects and making goals to help move the business forward.
Shortly after that, the pandemic hit, and all our vacation plans and other commitments were off the table. We used all that free time to hustle and build as much as we could while still working our full-time jobs… It was a blessing in disguise, I don’t think we would have been able to accomplish as much as fast as we did had the pandemic not happened.
We really gained a lot of traction through 2020 and before we knew it, people we didn’t know were reaching out to us requesting custom projects. By the end of the year, our focus was making this a full-time gig for at least Aaron. At the beginning of ’21 he put in his notice at his job and went full-time for HV in March. I still currently work full-time but luckily, my job is remote so I am able to juggle both HV and my corporate job.
Right now, all sales are through Instagram and word of mouth. The response and support through our local community has been overwhelming. It’s been such an amazing journey and we’re so grateful for all of the support we’ve received thus far.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Building home decor and furniture has many challenges. It’s very loud, messy, and can be dangerous. Finding a shop in our area that would allow woodworking was very hard due to these restrictions. Up until late 2020, we were working out of our backyard. Every weekend we would have to haul everything out and set up our backyard just to break it all down before heading to our full-time jobs on Monday. Eventually, one of our neighbors finally reported us for
working out of our backyard. We were extremely desperate and frantically trying to find a new place to work. We finally lucked out and found a shop with the referral of a friend.
Woodworking is tiring and strenuous on your body. It’s VERY time-consuming and requires a lot of patience and focus. Due to the pandemic, the cost of lumber is extremely high right now so we really have to be strategic with the projects we take on. Also, tools are expensive so if something breaks, it’s usually a pricey fix.
As you can see, there are many challenges in this industry but because of those challenges, there aren’t a lot of people who do it so there is less competition for us.
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?
Right now, we specialize in hand built custom furniture such as coffee tables, credenzas and other items for your home. We also make limited runs of home decor pieces such as wall planters, cutting boards, trays, incense holders, and more.
For us, our credenzas are our “show” pieces. They are extremely unique and you don’t see anything like them in the market. Our clients are always great with giving us direction but allowing us creative freedom.
We strive to create pieces that will last a lifetime. We pour our hearts and souls into our projects and we love what we do. Aaron is VERY detail-oriented and takes the extra steps to make every part of a project count. We love creating together and we love creating things that no one else will have….unless they bought it from us of course.
What matters most to you? Why?
We have always been passionate about transforming a home into something that brings good and positive energy into your day to day life. We love creating unique pieces that elevate your space into something you are proud of. We have always had such an eclectic style of our own and wanted to bring that vibe into other people’s lives. We believe you should treat your home like a sanctuary and for us that means surrounding yourself with pieces that you love and inspire you daily.
There’s nothing better than building a custom piece for someone and watching them get inspired to restyle their entire room afterwards. Or creating something that is sentimental for someone in some way. It’s just so fulfilling.
That’s where the inspiration for our name, High Vibe Collective, comes from. We focus on creating a vibe more than just creating furniture. We create pieces with intention, pieces that look and feel elevated. We want to bring all the good vibes and positive energy into people’s lives and homes as much as we can.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @highvibe_collective
