17-Year-Old is Proud Owner of "Ty's Custom Furniture"

BOZEMAN - - When Tyler Gardner picks up a piece of wood, he sees art--art in the form of elegant, hand-made furniture.

For two years, Tyler, 17, has been the owner and sole operator of Ty's Custom Furniture, a woodworking business he runs from his family's home in Ashland.

Tyler was just nine years old when he started the 4-H Woodworking Project. Back then, he had absolutely no idea how his new-found interest would blossom. "I simply acquired a love for working with wood," Tyler said.

Now, he is the proud owner of Ty's Custom Furniture, where he produces hand-made pieces such as china cabinets, coffee tables, lamps, shelves, nightstands and even an entire living room set.

During his junior year at Powder River County High School, Tyler participated in Project REAL (Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning). Students involved in the project simulated starting their own businesses, including market research, surveys and creating a business plan. After completing all the research, Tyler thought, why not start his own business? And that was the start of Ty's Custom Furniture.

• Tyler Gardner adjusts a door on a cabinet he built.(123K GIF file)

Tyler set up shop in January 1995, and within a week and a half, had sold his first pieces of furniture -- a computer desk and a bookcase. Orders continued to come surging in, and now, Tyler says, he has about a yearís worth of orders just waiting to be filled.

Tyler uses a wholesaler in Billings to order beautiful hardwoods: oak, walnut, maple and cherry.

He doesn't have to worry much about marketing.

"A business card is my only form of advertising," said Tyler. "That really does a lot." The rest of his business, he suspects, comes directly from word-of-mouth. Several of Tyler's pieces are featured in businesses around his county.

News of Tyler's success has spread far beyond his hometown. His skills as a young entrepreneur earned him an invitation to speak and demonstrate his craft during last year's National Youth Leadership Conference in Philadelphia.

This April, he traveled to the National Youth Entrepreneurship Symposium in Long Beach, Calif., where he participated in the conference's opening ceremonies with four other youth who had formed businesses. Tyler also gave two one-hour workshops on how he started and has progressed in business.

Though most of his previous pieces have been crafted for people within 80 miles of his home, Tyler said his appearance at the California conference has already generated several West Coast orders.

Tyler credits much of his success to his dad, who Tyler says is also very talented in woodworking, and his shop teacher, Steve Ray, who inspired him to start his own business.

For the past school year, Tyler has participated in a work-study program that allows him to leave school at 1:30 and work on his business. He also has access to the school's shop room and equipment.

Tyler has his own shop at his family's ranch, and owns his own tools. He took out a small loan this year to upgrade his equipment, and invests much of his company's earnings back into supplies and equipment. Eventually, he'd like to open a shop in Broadus.

After Tyler graduates this year, he may travel to Haywood Community College in North Carolina, which he says has excellent woodworking and cabinetry programs.

Though Tyler has forced himself to slow down a little bit these days (he was working 16- to 20-hour days at first!), he still enjoys throwing his heart and soul into his work.

Not many people in this world are lucky enough to say what Tyler Gardener does at the end of a long day of work: "I honestly love what I do!"
From the 4-H Clover Project Selection Guide