BLASE

Blase is the OG here at SCM. He started building tables for us from his garage a few years back and has grown with us every step of the way. Blase has two young children, and a super creative, talented wife, Traci, who has helped us with graphic design projects and making the t-shirts for our carpenters. Blase graduated with a Bachelors in Studio Art and he truly enjoys all mediums, from wood to leather, to granite and painting. In his free time, he enjoys going to horror and science fiction movies and when he's out to eat, he always orders the weirdest thing on the menu. He enjoys making his own rootbeer which he regularly brings to work, and he loves the outdoors. When asked what his dream vacation would be, he said "Tokyo, with Paul Rudd in a cowboy hat as my tour guide". That's Blase.

ANDREW

Andrew is an artist. When building in our shop, he moves slowly and methodically, and always tries to incorporate old style techniques and joinery methods whenever possible. He majored in art in college and is an extremely talented, classically trained piano player going on 30 years. He has two young daughters with his wife Annie who is a police officer in Omaha. Andrew loves working with hand tools and has said that he'd love to build a home entirely by hand without any power tools or electricity, but understandably, isn't sure his family would be that patient. Andrew says he has yet to discover a food he calls his favorite, but never turns down sushi, and The Great Escape is at the top of his all time movie list.  His ultimate dream it to live a life where there is no need for a vacation. 

JOE

Joe is definitely the class clown here at SCM. He is always ready with a gritty joke, a witty remark, or random facts that you never asked to hear, but now you know. He's a workhorse by nature and always has several projects going at a time so that no time is wasted. Joe is married to his lovely wife Heather, and they have two children and a dog named Lazlo. He grew up an only child raised by a single mother, who he has described as one of the smartest people he knows. He credits his mother for some of his best personal qualities, like his love of writing poetry, classical music and the importance of keeping your fingernails trimmed and neat. Joe loves the summer time, kayaking with his wife, and Bill Murray (as a comedy idol, not a kayak partner), and believes that experiencing an evening thunderstorm whenever possible is essential for the soul.

And sandwiches. He loves sandwiches.

KEVIN

Kevin is the clockmaker and head furniture finisher at SCM. He and his lovely wife, Jess, have a small acreage with a large garden of zinnias, a dog named Auggie, and a cat who's name is so ridiculous, no one can ever remember what it is. When Kevin isn't working hard alongside his fellow carpenters at SCF, he enjoys going fast. That's right, Kevin loves rallycross and all things cars, mainly the feeling right before he crashes one. You'd never guess after observing him peacefully hand painting on details to our custom clocks and meticulously applying finishes to our tables. It's also no secret around the shop that Kevin doesn't like eating. He finds it to be a waste of time, and says he'd be happiest feasting once a month like a snake and absorbing sunshine for energy the rest of the time. His wife, however, continues to pack his lunch every day to ensure his survival which we appreciate because he's a pretty great guy. 

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ASHLEY

Hi there! I'm Ashley, the owner and original builder (although I've never considered myself a carpenter) of Salt Creek Mercantile. You can learn a lot about the story behind SCM from the above BACKSTORY, and you can get a good feel for my odd sense of humor speckled amongst my Instagram posts. I am married to my wonderful husband Nolan, and we have 4 sweet, lovely, intelligent daughters. We live on a farm in the farmhouse that we built, and we have a whole menagerie of animals. When we were first married, my husband, much like many farmers in the area, wanted to get into the cattle business. We saved up a little and bought 5 cows. 5 turned into 10, and then a few years after we got married, I decided I wanted to live a vegan lifestyle to the best of my abilities (there's a little cheese here and there). Now the cows are our pets, and since then we have added a flock of chickens, several ducks, 4 dogs, and I'm thinking saving a couple pigs (update! we now have two pigs, Norman and Tulip!) and starting a wildflower pasture for bees is in my near future as well. I'm an only child, and grew up living with my mama. I have always been a terrible listener and can't take instruction without breaking away to do my own thing. My room was never clean growing up, and I often had special notes written on my report cards saying that I needed to get my daydreaming under control. I love spicy food, and have never met a potato dish I didn't like. I love red wine, and I love it even more when paired with a good movie and a big blanket. That's my perfect evening. Throw a huge plate of black bean nachos in there and I'm one happy girl.  I do not like deep water, dolls, ticks, the color red (unless its hot sauce) or terribly written series finale endings. I believe that important conversations should be discussed slowly and thoroughly over a great meal, big decisions should always be slept on, and that hugging a dog is the best therapy in the world. Or a cow. Even a chicken will work, really. (update! Pigs give great hugs too!)

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Thanks for reading about us, and we hope to build something beautiful for you soon.