Meet Teri Hinckley And Kristie Crane | Owners of The Handmade Sign Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Teri Hinckley And Kristie Crane and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teri Hinckley and Kristie Crane, why did you pursue a creative career?
We’re Teri and Kristie, the mother-daughter team that owns The Handmade Sign Co. Before diving into this creative venture, we both spent years as teachers, creatively teaching young minds and fostering a love for learning. Now, we get to channel that passion and creativity into something that brings joy and beauty into people’s homes.

Our journey into sign-making started from our love of creativity. We find immense joy in crafting personalized pieces that not only enhance our own spaces but also connect families and friends. Each sign we create tells a story, whether it’s a cherished quote, a family name, or a special date.

We love transforming our home into a warm and inviting place, filled with our own creations. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how our signs can create beautiful spaces for others too, fostering connections that last a lifetime. This work allows us to express ourselves and share our love for community and creativity with everyone who appreciates handmade artistry.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our signs have laser-cut designs, which means that we put Baltic Birch wood or MDF in our laser and cut the designs to adhere to our signs. They’re not created with vinyl or printed on the background of the sign. The designs really pop, literally! We feel that the small business aspect really sets us apart, as well as our beautiful, unique laser-cut designs. We honestly have learned so much from the last few years of being in business. There’s a steep learning curve with everything involved in running a small business, and we’ve jumped in with both feet and it has really stretched both of us! It hasn’t been easy, but it’s mind-blowing how far we’ve come and how much we’ve learned! We’ve had to reach out to others as mentors, take trainings and courses, and more! We want the world to know that we love working as a mother-daughter team with an incredible team of women who are amazing at thinking outside the box, problem solving, have an incredible sense of attention to detail and know how to foster a positive, fun environment to work in.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Cleveland Metroparks are top of our list and we love choosing a different location each week to explore. We take visitors to Whipp’s Ledges in Hinckley as well. We head to The Westside Market and nearby Mitchell’s ice cream whenever we can! Eating ice cream upstairs and watching them make Mitchell’s ice cream through the window is a highlight. Next is Tommy’s Hungarian Pastries in Lakewood. We take the pastries to Lakewood Park to eat. It’s so fun to walk around and if we are there in the evening, we enjoy the sunset on the Solstice Steps.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our shout out goes to Scott Hinckley, Teri’s hubby and Kristie’s dad, who is our biggest supporter and mentor! He is always willing to give great insight and advice. He is an entrepreneur himself and is a valuable resource to us.

Website: https://thehandmadesignco.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehandmadesigncompany/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHandmadeSign

Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thehandmadesignco/