In mid to late 2016, I was laid off from my job with a two-week-old baby at home, a garage full of tools, and a lot of uncertainty about what was next.

So I started making things.

It began simply—small benches built from 2×4s, then shelves, then whatever projects people asked about. Before long, someone asked if I could make cornhole boards. That question turned out to be a turning point much earlier than I realized at the time.

That first cornhole order led to more. Soon, businesses were asking for logos painted on the boards, and word started to spread. Around this time, we gave ourselves a name: Brady’s Custom Woodcraft. The benches faded away, but cornhole boards, signs, and custom wood projects kept growing.

Meanwhile, this was still very much a side hustle. I landed a job at MRG Tool & Die, where I worked for just over three years. I have a college degree in CNC machining and spent many years in production shops, so manufacturing, efficiency, and problem-solving were already second nature to me. While my day job focused on manufacturing and project management, my nights were spent building and shipping orders out of the garage.

As the cornhole business grew, I leaned into my manufacturing background. I developed an all-plywood construction method and built custom jigs and fixtures to improve consistency and speed. That eventually led to teaching other wood shops how to build cornhole boards and growing what became the Cornhole Board Makers Group. Both Brady’s Custom Woodcraft and the Cornhole Board Makers community grew steadily side by side.

Life kept moving forward. When my wife decided to go back to school to earn her degree in Dental Assisting, the only way to make it work was for her not to work. For a couple of years, I worked my day job from 6am–2pm, then ran the business from roughly 3pm until midnight—or later—most days. The garage was fully taken over, and the lower level of our house became an office, shipping department, and assembly area.

By early 2020, during the COVID era, a decision had to be made:
keep grinding both jobs, walk away from the business, or finally take the leap.

I chose to quit my day job.

I knew that if I failed, I’d still be glad I tried—because the only outcome I didn’t want was regret. My side hustle became my full-time job before my wife ever graduated college.

We quickly outgrew our home and rented a space in downtown Waterville. Brady’s Custom Woodcraft operated out of one side, while production for the Cornhole Board Makers Group ran out of the other. During this time, the “woodcraft” side of the business began shifting heavily toward business customers. Apparel, hats, and promotional items slowly replaced cutting boards and décor. Customers would sometimes walk in expecting wood products and find tumblers and embroidered hats instead.

The demand was clear.

As apparel and promotional orders climbed—sometimes exceeding 200 orders a day—woodworking equipment took a back seat. Then in 2023, an opportunity came full circle: we purchased the building on 3rd Street in Waterville that I had my eye on from the very beginning. The space was completely gutted and rebuilt from the inside out to support the business we had grown into.

Today, Brady Gifts and Promotional operates out of a 3,000+ square foot production facility with a retail space up front. We’ve sold off our woodshop equipment and now focus on apparel and select hard goods. Our shop includes three embroidery machines, four lasers, a UV flatbed printer, and the equipment needed to handle everything from one-off custom pieces to large bulk orders.

We’ve had the privilege of creating products for nationally recognized brands, small farms, local businesses, schools, and organizations—everything in between.

At our core, the mission hasn’t changed.

We focus on creating products you’ll actually keep, use, and wear—not disposable promotional junk that wastes your hard-earned money. We’re proud that even after years of growth, we haven’t “outgrown our pants.” Every customer still gets personal attention, honest advice, and products we stand behind.

What started in a garage has grown into something much bigger—but the way we treat people has stayed exactly the same.