“If I can help someone else succeed in this craft or another craft, it helps the craft as an entirety” - Wes Breitenbach
“I don't know anybody who's like: I hope they fail. Nobody's like that, and if they are, they're not running in any of our circles.” - Jesica Breitenbach
Wes & Jes Breitenbach join host Chris McAdoo on the last episode of 2023! They’ve got strong, well-earned “big ideas” about everything from going to college (as in…”don’t!”) to what it takes to master a craft, and what it really means to build a life on your own terms. They have been incredible members of the Maker City community, sharing their passions with the world, but also inviting the community to come along for the adventures - to learn and grow alongside them as they continue to grow Crown Upholstery.
About Wes & Jes:
Even Moving Cross Country Twice, One Thing Has Remained Constant. Upholstering Great Furniture. Wes's career in upholstering began in 1999, a few years after he arrived in Phoenix, AZ from Havre de Grace, MD/ It was in Phoenix that Wes learned the generations-old tradecraft of reupholstering furniture from Jesica's grandfather, Frank Ramey Sr (who originally taught both Jesica and her father, Frank Ramey Jr). Frank Sr, in turn, had learned the art of upholstery from his mother (who took it up from her own mother during the Great Depression in order to help make ends meet).
After years in the Sonoran Desert of Phoenix, Jes and Wes decided to make the move to Knoxville, TN over a decade ago. For that decade, Jes and Wes have made it their pursuit to embrace and love the natural beauty of the region while practicing their well-honed skills for its diverse citizenry. While they still rely on the age-old skills of sewing and cutting as a business, the trade has become a passion as well as a career.
Learn more about Crown Upholstery and follow the adventures of Wes & Jes:
https://crownupholsterytn.com/
https://www.instagram.com/crownupholstery/
Listen to all episodes of the Big Ideas Welcome podcast, available now on your favorite streaming platforms and at bigideaswelcome.com.
This Big Ideas Welcome podcast is brought to you by Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, hosted and curated by KEC chief of strategy Chris McAdoo, and produced and edited by Palm Tree Pod Co.