Crafting Excellence: The 1812 Shoppe Named Cortland County's Small Business of the Year

The North Central New York SBDC is proud to present The 1812 Shoppe with the 2025 Cortland County Small Business of the Year award, recognizing their outstanding craftsmanship, community focus, and business growth.

Craig began working with Dan Hickman at Jamestown Community College's SBDC center as he was planning and starting his business while living in Chautauqua County. He worked with Dan to develop his business plan and learn enough web fundamentals to create his own business web page using Wix. He has continued to leverage SBDC resources and transitioned to the North Central SBDC center as he relocated his home and business down to Marathon NY and has worked here with advisor Michele Baran to continue improving his website and refine his business strategy.

Craig's woodworking shop/studio is located in the basement level of his home in rural Marathon, NY, where he creates unique wood products for area clients and beyond. He began his business as a part-time side hustle as he continued in other work, but took the leap within the last year to make this his primary business. His background in forestry (with degrees from SUNY ESF and a career in forest management/consultation) aided in his knowledge of specific northeastern woods (he works primarily with northeast maple, charry, walnut, oak, birch, and ash), and provides added credibility to his expertise in wood products.

He can craft many custom pieces and enjoys producing one-of-a-kind items for his clients. One of his signature pieces, a small wooden Bluetooth speaker has been very popular and even sparked a custom order from a lawyer out of Texas for 200 of the speakers as she planned to give them to her clients as a Christmas gift. Craig is knowledgeable and personable, and he leverages those strengths to create trust with potential clients then also convert fans to customers.

He focuses on quality workmanship and truly getting to know the client's needs and preferences to deliver above and beyond expectations. He strives to bring joy through his work and his commitment to his work is evident. With steady progress and incremental improvements to his business strategy, Craig has shown how leveraging SBDC supports throughout his entrepreneurial journey helped him move out of traditional employment and into full-time entrepreneurship.

Craig on working with the North Central SBDC: 
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"I have been working with the SBDC for several years. Their guidance with start up, to draft a business plan, and launch a website was invaluable. Now they are providing much needed guidance on marketing and training to help my business grow. Starting and growing a business would have been much harder without the SBDC."