We had the good fortune of connecting with Hunter and Aubrey Bagwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hunter and Aubrey, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Hunter and Aubrey met back when they were juniors in high school. They both worked at a local feed store together and knew that they could make more money than $8.25 an hour while using the creative side of their brains. They painted projects here and there for close friends and family, but didn’t plan on launching a business until the summer after they graduated when they had a lot more free time on our hands. After seeing how much time they spent on one project and seeing the profit margin, Aubrey quit her job at the feed store and pursued furniture with all she had. Hunter continued working at the feed store while growing his own furniture painting business at the same time. They knew they would love to eventually join their businesses together, but planned to do that after graduating college and getting married. The pandemic caused Hunter to be let go, where he then pursued furniture full time and he hasn’t looked back since. They both pursued two seperate side businesses while obtaining their degrees and being in a long distance relationship. Aubrey went to Texas Tech University for a Business Administration degree and Hunter went to Sam Houston State University for his Agriculture Education degree. After graduation for them both, they said “I Do” in February 2023 and officially joined their businesses together creating Black Sheep Mercantile where they now reside in Keller, Texas and have been blessed to place pieces of furniture in homes all around the DFW area.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Every story is unique and designed to fit each person the way it is meant to. We fully believe that the Lord has planted the desire in us to run this business with the creativity and ability that we have to be able to produce quality pieces of furniture to be put in peoples safest place, their home. We give the credit of Black Sheep Mercantile to God for his faithfulness that He has provided during this journey. We found that when living in the Houston area, Farmhouse style sold like crazy! Here in DFW, MCM is all the rage- and we (especially Aubrey) are here for it! Really what sets us apart from other furniture restoration businesses is our customer service. One of the best parts about working with people and placing a piece in their home is the relationships we get to develop with our customers. We love helping them invision what they want and need in their space and making that dream a reality. We have learned a lot about what works best for us and our business and have learned some lessons the hard way, such as how much to charge for certain finishes after losing $200 on a project instead of profiting $500. We want to encourage anyone out there that may be a small business owner that just because one business model works great for someone you know or follow, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you, and that’s okay! Your business is unique, special and most importantly, YOURS! So don’t feel like there is a certain approach you have to follow for success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Funny you ask, we are still trying to figure this one out too. We recently moved from Houston after getting married in February. We have enjoyed shopping in Southlake, visiting Cabela’s, and going to the Stockyards. Stopping at Billy Bob’s, the world’s largest honky tonk, is a must as well. One place we found that we love is The Parks at Town Center next to Keller City Hall. The large green space is clean and peaceful and there’s plenty of space for us to lay out to read a book and have a picnic with our labrador retriever, Goose.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Both Hunter and Aubrey dedicate their success to their parents. Their parents have been supportive from the very beginning, all the way back in 2018. We would also like to dedicate this story to our early customers who sent out many recommendations our way and helped build the business we have today.

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

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

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blacksheepmercantile

Image Credits
First photo of Hunter and Aubrey- Kayla Smith Photography

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