SIDNEY – Sisters Allison Davis and Amanda Davidson have started a new business that allows them to be creative – and help their clients express their creativity.
Davis and Davidson opened Hammer & Stain at 106 E. Poplar St. in downtown Sidney. The do-it-yourself workshop allows customers to make customized crafts with guidance from the sisters.
“Every person is creative in their own way,” Davis said. “It really brings that out.”
Hammer & Stain is a national brand with more than 100 locations throughout the United States, but Sidney is its first location in Ohio.
“We need something fun in our area,” Davidson said. “Allison is very artsy, my background is graphics, so it just kind of fit.”
With the licensed business, Davis and Davidson have access to all the Hammer & Stain designs. They collaborate with the community of owners from throughout the country on additional ideas and also can make their own.
Planter boxes, wood rounds and porch planks have been popular projects early on in Sidney. Designs including rainbows and Baby Yoda also have been well received.
“We have a lot that are already created that we can choose from, that we can customize,” Davidson said.
Customers preregister for events at Hammer & Stain on the local website, hammerandstainsidney.com. For each event, Davis and Davidson select a project or projects that their guests can make.
On the website, customers choose their design and have the ability to personalize it. Davis and Davidson then create a personalized stencil and get the projects prepared for the events, which generally are held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.
When customers arrive, everything is ready for them. They simply have to paint and stain their project in whatever fashion they like using the provided stencils.
“Everything is a guided workshop,” Davis said. “We instruct them. It’s all guided workshops so we kind of do it all together as a group.”
Projects are assembled when customers arrive so no hammering is required. Some people do choose to use hammers and sanders, though, to give their project a distressed look.
“You can do this,” Davis said. “It’s literally just a sponge and some paint, and you just dab it on where you want. It’s so easy.
“It might look intimidating, but after they’ve tried it, they’re like, ‘Wow, this is easy. This is fun.’”
With six stain colors and 26 paint colors to choose from, all the designs come out looking unique even when everyone works on the same project.
“It’s just really neat to see the creativity in it all,” Davis said. “I love seeing people’s creativity. I just think that’s so neat.”
Along with the common projects, Hammer & Stain also offers workshops with vendors and artists, which has included a pottery glazing workshop and a succulent workshop.
There also are open paint sessions on Saturday mornings. The open paints don’t require a registration and aren’t full workshops.
Davis and Davidson have various pieces of wood, designs and stencils available during the open paint sessions for people to create their own projects.
“Sidney needs something for people to do,” Davis said. “There is just not a lot going on for people.”
Hammer & Stain is open to people of all ages, Davis and Davidson said, and is ideal for events such as birthday parties, corporate events, team building, fundraisers, date night, bridal events and Girl Scout functions.
“We take care of the mess,” Davidson said. “You just come and have fun, let your kids make the mess on the tables, and we clean it all up for you.”
Hammer & Stain is part of Sidney’s Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, allowing guests to purchase drinks from bars and restaurants in the DORA and bring them to the workshops.
For more information about Hammer & Stain, visit https://hammerandstainsidney.com/, visit Hammer & Stain Sidney on Facebook, visit 106 E. Poplar St. in downtown Sidney or call 937-507-4054.
