DULUTH, Minn. — Anna Bailey has made a name for herself with her unique brand of handmade wooden artwork.
Her journey started simply.
“My woodworking skills were born out of necessity. I wanted some patio chairs,” said Anna Bailey.
But it was the wood scraps that inspired Anna Bailey to start building works of art in her garage.
“I would put it on my Instagram, and I would say the first person who DMs me would get it, and it would be sold in five minutes,” she said.
That was 2015. A few years later, her husband Nathanael Bailey quit his job to help with her growing business and Bailey Builds was born.
Nathanael Bailey chuckled, “We thought we were going to work out of our 80-by-80-foot garage, but….”
Anna Bailey replied, “Marriage.”
“How long did that take?” asked WCCO’s Derek James.
“Not much longer,” Nathanael Bailey replied.
Anna Bailey added: “Not even a day.”
Their first storefront was a 1930s Texaco gas station. Four years ago, they purchased a 1,000-square-foot facility: the former Bell Brothers Funeral Home.
“They have done a lot for this community, and we really appreciate this community as well,” said Nathanael Bailey.
Bailey Builds and the BB Collective now employs more than 15 employees and more than 20 other local makers. As the company grows and expands, Anna Bailey’s wood mosaic process is still the same.
“I don’t do anything digitally at first, I don’t get on the computer, I don’t draw anything. I just collect strips of wood this way and I cut them, shape them and put them together,” Anna explains. .
Some original works are later reused, such as her Christmas decoration with mosaic mistletoe.
For aspiring makers, Bailey Builds offers two classes at 16 different locations across the state and DIY kits to put together your own art.
Back in the store, Anna Bailey explains how important her artist statement is because it fuels her growth. It says, “Beauty through restraint. We don’t have to do everything.”
“I think in a world where we’re always striving for more and more, we kind of forget that there’s so much peace and beauty that comes when we keep ourselves in check,” says Anna Bailey.
Early next year, the BB Collective will add a coffee bar and a studio with rentable artist space. Bailey Builds is also releasing a new range of designs in 2025 and will be back with a booth at the State Fair.
