The most frequently asked questions I have received over the years is “How did you ever get started in this?

Well, like most entrepreneurs, I didn’t start out wanting to build Lighthouses for a living.

I was an athlete in school, didn’t like reading-like most boys, enjoyed spending time with the ladies, graduated college, and married my beautiful wife.

Then out of college I got a full-time Government job with the Bureau of Prisons in Allenwood, PA.

Sounds pretty normal so far, right? Well, then I had this brilliant idea of making my MOM a lawn lighthouse for Christmas way back in 1995.

At the time, I just made it out of wood but it was very detailed and authentic in appearance.

Lighthouse Man gets First Saleswoman – MOM 😆

Well, Mom loved her lighthouse and she took it to her beach house in Ocean City, Maryland.  Of course, it was a hit with all my mother’s friends.  So, yep you guessed it I soon began getting calls from all my mom’s friend asking me if I would consider making one for them?

Now, I wanted to be a good son and not disappoint my mom’s friends so of course I said yes, and that is when it started to begin.

At that time my wife and I just found out we were expecting our first child.  My wife came to me and stated that she did not want to work full time and she would like to be a part time nurse.

Therefore, we came up with the idea of creating a small little at home business just to supplement the loss of her income.  We called this business Kevin’s Custom Crafts.  “Wow, sorry that’s a flash back”! 😆

At first it started out as about one lighthouse order a month then it became two a month and this wasn’t too bad. Remember I still had a full-time job with the Government.

Then it started to snowball, Yep, my mom 😍 kept talking to more friends and then her friends got their lighthouses and they started talked to their friends and you guessed it the requests for lawn lighthouses increased twofold.

Soon, I was attempting to build two or three a week in our little basement in our first house.  I tried to keep up as best I could with the demand, but it was painfully obvious that I was going to have to make a choice and quickly before my wife sent me packing! 🏃‍♀️😆

With the side business growing, we added a new two car garage to our small home for my new workshop.

After some research I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to compete in the wooden lighthouse industry as that was already well established in the area by the Amish.  So, I began to research higher end models and forms of lighthouses.

My wife and I discovered a new and exciting method that wasn’t being utilized and I decided that if I was going to do this full-time I was going to have to go all the way.

After talking things over with my wife, I purchased a custom specialized CNC Foam cutting machine from a company in France and had it shipped to me in Lewisburg PA.

Lighthouse Man Hits Learning Curve

Now, it was not all smooth sailing from here on out.  Not even close. Looking back, I clearly remember building my first several deluxe stucco lighthouse prototypes.  To be honest they were terrible!   Seriously, I literally threw my first 3 lighthouse bodies away.

Again, I clearly remember like it was just yesterday.  There I was sitting in my little 2 car garage looking down at the floor with my head in my hands literally crying in pure frustration.

Obviously, I was terribly upset as I just spent our entire life savings and took out a small business loan to get started.   I really thought for sure I just bankrupt my family.

Well, just as I was feeling sorry for myself, I felt a warm feeling of peace that everything was going to be fine.  Again, I already knew I was not alone and that I had the master crafter with me guiding me through this entire process.

Fast Forward a little to Keep Things Clear! 

You see I’m a man of faith and this entire business venture was a total leap of faith.  This entire process from day one was full of teaching moments.  I had to teach myself how to build my original lighthouses that I made for my mother and her friends.  Then, I had to teach myself how to build a website.  Now, please note this was way back in the days when the internet was totally new.  And now I had to teach myself how to build my new Deluxe Stucco Lighthouses from complete scratch.

Spoiler alert, I guess you know by now I figured it out!!! 😆

It was at that time that I started my business full-time in 1997. We began attending craft shows and trade shows to get my name out there and build up my brand.

After a few weeks in business I knew that if I really wanted to make something of this business that I would need to hit the Internet and expand my horizons.  The World Wide Web was a huge part of my Entrepreneurial endeavors.

Now, as I stated earlier at that time the internet was totally new and there was not a lot of helpful information out there for new entrepreneurs like myself.  YouTube or other helpful platforms did not even exist yet.

So, I did what any energetic hard working young business owner does, I simply just dug both feet in the ground and went to WORK!

Our first website went live back in late 1997 and I taught myself how to do it from a web program called Microsoft Frontpage.   Yep, you guessed it WordPress or any of these other fancy web editing platforms were not invented yet. Thus, I had to teach myself how to build an entire website from complete scratch.

Once I made the decision to build our amazing Lawn Lighthouses full-time, I worked two more months at my government job and then quit.

I must say “EVERYONE” thought I was absolutely crazy.  I had co-workers, friends and family saying things like:  Kevin “are you okay”?  “Are you really going to give up a good secure government job to go out and make lawn lighthouses?”  “Especially when we do not even have a large body of water anywhere around us!”🙄  Above all, I even remember my Father coming up to me and saying “Son, are you sure you know what you’re doing”? 

Looking back,  I totally understood what people were thinking and I probably would have done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot.  But they did not know what I knew.

You see, I had prayed about this for 2 years and I knew that God was leading me step by step in this process.

You see there is one major point I left out.  About a year before I went full time into the lighthouse business, I became very sick.

In January of that year, I was diagnosed with a very rare form of Leukemia, called Hairy Cell Leukemia.

That 6-8 months of my life was a total whirl wind.  My life was totally turned upside down.  With doctors guidance I took chemotherapy for 3 weeks straight 24/7 and was given all kinds of drugs to kill these infected blood cells.

With family, friends, and most importantly with God on my side I came through everything with a whole new perspective on life.

Now, you see I know life is short and it could be taken away at any given time.  Thus, my thought process was and still is to this day why not spend my time here on this beautiful earth 🌎 doing what I really love doing.

So for me, I just so happen to love building lighthouses and helping my customers get their dream focal point for their landscaping project.  🙂

Now, to finish my story.  The Internet became a huge part of my sales and the business continued to grow and grow and grow.

My wife and I built the home that we currently live in. We had our contractor build one section or wing just to house my CNC foam machine.

We also had him build another wing or section off our home for a workshop.

Well, believe it or not even after all this we still did not have enough room to fill the demand. 🤪

So, in August of 2005 we expanded again and built our manufacturing facility just next door to our family home.

This 6,000 square foot facility now houses the business office and our assembly and detail painting areas.

With the addition of this facility a new and exciting world opened for us and we could now finally meet the demands for our Deluxe Stucco Lawn Lighthouses.

Then in September of 2015 we launched our new WordPress high end detailed Website.   As technology increased and with the addition of helpful platforms like YouTube and Google, I was now able to teach myself at a much higher and expanded level.   Yep, that is correct I’m 100% self taught again.😆

As a small business you just can’t afford to pay for every service needed so I had to learn an entire new skill set again to make it cost effective.

Thus, by doing this I increased our web presence by upgrading to a very high-end website. The site has a full flipbook and downloadable catalog, product videos, photo galleries, blog section, and detailed information. You name it the Lighthouse Man website has it.

Therefore, by Increasing our technology we were ready to take the Lighthouse Man to the Next Level.

Now as you are aware this entire process came from my passion for our Authentic Deluxe Stucco Lawn Lighthouses.

Way back in the days when I was just a guy with a dream, a dream to bring a touch of nautical charm to every backyard in the country.

But now as the years went by, I realized something: people crave more than just lighthouses. They yearn for that focal point or what I call the “Wow Factor” that transforms a plain yard into a welcoming oasis.

So, in 2015, I shifted the business and took a leap of faith once again. It was time to diversify, to expand beyond my beloved lighthouses and embrace the world of lawn ornaments.

Such items like, Poly Wishing Wells, Stone Wishing Wells, Poly Windmills, Ornamental Lawn Buoys – you name it, we brought it!

The Lighthouse Man was evolving into the ultimate authority in all things for yard and garden lawn décor.

Over 25 years later, my journey has been nothing short of rewarding.  I’ve helped thousands of customers find the perfect lawn ornament, adding that instant curb appeal they so desperately desired.

Watching their faces light up as they transform their yards into personal havens – that’s what keeps me going.

But I’m not stopping there. As The Lighthouse Man continues to grow, so does our commitment to providing the best online experience possible. We’re constantly working to make sure our customers find exactly what they’re looking for, with ease and simplicity.

I’m committed to staying on the cutting edge. I’m constantly working to improve our products and our online presence.  Trying to make it easier than ever to help our customers to browse and find the perfect piece for their yard.

So, whether you’re looking to add a touch of whimsy, a splash of color, or a touch of classic charm, The Lighthouse Man is here and has been here for over 25 years helping our customers.

We are your one-stop shop for all things related to lawn ornaments.  We’re confident that we can help you transform your yard into the dream oasis you always wanted.