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Handy Dandy Brandy

Brand · Wood goods

Hey, I'm Brandy! Handy Dandy Brandy is a nickname my dad called me, simply because it rhymed. So it isn't just my business name... it really is a part of my identity lol. I went to school for design at CSULB, where I learned graphic design, rendering, hand drawing, model building, branding, and more. I’d always wanted to be an artist, but design seemed like the best artistic avenue to getting a “real job.” Turns out, I just couldn’t shake the artist out of myself. I didn’t want to sit at a desk or behind a computer all day,I wanted to make things with my hands! That unsatisfied feeling started to fade when I found woodworking. I realized I could dream up an object and then actually figure out how to make it myself. I’ve always been a hands-on person. When I have an idea, I want to see it through from start to finish. An idea is a whole lot more fun once you can hold it in your hands. You get that with woodworking. I started collecting second hand tools, learning new skills and figuring out each new tool as I went. I fell in love with the process. I’ve been collecting, learning, and making ever since. When did this all start and how? After a few years of taking on custom jobs for friends, family, and random people on the internet who I couldn’t believe trusted me, I decided it was probably time to take an actual woodworking class. I looked around for local programs and found one at Cerritos College. I took a class where we learned to make a cutting board, a side table, and a frame. Apparently, that was all the confidence I needed lol. After the class ended, I made about 30 cutting boards, put together a holiday market, sold out, and basically decided, “Welp, I guess this is my business now.” And I just never stopped making them. Since then, my projects, tools, skills, and ideas have gotten a whole lot bigger. I recently took a pretty big step and moved into a warehouse after years of working out of my crumbling, 100-year-old garage.