Interview with Vivian Franklin, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: Back in 2010, my husband, Chris, wanted to buy this metal-cutting machine called a PlasmaCam, which I was totally against. Chris kept telling me how much we could do with this machine and I kept telling him no. Needless to say, he bought it anyway. When he brought it home, neither of us had a clue how to use it and I told him, “Good luck.” Chris successfully cut a circle, a square and a line. Not to be outdone, I quickly learned how to design artwork with it, and the rest is history.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Most metal art is low in detail and the finish is either blued, black or powder coated in various colors. Our metal art is highly detailed and most of our artwork has a unique ground finish. For example, when you look at one of our elks, it looks like it has fur. Also, unlike other metal artisans who focus on flat wall art and sell either online or in craft fairs, we have a 1,600-square-foot retail store that has a large variety of metal art that includes wall art, tables, chairs and lamps.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: We are continually evolving and expanding our product line. We have more than 400 different pieces of metal art and counting. We work directly with our customers to create new pieces of art and we come up with our own ideas often. It is a lot of fun to see all of the ideas come to life and see the joy it brings our customers.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: We get a lot of custom orders and it is a challenge to get everything done in a timely manner. Thankfully, our customers are very patient and understanding. When customers come in our store, they are amazed with the selection, detail and versatility in our work, so they are more than happy to wait for their custom artwork to be completed by us.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: My husband and I do not have a background in graphic design or metal art. Chris was a career welder until we started this business, and I am a business analyst during the day and a metal artist by night. We do all of the work ourselves. The only thing we farm out is getting some of our pieces powder coated with a clear finish.
Profile
Business: Cassteen Ironworks
Address: 10941 S. Parker Road, Parker
Hours: Noon-6 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday
Founded: 2015
Contact: 303-868-8922,
Employees: 3
