WILLOW SPRINGS, N.C. — While the U.S. economy shrank during the pandemic, spending on home improvements broke records in 2020. According to Harvard University Researchers, Americans spend nearly $420 billion on do-it-yourself projects. 

What You Need To Know

  • N.C. son inspires others with disabilities by creating his own furniture and decor business

  • His mom quit her job, during the pandemic, to help build his business

  • You can find their work by checking out their website, Sawdust & Sage

One North Carolina mother and son from Willow Springs managed to turn their woodworking projects into a full-time business, all while inspiring others along the way. 

Tyler Gasquez, 23, was diagnosed with autism last year. Instead of letting it get him down, he doubled down on his hobby of creating various furniture from recycled pieces of pallet wood. 

“I happen to have furniture books. I read about them a lot. As I look through the pages, I looked and [thought], ‘I bet I could do that.’”

Soon, neighbors and friends took notice and began buying his work. That success led him to creating his business, Sawdust & Sage.

“People with disabilities, who are struggling in life, if you find something that you’re really passionate about ... and you always dreamed about turning to a business, if you stick to doing that, if you work real hard, that dream can become a reality,” Gasquez said.

He began receiving so many orders that his mother, Karen Matthews, quit her full-time job during the pandemic to help provide customer support, design ideas and the artwork for many of his pieces. 

“We make a great team. It’s borrowed my marketing and sales skills from my previous career. The pandemic did make it more feasible for us to do it, because we were here together,” Matthews said.

You can meet the mother-son duo most Saturdays at the Willow Springs Community Marketplace. They also take orders on the Sawdust & Sage Facebook page, Instagram and on Etsy.