Today we’d like to introduce you to Art Almquist.
Hi Art, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Started business 2010 while I was employed as a mechanical engineer designing laser based industrial machinery. Domino table business was just a side gig but outgrew my engineering employment, so I quit engineering in 2017 to build domino tables full time.
I currently build between 350 and 400 tables per year at a $500 price point. I have shipped worldwide from Japan to Afghanistan, from Canada to the Caribbean, all over Europe and all 50 states including Alaska and Hawaii.
I have sold to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, NBC Studios and Bacardi Corporate to name a few. I work alone and do all aspects of the work from marketing, designing, building and shipping.
I was invited down to Miami International Mall to showcase product at Macy’s during Hispanic Heritage Month. One of my tables was offered to a retiring military officer at the Pentagon. Another was presented to a retiring admiral on an aircraft carrier.
I enjoy offering a unique handmade product that means a lot to customers who enjoy the game of dominos. I sold $20,000 of product last month.
I worked as engineering manager and sat down with celebrities like Larry the Cable Guy, NASCAR driver Mark Martin and his wife Arlene, professional golfer John Daly and others to custom design their $1 million to $3 million luxury motor coaches. These were 45 ft long buses outfitted with all the comforts of a luxury home including up to four slide out rooms to afford the customer maximum lifestyle while traveling on the road.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
You can have an amazing product or idea, but it can remain the best kept secret on the planet. You have to keep your “day job” until you can generate enough sales on a regular basis to sustain your business.
Fortunately, with today’s E-commerce markets it is easier than ever to get started getting exposure to the public.
I started with Craigslist, progressed to Ebay, then a customer offered me a simple website in exchange for building him a custom domino table.
I started marketing thru Amazon.com and sales increased. I later paid for a full-blown website with customer self-design utilities, product galleries and self check out shopping cart features that automatically email purchase orders with all design criteria and deposit money in my business checking account,
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I later left this business to design laser based industrial machinery at Control Micro Systems in Winter Park, FL.
I later left engineering manager position there to devote full time to my own business of designing and building custom domino tables.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Take full advantage of e-commerce businesses like ebay and Amazon to give your business world market exposure.
When I saw Etsy becoming another known e-commerce outlet, I opened a business account there, no charge to have an account, and sold $45,000 on Etsy my first year. Last year I sold $75,000 on Amazon, $35,000 on ebay and $40,000 on my website.
Pricing:
- $449 on my website DominoTablesByArt.com
- $499 on Amazon.com (covers their commission)
- $499 on Ebay.com
- $549 on Etsy (they charge extra to market on Pinterest)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://DominoTablesByArt.com
