What inspired your business idea?
Sonoma Restorations began as a way to help friends in woodworking who were frustrated with platforms like Etsy and Amazon who benefit from providing their sales insights to prospective competitors. Too often, offshore companies copied their designs and undercut them on price.
I wanted to build a space where their craftsmanship could be protected and appreciated, with a distribution path that was more insulated from competitive eyes. At the same time, I saw an opportunity to help artisan winemakers repurpose their byproducts into heirloom-quality pieces—extending their connection with customers beyond the bottle while creating an added revenue stream in a highly competitive industry.
What was the first step in getting started?
The first step was listening. I spoke with prospective vendors and winery owners to understand if this concept filled a real need. Supply wasn’t the issue—there’s plenty of winery byproduct—but the question was whether artisans wanted a new distribution channel and if wineries saw value in extending their brand through reclaimed wood furniture, rustic lighting, and rustic home decor.
Those early conversations made it clear that both groups were ready for an alternative path.
Is your side hustle profitable? If yes, how do you make money?
Not yet, but we’re building toward profitability. Sonoma Restorations generates revenue by designing and marketing products much like any company in reclaimed wood furniture or rustic home decor, but with a more focused, e-commerce-only approach. We avoid the common pitfalls of overproducing or warehousing unsold goods by working closely with artisans and producing thoughtfully, rather than speculating on inventory.
What software tool that has helped your business?
Ahrefs has been central to our strategy. Beyond SEO, it’s guided how we approach the business—identifying product opportunities, validating demand in categories like rustic lighting, shaping our keyword strategy, and highlighting which publications are worth pursuing for backlinks. It gives us the market insight we need without relying on expensive research firms, making it one of the most valuable tools we use.
One response
Haha, Sonoma Restorations sounds like the artisanal equivalent of a wine bars reclaimed wood decor – plenty available, but finding the *right* piece for your brand is key! Kudos to using Ahrefs; its like having a market research sommelier who doesnt charge a fortune per glass. Seriously though, avoiding the warehousing disasters pitfall while helping wineries extend their brand beyond the bottle? Thats a vintage business model!Basketball Bros