(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It started when Bill Campbell combined his 40-year woodworking career with his love of art so that he could make a gift for his wife.
“He made a charcuterie board, put some meat and cheese on it and made it look so beautiful,” Shawn Campbell recalled. “And I said to him, ‘We could sell this.’”
It wasn’t long before Campbell Creations and its handcrafted charcuterie boards took off.
What separates Campbell’s charcuterie boards from the competition is that no two pieces are alike.
“The beauty of the grain and the different knots and with the epoxy inlay, you can really appreciate the art in it,” Shawn said.
The woods range from black walnut to ash, cottonwood and flaming box elder.
Bill Campbell tells WBBM Newsradio he starts with a slab of lumber and decides the size, shape and style that works best with the grain.
“I've got a piece or two of wood that have sat in my shop for two years and I'm still deciding what to do with it,” he said.
Once he has a vision for the board, he’ll spend days, sometimes weeks, perfecting the pieces.
“I want something you can hang and appreciate, and then once in a while serve something pretty on it.”
The most rewarding moment for the couple is watching customers look through their massive collection to find the board that speaks to them.
“Just knowing that this person actually thought about what they're going to get and they're going to appreciate it for a long time, that's what I like about artwork,” Bill Campbell said. “You know, it's a personal thing on my end, but it's also personal for the person that buys it.”
Campbell Creations is based in St. Charles. For more information, click here.
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