BUSINESS JOURNAL

Couple’s DIY moment turns into business venture

Lisa Peterson
For the Sioux Falls Business Journal
Katie and Greg Roth are the owners of Rustic Prairie, which creates metal art pieces.

When Greg and Katie Roth of Sioux Falls decided to put a metal art display in their yard, they never expected it would lead to owning a unique business.

“I told Greg what I was looking for, and he has a background in mechanics and decided to make a few things using some tools he borrowed from his work,” Katie Roth said. “I showed them to our friends, who really liked them.”

The Roths bought a welder in 2012 and then formed Rustic Prairie, starting by promoting the business on social media and displaying pieces in their front yard.

Soon, they were exhibiting at arts and craft shows, and four years later their metal art is selling in several stores, including Sticks and Steel in Sioux Falls, The Vintage Market in Beresford and Gypsy Trading Co. in Brandon.

“They’re doing well for being a new product in our store,” said Ellison Cutrer, co-owner of Gypsy Trading Co. “They have a very good following.”

Greg Roth credits his grandfather for helping him become interested in making things when he was a boy.

“My grandpa was the local fix-it guy, and he had a shop that was full of tools,” he said. “I’d go over and spend time during the summer doing art projects and building things.”

The Roths are creating a buzz in the region’s metal art world, though they are not professionally trained artists. They have crafted more than 300 metal art pieces that have sold throughout the tri-state area. They use mostly sheets of 20-gauge steel and other scrap steel they collect.

The husband and wife said they enjoy turning old industrial objects into works of art.

“It’s neat when someone looks at it and says, ‘Wow, that’s kind of cool,’ ” said Greg Roth, who has a two-year auto technician degree and works full time at Billion GMC.

Some ideas for the metal art come from friends, but most are simply whatever comes to his mind.

“For the flowers, I draw from what’s in my head,” he said. “When I cut the petals, I’m not following a pattern, so no two are exactly the same.”

Working in his garage in the evenings, Greg Roth cuts the steel with a 220-volt plasma cutter that takes 10,000 watts of electricity and approximately 100 pounds per square inch of compressed air. He wears fire-retardant clothing, leather gloves, safety glasses, a welding helmet and boots to protect himself.

Greg Roth of Rustic Prairie works on a piece in his garage.

It’s not a common hobby, he acknowledged.

Katie Roth works full time at Sonify and has a background in marketing, so she handles the company’s Facebook page and works with customers.

“Just the other day, she set up an Etsy page for us,” her husband said. “So I would call her the marketer.”

Recently, Rustic Prairie exhibited at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival and sold all but six pieces. The couple also will be vendors at the Sidewalk Arts Festival on Sept. 10 in Sioux Falls.

Most sales are generated through word of mouth. Flowers range from $40 to $100, and letters are $160.

Rustic Prairie created this metal art flower.

Not long ago, Greg Roth made a guitar out of steel and has been offered a price, but he wants to keep it.

“It was my first big piece, so that’s in our backyard,” he said.

Marcia Ronke, who lives in Tea, is a repeat customer.

“We’ve purchased many pieces from them mostly for gifts and have been impressed with their creativity,” Ronke said. “They are just very unique, and that’s what we like about them.”

The Roths said the success they’re having is the result of hard work and marketing. They said they don’t care about making money or becoming famous, so long as people enjoy their art.

“The money is nice, but we’re not doing it to pay the bills,” Greg Roth said. “It’s more of a fun thing, and all that matters to us is that they like it.”

As for plans to expand, “for now we don’t want to go full time with it,” Katie Roth said. “But I could see us growing it further due to the potential and the interest we’ve had in the short time we’ve been doing it part time.”