Our Story
Wren Workshop began in September 2023, with a three-month-old baby, a mountain bike, and a dream that had been years in the making.
At the heart of Wren Workshop is Justin, a Deaf woodworker, creator, and lifelong builder who has been making, fixing, and creating for as long as he can remember.
Long before Wren Workshop had a name, Justin was always gravitating toward woodworking. Whether he was helping fix things at the group home, repairing something for his siblings, or taking on a personalized project at home, he was happiest when he was working with his hands, solving problems, and bringing ideas to life.
For years, Justin dreamed of having a dedicated space of his own to create, a garage or shed that could become his workshop. The vision was always there; the space just wasn't.
Then, in May 2023, Justin built something especially meaningful: our son’s crib, completely from scratch. That project sparked even more conversations between us that summer about what it could look like to turn Justin’s passion for creating into something of our own.
And so, we took the leap.
Justin purchased his first laser machine by selling his mountain bike, a small but meaningful first step toward building the business we had been imagining. Then, one rainy night, parked in our driveway, the name simply clicked.
Wren Workshop
Wren Workshop is named after our eldest son, whose middle name is Wren. But the name quickly became more than just a connection to our family. We found ourselves drawn to the little bird behind the name, too.
Wrens may be small, but they are bold, energetic, and remarkably fearless. They don't hesitate to make their presence known, even around much larger birds.
Small in size, but big in spirit.
That is the heart of Wren Workshop.
We started small, with big dreams for where this could one day grow. We believe that something doesn't have to be big to make a meaningful impact. Sometimes, the smallest pieces carry the biggest stories, the most thoughtful details, and the greatest meaning.
Since opening our doors, Wren Workshop has continued to grow in ways we never could have imagined. We’ve had the opportunity to share our story on CTV News and have even had our business featured on the cover of a local magazine. Every opportunity has reminded us that this little idea we started at home has the potential to become something much bigger.
More Than Woodworking
Wren Workshop is about more than what we create. It’s about what we hope to create for others.
Both of us come from backgrounds in the social services sector, and those experiences have deeply shaped the vision behind Wren’s Workshop.
As a Deaf-owned business, inclusion and accessibility aren't simply values we want to talk about, they are part of who we are.
Our long-term vision is to bring woodworking and hands-on creativity into the developmental services sector, creating opportunities for people with disabilities to learn, explore their creativity, build confidence, and discover what they are capable of.
And one day, we hope to take that vision even further, growing Wren Workshop to a place where we can create meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities within our own business.
We want to build more than beautiful things.
We want to build connection.
We want to build confidence.
We want to build opportunity.
We want Wren Workshop to be a place where people feel included, where differences are embraced, and where everyone has the opportunity to create something they can be proud of.
What started with a three-month-old baby, a homemade crib, a sold mountain bike, and a rainy night in the driveway is only the beginning.
We may have started small, just like the wren, but we’ve always believed in thinking big.