By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
As a child, Amy Davis held the wooden boards for her dad when he turned the wood into curtain rods or anything functional for their home.
She grew up and worked as a nurse for 20 years before she switched gears and was “bit by the bug” to carry on her father’s wood-turning work. She took a class to learn the specifics of the skill that she had carefully watched her father master. His work was done out of necessity; hers is done more for pleasure.
“After I took the class, I made myself turn every day for a year, just to learn,” Davis said. She turned wood into bowls, candle holders, bottle stoppers or any kind of art piece she could imagine. Most of them were given as gifts to family and friends.
“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with all the items I was making. Then I realized if I sell it, I can buy more supplies and keep it going; otherwise, I would not be able to afford it,” she said.
Her success along the way eventually led Davis to open her own brick-and-mortar store, Round N Round Gifts at 331 N. Main Street, Bowling Green. Her handiwork in wood is still a cornerstone of the goods she sells, but after a friend introduced her to the magic of laser engraving, her work took a new spin.
What started as a way to laser her signature onto her wooden artwork using a small laser, evolved into a technique to engrave everything from wood and glass to fabrics and metal, now with large laser equipment.
“In 2020, I was making Christmas ornaments with the laser and posting pictures on my Facebook page,” Davis said. “I had lots of people saying, ‘I want one.’ So that kind of blew up and expanded into what you see today” in her Main Street business.
She continues to create the wood pieces for the shop in her complete, dream wood shop at her Bowling Green home. Her husband, Terry, creates some of the woodwork for projects when he’s not working.
The engraving business is what has grown significantly since that 2020 Christmas. “People started to realize that I could make something and engrave it,” she said. As people came to her with ideas, she bought laser equipment that could do more and different types of engraving on flat and round objects, such as tumblers. The CO2 laser engraves tumblers but requires a powder coating, so the laser etches off the powder coating. Her new laser, which she plans to introduce soon, will engrave bare metal, expanding the capabilities even further.
An entire shelving unit that sits near the checkout desk is loaded with ideas for engraved gifts and items. Davis showed some examples that can be engraved including leatherette coffee cup holders, tumblers, RCID wallets, whiskey flasks and magnetized guitar pic holders. Cutting boards engraved with family recipes are among the most popular items right now, she said.
She stays away from trademarked items, though she is working toward getting permission to use the BGSU logo.
Davis hopes to move into the wedding market, engraving items such as champagne glasses for the couple, flasks and multitools for groomsmen gifts or clutches for bridesmaid gifts.
“We can engrave pretty much anything that anyone has in mind,” she said. The business tagline—meant to demonstrate the possibilities are endless—is “What can we make for you?”
Personalized items are the biggest sellers. “We can take something ordinary and make it something extraordinary,” she explained.
More than half of the orders lately have been ideas customers have found online, sketched themselves or described in detail. “Taking someone’s ideas and creating the perfect gift is my favorite part of all of this,” she said.
The store has a comfy-cozy, but not overcrowded, feel as soon as you walk in. There are other unique items available in the store created by local artisans that range from glasswork by Ian Dawson; upcycled, one-of-a-kind lamps and side tables by Sorenson Jacob; adorable hand-crafted earrings from WhimsyCalls; candles from Hometown Candle; and bracelets and magnets by Abby, a 10-year-old budding entrepreneur.
Davis, who is a member of the Bowling Green Arts Council, also features the artwork of a local artist each month. December’s featured artist is Linda Shetzer.
She also offers hands-on activities such as earring-making and craft painting for small groups. She has not yet scheduled the small group events for the new shop but has done them in people’s homes and at other local venues.
Holiday hours are Tuesday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Davis, who was excited to get her business outside signs up in time for the BG Holiday Parade, is thrilled with the new location. “We’ve lived in Bowling Green for 20 years, and I’ve never felt as much of the community as I do here. I love being a part of the Downtown Bowling Green community.”
