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Neitzel[/caption]
It all started when Nick Neitzel had some extra pallets lying around after a landscaping job at his house.
His wife mentioned some of the interesting pallet artwork she had seen on Pinterest, and Neitzel gave it a try.
After making pallet walls for both his son’s and his daughter’s rooms, Neitzel added pallet shelving with uplighting, used a scroll saw to cut out decorative shapes, and began experimenting with stains and paints. He posted a couple photos of the finished projects on Facebook.
And that’s when his hobby went viral.
“Everyone started making positive comments and saying, ‘I’ll take one,’ and I said, ‘No, no I’m just showing what I did; I’m not selling these,’” Neitzel said. “People (were) offering to run my Etsy account and I said, ‘What the heck is Etsy?’ I have zero woodworking background. This is just me monkeying around.”
A 30-year fitness industry veteran, Neitzel’s full-time job is as facility services manager at the Wisconsin Athletic Club. But on nights and weekends, he’s salvaging free pallets from industrial parks and sawing away in his garage.
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Some of Neitzel’s most popular items are unique home décor pieces, such as state cutouts and clocks. The older wood with more patina has a barn-style look that appeals to many people, he says.
His pieces sell under the name Palletable for between $10 and $150, depending on the size and the time he put into them. While the hobby isn’t a moneymaker, he enjoys doing it.
“I like seeing smiles on the faces of people I know,” Neitzel said. “Especially when they’re looking for something specific.”
