Meet Rose and Ryan Oldenburg | Camino Woodshop

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rose and Ryan Oldenburg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rose and Ryan, how does your business help the community?
Our name, Camino, means path, way, or journey, in Spanish. Supporting others along their own journeys is something that was important to us long before we started Camino. But in starting this business, which has been a journey in itself for us, we knew we wanted to use our means, connections, and talents to benefit more than just our own business.

One way we do this is by donating 10% of all proceeds to different non profits and organizations who help others on their caminos. Milwaukee is a community full of so many people doing so much good, and we feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to walk alongside them.

We’ve also enjoyed getting creative with ways to support and raise awareness of local organizations. During the holiday season, we package up our shop scraps into “Camino Kindling” and sell them to raise funds for Milwaukee Street Angel’s Warming Room – a place that provides a safe, warm space for individuals experiencing homelessness during the brutal Midwest winter.

We crafted a Mommy + Me Rolling Pin Set for Mother’s Day, but knowing how hard this holiday can be for some families, we donate $10 from each set to an organization – A Little Something A Lot of Love – that makes care packages for women going through miscarriages. We’ve even had the honor of helping put together these packages for local hospitals!

We recently helped organize an event for After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, a local organization that provides one to one mentoring for individuals going through a breast cancer diagnosis. We received donations for the event from dozens of small businesses we’ve connected with through Camino. The Milwaukee community truly believes in supporting others on their own journeys, and we’re so glad we get to be a part of that!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We chose the name Camino because it represents a journey or path. This can apply on so many levels for us. The journey of a tree to becoming an heirloom piece in your home. The journey we’ve taken to become woodworkers and bring our business into the world. The journeys of others that we get to support with our proceeds and products,

We like to say we make pieces to fill the hearts, hands, and homes of those you love. And it’s not lost on us what a privilege this is. We craft and build and sand and finish each piece as if we were giving it to our own family. And that’s actually how we started – making Christmas gifts for our siblings and parents!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The perfect day in Milwaukee is late summer or early fall. Start at the South Shore Farmer’s Market in Bayview. Get a fantastic cup of coffee from Anodyne, and a lemon curd with whipped cream waffle from the Press waffle trailer. Stop at one of the local vendors for a bouquet of gorgeous flowers. Then pick up produce and all the other fixings for a made from scratch dinner.

Take a short walk along the lake to SmallPie for lunch (and if you need more caffeine, their mocha will blow your mind). Then stroll down Kinnickinnic Ave for local shopping. Head to the Third Ward for a drink and the Public Market for anything you forgot for your locally made dinner.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We have to shout out our families. Our camino to woodworking began long ago , with Ryan’s grandfather who was a phenomenal woodworker. Although Ryan never met him, he has heard many stories about him. When he discovered his old tools and some unfinished pieces in his cabin up north, Ryan was inspired to start tinkering and teaching himself the trade. Rose’s mom has her great-grandfather’s old workbench in her basement, and she made sure to pass on his handy skills to the next generation. She would frequently say to a young Rose, “you’ll be glad you know how to do this when you’re older”, which has certainly proved to be true.

We also have to give a shout out to the greater Milwaukee community. When we started our business in the middle of the pandemic, we had no idea how it would be received. We thought we’d maybe have a handful of Etsy orders each month and that we’d be a little busier at Christmas. But this community embraced us and our work so quickly and wholeheartedly. We’ve been able to partner with so many great local organizations and stores, and have truly supportive customers. What we thought may be a night or two in the shop a week has turned into something so much bigger because of all the small. business support in Milwaukee and beyond!

Website: www.caminowoodshop.com

Instagram: @camino.woodshop

Facebook: Facebook.com/camino.Woodshop