Beams, Boards, & Bon Mots

I first met Mark Diaz of Beams and Boards at my first Ulysses City Council meeting.

As one of the council members, he noticed that I was new to town and took the time to introduce himself. The following week, he handed me a small coaster he had made, engraved with a Ulysses design.

It was one of my first reminders that getting to know a community can happen in unexpected ways.

A couple months later, I found myself among his handmade work at The Main Artery, learning how a longtime woodworker had turned a decades-old hobby into a small craft business, using laser engraving, humor, and local designs.

Diaz operates the business under the name Beams and Boards, a name inspired by the laser beams he uses and his longtime work with wood.

His experience with woodworking goes back around 25 to 30 years. For much of that time, he made smaller projects, such as shelves and other items, for friends and family.

His wife was also involved in crafts and jewelry, and when he began helping her, he eventually decided that he might as well become more involved in crafting himself.

“I figured if I was gonna help her, I might as well be in the middle of it,” he said.

Eventually, Diaz got into laser cutting and engraving.

He purchases designs and programs online, transfers them to his computer, and uses a laser to cut or engrave different materials. Wood and black slate make up much of his laser work, while other pieces incorporate vinyl designs.

The result is a collection that goes beyond just a few categories. On display are coasters, signs, cutting boards, spoons, cups, decorations, and other household items.

Some feature sunflowers or horses. Others feature Highland cattle, football themes, or bawdy phrases. Some are spiritual, while others are simply designed to make someone laugh, such as “dear karma, I have a list of people you have missed” and “my favorite party trick is not going.”

“A lot of people want humor,” he said.

Rather than limiting himself to one particular style, Diaz watches what customers respond to and adjusts his inventory accordingly.

“You don’t know what’s gonna sell,” he said.

Some designs that seem like obvious choices can sit for months, while others unexpectedly become some of his most popular products.

Sunflowers are among his strongest sellers. Coasters, horse designs, Highland cattle, and football-themed items have also done well.

Diaz has experimented with Ulysses Tiger designs, hoping they might appeal to students, teachers, and families. He has also made products for local and regional organizations, including cups created for the Southwest Kansas Ringnecks.

He donated pieces to the Historic Adobe Museum, where his work has been displayed in the gift shop. Because the museum attracts visitors from outside the area, those pieces have allowed his work to reach customers beyond Southwest Kansas.

Much of his customer base, however, remains local.

Diaz sells primarily through The Main Artery, but also takes his work to area craft shows and other events.

He spoke warmly about The Main Artery and its owners, Tracy and Lynn, whom he considers both friends and important partners in his work.

The Main Artery also handles special orders, allowing customers to request personalized designs. Diaz can create everything from names on wooden pieces to photographs engraved onto slate.

Some of his custom work has had a more sentimental purpose, such as memorial pieces he made on black slate featuring photographs and dates for people who wanted to remember someone who had died.

While those projects require more computer work and can take considerable time to get right, Diaz said they are among the projects he finds most meaningful.

“They’re serious,” he said. “That was a special person to them.”

For Diaz, one of the best parts is seeing the finished product and knowing it means something to the person who ordered it.

The business is also an exercise in trial and error. He listens to customers, pays attention to what sells, and takes suggestions for new products.

“Everybody wants a specific item,” he said.

Sometimes that means returning to the computer and spending an hour or more figuring out how to make a customer’s idea work.

The work is not intended to make him wealthy.

“It’s not something that you’re gonna get rich over,” Diaz said.

Instead, he described it as a way to stay active in retirement, meet people, and find out what members of the community are looking for.

“I enjoy doing it,” Diaz said. “I like to stay busy.”

Customers can sometimes come in looking for a particular item and end up talking about their families, hobbies, memories, or experiences.

“One sale on a specific board, I could have sold it in two minutes,” he said. “But then they want to share, and they want to talk.”

Those conversations are one reason Diaz enjoys the business.

He also tries to give back to the organizations and businesses around him. He has donated pieces to local groups and said he is willing to create items for community causes when he can.

“I want to make sure that the community knows that we’re here,” he said.

For Diaz, Beams and Boards is as much about staying busy and meeting people as it is about making something to sell.

That was certainly true for me. Before I left The Main Artery after our interview, Diaz handed me a small cutting board and spatula with engraved sunflowers and told me to give them to my mom. I considered it a gracious gesture, especially since our conversation had begun with an introduction at a city council meeting.