Our Story
It started with one block.
In 2004, I made a personalized wooden block for my own child — something to hold the details of the day they arrived. Name, date, weight, time. A small thing, really. But it meant everything.
Friends asked for one. Then their friends. Then strangers on the internet. By 2005, BLOCKSetc was born — one of the earliest shops on Etsy, long before “handmade” was a trend.
Twenty years later, the workshop has grown, but the philosophy hasn't changed. Every piece is still made to order. Still hand-finished. Still crafted from the same Michigan hard maple I fell in love with from the start.
I've engraved thousands of names, dates, and stories. Baby blocks for first-borns. Ornaments for first Christmases. Memorial keepsakes for the ones we've lost. Each one matters.
This isn't a factory. It's a homestead workshop where every gift is treated like it's for my own family.
What we believe
Quality over shortcuts
Solid hardwood. Hand-finished. No veneers, no composites, no cutting corners. Every piece is built to be kept.
Fair & transparent pricing
No inflated prices. No artificial discounts. What you see is what it costs to make something this well.
Every gift, gift-ready
Customization and gift wrapping are included — not treated as upsells. Because the details matter.
“Every gift tells a story — and is crafted to be kept, shared, and passed down.”