From Selling Firewood to 219 Furniture Orders a Year – Mostly Through Etsy

Who: Indrė (FurnitureByBukmedis)
What: Handmade furniture and home decor made from solid oak, old beams, and reclaimed wood
Format: Physical product · USA – English; EU countries – English
Started: October 2019
Audience: ~8,000 Etsy shop visitors/month
Payers: ~30 orders/month (219 orders in 2026 so far, up from 150 in 2025)
Promotion budget: €300/month
Income: main income
Status: active and growing
Channels: Collabs & shoutouts, Marketplaces

What worked: Etsy organic search – about 80% of customers
The result: 219 orders in 2026 so far (up from 150 in 2025), at a typical price of €300–400
The catch: Shipping large pieces, especially mirrors, causes the biggest losses – €1,500–2,000 items can arrive with a cracked glass or damaged frame

FurnitureByBukmedis started in Krakes, a small town in the Kėdainiai district of Lithuania, as a family project. In the beginning, there were four of them – Indrė's father Edmundas, her brother Marius, her fiancé Šarūnas, and Indrė herself.

Edmundas was a carpenter and had worked with wood in Krakes for many years. The rest of the family had no experience in furniture making or working with wood.

The business began unexpectedly. One day, the family went to help Marius with the construction of his house. While they were there, he told them that Edmundas had gone to the Krakes Agricultural Company looking for a job in their carpentry workshop. Instead of offering him a job, they offered him something completely different – the opportunity to purchase the buildings of an old sawmill.

They talked it over and decided to give it a try. At the time, none of them had experience in furniture making, apart from Edmundas. Little by little, the old sawmill and the wood around them started giving them ideas, and that is how they slowly began making their first pieces of furniture, learning everything through practice.

In 2021, they lost Edmundas. After his death, the business continued with the three of them – Marius, Šarūnas, and Indrė – and they decided not to stop.

They make furniture from solid oak, old beams, and reclaimed wood, drawn to the natural imperfections of old timber – cracks, knots, holes, uneven edges, and the marks left by time – and make those imperfections part of the furniture. Indrė started selling online herself and learned everything as she went: photography, product descriptions, Etsy, shipping, customer communication, and international sales.

Today, FurnitureByBukmedis is still a small family business based in Krakes. They make every piece themselves, inspired by Lithuanian forests, old wood, Japanese simplicity, and the wabi-sabi philosophy, where beauty is found in natural imperfections.

The company started in October 2019. At first, the family mainly sold firewood locally in Lithuania and made outdoor furniture sets for local customers.

They opened their Etsy shop in March–April 2021 with just five products, and got attention quickly because their pieces were unique and different from what was already on Etsy.

Their first international sale came in May 2022 – a reclaimed wood mirror sold to a customer in the USA.

Etsy has been the shop's biggest source of customers – about 80% of them. Most of the early international customers found the shop through Etsy's organic search.

Over time, Indrė paid closer attention to what people were searching for and to the questions and requests customers sent, and used that to improve photos, titles, keywords, and descriptions.

One concrete change contributed to this year's growth in particular: introducing a customizable console table, where customers can choose the length and height themselves, so each piece is made to their own requirements.

The shop has also collaborated with interior designers, tea houses, and others in the design field. These collaborations helped reach new audiences and build connections. Instagram is used to showcase the work, but hasn't brought significant direct sales so far – Etsy remains the main source of customers.

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The biggest losses have come from shipping large and heavy furniture, especially mirrors, which can cost €1,500–2,000 apiece. During transport, the glass can break, and sometimes the wooden frame is damaged too. The family changed their shipping method for mirrors to express shipping, to reduce the number of intermediate logistics warehouses where packages are handled and transferred.

Losing Edmundas in 2021 was also one of the biggest challenges. The family had been learning from him, and after his death they had to continue without him – learning many things through practice, making mistakes, and slowly becoming furniture makers themselves.

One of the biggest turning points was starting to sell on Etsy. Until then, the family was mostly making furniture without really knowing where the business would take them. Etsy gave them a way to reach customers outside Lithuania, and slowly they started receiving orders from other countries.

Another important moment was realizing that people were interested not only in the furniture itself, but in the story behind it – the old wood, the small family workshop, and the fact that every piece is handmade. Customers now mention this in messages and in reviews, especially the story behind the reclaimed wood and the fact that each piece is unique.

The shop's audience is mainly people who appreciate natural materials, handmade furniture, and unique pieces with character – many are interested in wabi-sabi, Japandi, and rustic interiors, and prefer furniture made from solid wood over mass-produced pieces.

Customers come mainly from the USA and Europe. Some are private customers looking for a special piece for their home; others are interior designers, architects, tea houses, or businesses looking for something unique for their projects.

Over the next year, the plan is to keep growing sales on Etsy, which has been the biggest sales channel so far. The family also recently launched their own Shopify store, in August 2026, and one of the main goals is to gradually grow sales through their own website and build the brand outside Etsy – though the Shopify store hasn't brought any sales yet.

FurnitureByBukmedis

FurnitureByBukmedis is a small family business from Lithuania, making handmade furniture from solid oak and reclaimed wood. We create unique pieces for people who love natural materials, wabi-sabi, Japandi, and furniture with character.

Etsy shop: furnitureByBukmedis

Instagram: furniturebybukmedis

Website: furniturebybukmedis.com