Van-tastic surprise for Lakeside business

In less than 20 minutes, Erin Till typed a winning essay as she waited for her takeout order at Mamma Zu.

Till, a co-owner of S.G. Woodworks, was scrolling through her Facebook feed when she spotted a contest from Inc. Magazine and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Since Till had studied creative writing at UCLA and UC Irvine, her experience helped her type an essay quickly, she said.

More than 15,000 small business owners submitted essays to “The Right Van for the Job” contest, hoping to win the grand prize – a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The contest judges chose four finalists, including Till’s essay.

Then, at the Inc. 5000 Conference and Gala – a gathering for business owners to network and learn – judges announced Till as the contest winner.

“Your heart is pounding, and you kinda flash through what people at the Oscars do,” she said. “You can’t clap for yourself, so I blew kisses when I got onstage.”

Till and her business partner, S.G. Woodworks founder Sarah Grinter, provide upholstery and furniture restoration services to interior designers, commercial companies and other clients. Grinter, a VCU graduate, formed the business in 2004.

S.G. Woodworks started in Grinter’s spare bedroom and now has expanded to a storefront on Lakeside Avenue – creating eight jobs, free apprenticeship programs and providing high-quality pieces for companies and individual clients.

As a women-owned business, S.G. Woodworks stands out in a male-dominated industry.

“When Sarah started the business, she used her initials as the company name,” Till said. “She was afraid that clients wouldn’t take her seriously as a woman using power tools.”

Till and Grinter plan on introducing more women into upholstery and furniture restoration through their free apprenticeship program.

“The apprenticeship is open to all women and people who identify as women,” Till said.

The program takes about 650 hours to complete, and there are usually two apprentices at a time.

“We hope in the future there are more programs inspired from ours,” Till said. “It’s important to think about your legacy and how you’re helping the community.”

There’s never a quiet day in S.G. Woodworks. The business delivers 16 to 18 projects a month, Till said.

Some projects are just coming in, other projects are being covered with new fabric and the remaining projects are being delivered to clients. Because S.G. Woodworks has an excellent client retention rate, Till and Grinter have never advertised, but they are always fully booked.

“There’s a lot of communication involved,” Grinter said. “We always communicate with designers to make sure we are executing their vision.”

Both Till and Grinter enjoy working on pieces that tell stories from museum-quality pieces to heirlooms that have sentimental values.

Additionally, Grinter and Till do community outreach about their work. Grinter has spoken to VCU students about her work, while Till serves as a board member of RVA Makers, a community for craftspeople in Richmond.

“It’s not really common to do community outreach in this field for trades,” Till said. “We really want to leave a legacy by introducing more people into upholstery and teaching them.”

Although the van won’t be available for pick-up until July, Till plans to use it for several duties – including as a delivery van, since the company doesn’t have one. (Currently, S.G. Woodworks delivers only on Saturdays, using a rental van. Cutting the rental costs will allow the company to reinvest the savings into expanding the free apprenticeship program, Till said.)

Till thanked RVA Makers, Boss Babes RVA, Mercedes-Benz of Midlothian and her network of entrepreneurs for their support.

“Our business grew so much in less than three years,” Till said. “I’m excited for the van and future opportunities.”