About
origin story
I started Skoria in 2021, in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Like so many other budding entrepreneurs, I had been let go from a job that I wasn't passionate about, having spent thirteen years as a line cook just barely getting by. For perhaps the first time in my adult life, I had time to reflect and really focus on my future career prospects. I was an art school dropout with over three years of college under my belt, but no degree. I fell in love with metalworking while studying sculpture, but had no desire to risk repeating the financial and mental burnout that caused me to quit in the first place.
Still, I figured I could revisit that old flame to pass the time and that seed had been planted long ago. I just needed to nurture it, so I bought a cheap beat-up Ford Ranger and a Forney Easy Weld 140 flux-core welding machine and started collecting scrap metal to practice on.
The business part of things just started falling into place without me even realizing it, at first. At that time, I still considered my welding to be just a hobby, but I needed money so took on a job with a large landscaping company where inevitably I ended up fixing a couple of fences and trailers. Word spread and eventually I found myself doing bigger and more complex fabrications.
Working a physically taxing job 55+ hours a week plus doing odd welding jobs and making art to sell at markets on the weekends made me realize that there simply was not enough time in the day and I was stretching myself too thin again. I made the decision to branch out on my own and take my metalworking to the next level.
Fast forward a few years. I'm still driving the same little beat up pickup, but I've got more equipment, a bigger shop, more experience, and a much better idea of where I'm heading.
Mission & Vision
Despite being a for-profit business in which goods are produced, Skoria is proudly founded on post-consumerist, anti-capitalist, and circular economic principles. As if being a gender nonconforming, queer, leftist, masc-presenting woman-owned blue collar small business in the heart of the south wasn't enough.
The idea is to create a metal fabrication shop that is not only a safe and inclusive environment, but also a steward for the environment. By utilizing locally sourced scrap metal and repurposing other materials instead of buying new we can minimize waste and avoid contributing to any chemical refuse produced in the unnecessary recirculation of materials in the recycling process.
Clients can enjoy knowing that their custom piece was given new life, lovingly restored and reshaped by the hands of a local artisan.
Community
Though still in it's early development stage, Skoria is forming valuable relationships with other like-minded small businesses, artists, innovators, and contractors in the hopes of supporting and contributing to a rapidly growing network of professionals who promote climate-conscious initiatives and a circular economy. Together, we can minimize our reliance on virgin materials and build a more sustainable and energy efficient future.
Do you own or know of a small business in the Atlanta area that should be on the list? Are you an investor interested in supporting our mission? Just curious and want to know how you can help?
I'd love to hear about it.
Get in touch.