As many little children do, Catherine Soi Chelang’ adored her grandfather. Her fondest childhood memories are of the two of them spending time together in his carpentry workshop in Bomet. Once Soi was old enough, her grandfather taught her how to hammer nails into a piece of wood. This became her favourite pastime and her grandfather even teased her about following in his footsteps someday. But for her, this was merely a fascination and with time Soi shelved her carpentry skills.
After completing her secondary education at Olbutyo Girls’ Secondary School, Soi was ready for a change of environment. She moved to Kisumu in 2014 where she got a job as a sales representative. While Soi loved her new town, she soon became extremely dissatisfied with her work. The job was very demanding yet Soi did not receive any fulfillment from it. Wanting to find a career better suited to her, Soi resigned in 2017.
While on hiatus Soi decided to upgrade her living room seats, but with no income she could not afford to buy them. Tapping into her childhood carpentry lessons, Soi resorted to buying the raw material and crafting her own furniture. Drawing inspiration from a pallet-style chair she had seen online, Soi got to work.
Making the seats was hard but she enjoyed the creative process. While working on her new furniture, waves of nostalgia rocked her as she remembered the time spent with her grandfather. The results of Soi’s finished project were quite impressive, leading her to snap a few photos and share them on social media. The response she received was overwhelming; people were in awe of her craftsmanship. Praise for her work flowed in and so did an inquiry about whether she was taking orders. The question set everything into perspective and she responded in the affirmative. This was how she went into self-employment.
Making seats for a client was a completely different undertaking. Before embarking on her first paid project, Soi went online and researched more on how to make pallet furniture. She decided to carve this style out as her niche for two reasons: its uniqueness and its environmental friendliness. All the timber could be sourced from used pallets about to be disposed of from godowns. With time, Soi learned about the type of nails required and how to join wood pieces to make stable furniture. She also invested in a flame torch which she could use to stain wood by passing it over an open fire, thus giving it a beautiful finish.
Soi’s outstanding work won her the Blaze by Safaricom Award under the Production and Sales Category in 2018.
Every day, Soi learns something about her career. Some lessons help her improve her craft while others teach her how to navigate the male-dominated field of carpentry. In three years, Soi Pallet Designs has grown from a one-woman job to a team of twelve. When she hires a new carpenter, Soi takes them through a short training on how to handle the timber since it differs from that used in normal furniture.
From playing with nails and hammers in her grandfather’s carpentry workshop to establishing a furniture business of her own, Soi’s journey has come full circle. Hers is a narrative of shaping one’s own destiny and the determination to succeed.
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Image credits: Soi Pallet Designs