My Story
Northern Virginia Native
My family moved to Warrenton, VA in 1977 (the year Elvis died as my mother always reminds me). My parents, sister, and brother all moved away but I remained, living in Manassas, VA for 20 years before moving to Gainesville, VA. In fact, I live only 5 miles from the farm I grew up on. The area has grown exponentially in those many, many years but there are still so many aspects of it that remain small town. I partner with a friend I met in my 20s who owns a lumber mill. My boards are sold at the roadside market, Buckland Farms, where my family used to buy produce. I don’t think we will ever move away. This area is my home and so many around us we consider family. I hope to continue to grow my business into one that can give back to the community I’m so proud to be a part of.
Female owned and operated
My passion for woodworking started simply enough with the need for desks during COVID. I quickly realized, given my schedule already filled with a full-time job, an active son, and my role as a wife as well as limited space, that building large-scale pieces would not work. I stumbled upon some local walnut and started playing around with ideas for pieces I would use in my own home. After creating a custom seahorse board for my son’s swim team 4th of July raffle (now an annually requested item!), I discovered a creative side I didn’t realize I had. I am realistic with myself and my clients when it comes to timelines. Family comes first, but knowing my boards are in the homes of friends, family, and people I have never met makes me happy. I take great pride in being a female business owner, especially when my son tells people, with a huge smile on his face, that his mom owns her own woodworking company.
Maybe I was just excited about moving to a new house or I was too exhausted unpacking and chasing a 5-year-old around to notice the shape of the wire shelves when we unloaded the first box but, for whatever reason, the sagging, tilting, and general unstableness of the shelves were clear as day this go around. I had two choices…(1) put everything back and make sure I balance the bottles, boxes, and cans in a way that won’t tilt any particular shelf to one side or (2) go to Lowes and buy a table saw, 1x8s, screws, and spackle and build myself a custom pantry. Any guesses of which way I went? Yep, that’s right…I decided to go Tim the tool man Taylor on our rental and designed the pantry of my dreams, or at least with a row of shelves high enough to hold my extra tall balsamic vinegar bottles from Seasons Olive Oil & Vinegar Taproom. I should probably mention this all happened about 4 months after having 6 pieces of cartilage removed from my right shoulder and I was still going through PT. Lifting, cutting, balancing, and generally using a shoulder that my orthopedic surgeon told me I would never have full range of motion on again was just what was needed to convince me that I was invincible.
It took me 3 days, countless trips to Lowes, more cussing than my mother would have approved of, and a few tears but I did it and I was hooked. And that, ladies and gentleman, was how it all started. A closet of sagging wire shelves and a dream…and then 12 months later, COVID hit and YouTube began filling the time I would have spent watching my son swim or walking aimlessly around Wegmans searching for the perfect avocado. The more I went down the rabbit hole of YouTube, the more excited I got. I found used tools on Marketplace and joined a makerspace (more about Makersmiths later) and started creating. Access to tools I only dreamed of and an incredible laser cutter allowed me to design and create my signature epoxy inlay boards, charcuterie trays, and whiskey flights. Like so many, I found a new passion during a time when the world was in chaos. I am a self-taught maker, surrounded by friends and family who believe in what I do and have supported me every step of the way. Each day my dreams getting bigger and my hope is to one day own my own shop where I can create and teach. I want to show women and girls that tools are not just toys for boys and that they too can create beautiful things.
Female owned and operated
Hi, my name is Kristina Rall (or as I am known to my friends, KP). I’m the owner and maker of Kapers Woodworks. My story is not necessarily unique. I’m just a girl who loves power tools and dreams of a big open workshop with lots and lots of power outlets! Let’s start at the beginning…I am a mother (or more accurately, a swim mom), wife, senior survey researcher, and woodworker. It all started during one of my annual stay-cations in 2019 when my teacher (and part-time musician) husband Christopher and our son, Preston (5 years old at the time), went off on one of their boy trips to MI to visit Christopher’s parents. It started off innocently enough with the desire to reorganize the pantry. Everything came out, boxes of Wheat Thins from 2012 that came with us during our move were tossed (mind you, this happened in 2019) and I tried my best to go Home Edit and organize by color but you can only do so much with the remaining 9 bottles of fancy olive oil, water crackers, and cans of soup so I refocused my attention to the pantry itself.
Located in Gainesville, VA, Kapers Woodworks is a small, woman-owned business that creates one-of-a-kind kitchenware. From charcuterie boards to whiskey flight boards, we create custom functional designs to fit the decor of a home, office or event space. We work to personalize a piece so it’s perfect for you.
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