Man Builds Strange Contraption In His Garage That Unsuspectedly Makes Him Thousands

Rick was laid off from work in March 2020 after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolfe required “all non-life-sustaining businesses” close their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. His stomach dropped. Times were tough, and he soon had to figure out a way to support himself.

“My jobs were larger construction jobs, and Pennsylvania put a stop to them. I was pretty much sitting at home, not sure when I’d get my next service call or be able to go back to work,” the Bryn Mawr resident stated. He couldn’t twiddle his thumbs all day long, though.

With his spare time, Rick watched the squirrels roaming about in his backyard. While staring at the scattered animals, the oddest idea for a backyard project hit him, one that he hoped would eventually fill his bank account.

In Rick’s garage was a makeshift woodshop. “I do work with wood quite often,” he said. “And, after I was home for two weeks, I was running out of things to do!” So, thinking of the squirrels, he headed inside and went to work.

He remembered seeing a photo of a hilariously-tiny piece of furniture designed for squirrels a few years back, and he thought he’d recreate it from memory. The final product would be ridiculous and kitsch, but he had an interesting purpose in mind.

It was a teeny tiny wood picnic table. “There were no plans, no drawings. I remembered what it looked like and just built it. Then I screwed it to the fence where I normally feed the squirrels,” said Rick. He worried squirrels would just ignore the thing.

So he was delighted to see the furry guys stop at the picnic table. Still, they just snatched the nuts Rick put out and went on their merry way. Once Rick set a cup of sunflower seeds on the mini table, however, the squirrels stayed to munch away.

After his social media post, he had a long discussion with his husband, Brett, about their rocky financial situation. “I had a little money in the bank, but my husband is a restaurant server and out of work as well. I was getting nervous about rent,” stated Rick.

The next day, the makeshift carpenter woke up to his squirrel Facebook post going viral, thousands of people interacting with his sweet photo. But it wasn’t just that they thought it was a cute build; these Facebook users wanted a squirrel picnic table of their own.

Brett saw an opportunity, suggesting that the two of them start an Etsy shop devoted to the new squirrel picnic table business. In just 24 hours, their Etsy shop, which they named SquirrellyTreasureCo, had 400 orders. Cha-ching.

“It all happened overnight, and it was beyond our wildest dreams. I’m still in disbelief,” Rick exclaimed. But there was no time to sit and celebrate; he had to get to work! At first, Rick sold the picnic tables for $25 a pop.

Each one came with a feeder bowl and mounting equipment. Rick eventually added DIY kits to the Etsy store, which soon amounted to half of the orders. The ideas kept stewing!

“I predrill it, I give them the screws and parts with nice directions, and it’s a family project that’s perfect for people who are stuck at home right now,” Rick explained. Plus, he sells his building plan, which comes with instructions and a design layout, for just seven bucks.

Rick even donated his building plans to organizations that offer wood shop classes. Meanwhile, the orders kept on piling in, so fast that he was forced to set up a waiting list. Rick was inundated with orders, and that only lit a more vibrant fire under him.

And Rick isn’t too sure he’ll be saying goodbye to SquirrellyTreasureCo one quarantine restrictions are lifted. “I have a solid plumbing business, but I’m seriously considering building this,” he admitted. He’s been basking in the joy his mini tables have brought people.

“Now that the tables are starting to arrive at people’s homes, they’re taking photos and putting them on their Facebooks. And that’s exciting for me!” Rick exclaimed. These photos of squirrels chewin’ away have traveled beyond Facebook.