We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrian Molitor and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Adrian, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was a returning university of wisconsin english student, a person in recovery from addiction, father and felon at the time of being left with few options. I felt alot of pride because I had made it into a big ten university at the age of 40 but I also recognized that was leaving me zero room to live not to mention get money. I had over 15 years expierience with custom hardwood flooring and knew that I loved the work when it was based in art verses just profit. My fiance had a friend who needed there floors and stairs refinished and I took what was left of a grant from the university and bought used sanding equiptment from craigstlist. In many ways my hand was forced towards survival. Ive never shyed away from rolling the dice. For me my small hardwood flooring buisness started from literally nothing so any gain we make is a gift from the universe. We try to network and ultimatly provide the most custom stuff in town. When you realize you probably shouldnt have survived the first 30 years of your life: inspiration is pretty easy to come by!
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So ive been an artist almost by default since I was very small. My family is full of really wild musicians, sculptors, painters, writers and teachers. Growning up I spent many many days listening to my pops and his friends play rock n roll music in variuos basements and bars. My ma is a scul[ptor and painter and was an art teacher. In 97′ I dropped out of highschool and ended up in tucson where hardwood flooring found me. I was living in vans in the desert and working in manions in the catilina foothills. Eventually years later I got back into the trade in the midwest. By now I have done this work here and there all over the country. Nothing about my path to this small success was easy, I couldnt imagine it any other way. I am a survior and thats what makes all of this so authentic, I dont have time to put on a show of customer service. I have time to be completly honest and provide a superior service. The most important lesson ive learned is that these folks are not doing you a favor by hiring you. Its actually completly even, you are also interviewing them to see if you are interested in having them as a client. When you have deficiancies with your self esteem this is hard to fathom, but its true.
I want my brand to be rooted in the restoration of history while using all of the best materials on the market. I do want to help young people to learn to work with there hand. Mostly I want to create custom parquet work, inlays and not be controlled in my process
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well Im not from the area so ill probably give tourist answers. Boulder, Red Rocks, the Fox theatre, Nederland, the Ruby Gulch or really anywhere in the mountains. The reason Denver is slays so hard is because you can drive 40 minutes in any direction and being surrounded by beauty.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So first and foremost my twin sons Miles & Isaiah have been my northstar in some of my darkest days. Equally my granma that raised me, my fiance Shawn, all of the 12 step family and last but not least the family/music of the good old Grateful Dead have influenced my art & created the soundtrack/folklore that allows me to move through this world with more love than I may be capable of on my own fruition.
Website: molitortraditionalflooring.com
Instagram: molitor_traditional_flooring
Facebook: Molitor Traditional Flooring LLC
Image Credits
Adrian Molitor