Samuelson Family Designs is a small family business based in Norwalk, Iowa, bringing together the things our family loves to create.
What started as separate hobbies and creative projects has grown into one place where fresh sourdough, handcrafted woodworking, and custom laser-etched goods all come together. While each part of the business has its own personality, they're connected by the same goal: creating useful, meaningful things that people can enjoy in everyday life.
Whether you're picking up a fresh loaf of bread, ordering a personalized gift, or looking for a custom sign, we're grateful you've chosen to support a local family business.
Like many small businesses, Samuelson Family Designs didn't begin with a business plan—it began with hobbies.
Polly discovered a passion for baking sourdough, sharing homemade bread with family and friends before growing Samuelson Sourdough into a small home bakery serving the Norwalk community through porch pickup, farmers markets, and seasonal menus.
Around the same time, Joe spent years building woodworking projects for family, home, and friends. From shelves and serving boards to market displays and custom projects, BareBasics Woodworking became a place to create simple, practical pieces built to be used and enjoyed.
As the woodworking shop continued to grow, adding laser engraving opened the door to personalized signs, QR-code displays, ornaments, coasters, tags, labels, and custom gifts that pair naturally with handmade woodworking.
Instead of treating these as separate businesses, we realized they all shared something in common: they were things our family genuinely enjoys making.
That's how Samuelson Family Designs was born.
Fresh, small-batch sourdough breads and baked goods made with patience, quality ingredients, and plenty of care.
You'll find artisan loaves, sandwich bread, bagels, cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, pizza crusts, seasonal favorites, and a few familiar faces—including Dough-rathy and our raccoon baker mascot.
Handmade woodworking focused on simple, useful pieces for everyday life.
Serving boards, shelves, organizers, signs, displays, gifts, and practical custom projects are all built with the same philosophy:
Bare wood. Built strong. Made useful.
Our newest addition combines creativity with precision.
We're continually expanding our collection of laser-etched products, including:
As we continue testing new materials and ideas, this side of the shop will continue to grow.
Everything we make shares a few common values:
We'd rather make something well than make a thousand of them.
We're thankful every time someone chooses to support a local maker instead of a big-box store.
Whether you're stopping by for a loaf of sourdough, ordering a personalized gift, or simply following along as our little family business grows, thank you for being part of the journey.
We hope something we create finds a place in your home, around your table, or becomes part of a gift you'll be proud to give.
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