MONTICELLO - A Barn in the Sticks is a virtual reality for Chad Mathys of Monticello.
But Mathys is striving to turn his online business selling bat houses, birdhouses and bird feeders for other companies into a Web site for his own creations.
Mathys created many of the bluebird houses around his home. He built a giant bat house for his brother's farm. Building birdhouses and other outdoor products intrigues him.
"The idea of the 'Barn' in the Sticks came from my father's purchase of a farm outside of Argyle near Yellowstone Lake," he said. "I had this vision in my head of a barn out in the countryside, filled with bird feeders and houses in the front, using the loft upstairs for the woodworking machinery to build inventory. Don't know if I'll ever get that far, but that is one of my goals - to someday start a retail store from the Web site."
But with a full-time job at Duluth Trading Co. in Belleville, Mathys knew he didn't have the spare time to design and build enough feeders and houses to sell, so he looked into vendors like Woodlink, Looker Products, Droll Yankees, Aspects and others that carry products made mostly in the U.S.
Mathys has shipped products as far away as Oregon to Florida. Repeat business is strong all over, but Mathys said his best repeat business is in Monticello, for hummingbird feeders, hopper-style feeders and bird baths.
Many of the quality products at Barn in the Sticks are made in the U.S., and have been tested by Mathys - or his family members.
His first business task was to find for his parents a hummingbird feeder that prevented ants and wasps from stealing nectar. Mathys said he found a feeder designed with a moat and bee guard.
When they happily reported the feeder worked, Mathys added the product to his Web site.
Barn in the Sticks also carries oriole and chickadee feeders, wren, duck and bat houses and free building plans for the do-it-yourselfer who shares Mathys' love for wildlife.
Mathys' love for wildlife comes from a family tradition. The desire to build and sell his own habitats and feeders stems from a childhood fascination with bird feeders hanging from a birch tree in the front yard of his grandmother's home in Darlington.
"And at my grandmother's house, her rooms were filled with tons of knickknacks of birds," Mathys said.
His father helped nurture the passion for bird watching and wildlife conservation. He and his father have belonged to the Argyle Rod and Gun Club for many years and have been with Pheasants Forever almost since its inception.
"My dad had us feeding wildlife and building habitat when we were young, making duck houses, bluebird houses and making custom feeders. In the winter, we spent hours filling feeders and preparing nesting boxes for the next season," Mathys said.
Mathys' back yard is a bird's paradise of houses and feeders among the flowers and trees. He spends hours with his two children tending to the house cleaning and food replenishing, including hummingbird nectar in mock margarita and martini glasses.
But Mathys is striving to turn his online business selling bat houses, birdhouses and bird feeders for other companies into a Web site for his own creations.
Mathys created many of the bluebird houses around his home. He built a giant bat house for his brother's farm. Building birdhouses and other outdoor products intrigues him.
"The idea of the 'Barn' in the Sticks came from my father's purchase of a farm outside of Argyle near Yellowstone Lake," he said. "I had this vision in my head of a barn out in the countryside, filled with bird feeders and houses in the front, using the loft upstairs for the woodworking machinery to build inventory. Don't know if I'll ever get that far, but that is one of my goals - to someday start a retail store from the Web site."
But with a full-time job at Duluth Trading Co. in Belleville, Mathys knew he didn't have the spare time to design and build enough feeders and houses to sell, so he looked into vendors like Woodlink, Looker Products, Droll Yankees, Aspects and others that carry products made mostly in the U.S.
Mathys has shipped products as far away as Oregon to Florida. Repeat business is strong all over, but Mathys said his best repeat business is in Monticello, for hummingbird feeders, hopper-style feeders and bird baths.
Many of the quality products at Barn in the Sticks are made in the U.S., and have been tested by Mathys - or his family members.
His first business task was to find for his parents a hummingbird feeder that prevented ants and wasps from stealing nectar. Mathys said he found a feeder designed with a moat and bee guard.
When they happily reported the feeder worked, Mathys added the product to his Web site.
Barn in the Sticks also carries oriole and chickadee feeders, wren, duck and bat houses and free building plans for the do-it-yourselfer who shares Mathys' love for wildlife.
Mathys' love for wildlife comes from a family tradition. The desire to build and sell his own habitats and feeders stems from a childhood fascination with bird feeders hanging from a birch tree in the front yard of his grandmother's home in Darlington.
"And at my grandmother's house, her rooms were filled with tons of knickknacks of birds," Mathys said.
His father helped nurture the passion for bird watching and wildlife conservation. He and his father have belonged to the Argyle Rod and Gun Club for many years and have been with Pheasants Forever almost since its inception.
"My dad had us feeding wildlife and building habitat when we were young, making duck houses, bluebird houses and making custom feeders. In the winter, we spent hours filling feeders and preparing nesting boxes for the next season," Mathys said.
Mathys' back yard is a bird's paradise of houses and feeders among the flowers and trees. He spends hours with his two children tending to the house cleaning and food replenishing, including hummingbird nectar in mock margarita and martini glasses.