Forty Under 40: Landon Shockey

Landon Shockey had all the design and technical skills he needed. It was the marketing tools he felt he was lacking to fulfill a dream of opening his own handcrafted furniture company.

“The one key component missing was learning how to grow a business and promote a business,” Shockey said.

Two years in Little Rock working under Tobi Fairley and her interior design company took care of that.

Shockey learned many marketing skills under Fairley, most importantly how to utilize social media to its fullest extent. Those skills were the final ingredients that Shockey has used in his company, which opened in January 2012.

Shockey, a Malvern native who earned his degree in interior design from the University of Arkansas in 2001, has a lengthy background in interior design and furniture design. He has spent time working in Chicago, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, but decided to return to Northwest Arkansas to open his company.

In recent months, Shockey has sold items to customers in Atlanta, Virginia, North Carolina and Texas.

His most popular piece to date is his handcrafted and customized bar cart, and his work was recently featured in New England Home magazine.

“What I hope to bring into this marketplace is a source for high-dollar homes of pieces that can be completely customized, including finish, color and size,” Shockey said.