Our Story
Some stories sound too unlikely to be true — until they become your real life.
We’re Rob and Christine Branscum, and this new venture is the latest chapter in a life built on craftsmanship, resilience, curiosity, and a willingness to start fresh when life calls for it.
We’re building these businesses on our own property in Walla Walla, Washington, and inviting people to follow along as the vision slowly becomes real — through updates, videos, progress reports, setbacks, lessons learned, and the small wins that keep momentum alive.
This project isn’t just about what we’re building.
It’s about how and why we build.

How We Found Each Other
Our story didn’t begin in a workshop or on a farm. It began during a particularly difficult season in both of our lives, when neither of us was looking for anything — especially not romance.
We met while each working toward sobriety in an inpatient treatment center. Love at first sight isn’t usually recommended under those circumstances… and yet, there it was. Alongside it came a very practical internal voice saying:
“Well, this is inconvenient.”
We followed the rules, focused on recovery, and slowly got to know each other in the small windows of time we were allowed. What became clear — both to us and to those around us — was that something rare and grounding had found us. It felt like rediscovering something we hadn’t even realized we had lost.
Building a relationship during early sobriety is widely considered a bad idea. Ours certainly wasn’t smooth. There were setbacks, relapses, and hard lessons — but also unwavering support, shared accountability, and the determination to keep moving forward together.
In 2018, we both found long-term sobriety.
From there, everything else truly began.

Building a Life (Literally)
Within weeks of meeting, Christine moved to Walla Walla, and we began building a life side by side — quite literally.
We renovated Rob’s home ourselves from top to bottom, learning tile work, plumbing repairs, electrical work, and what to do when an exterior sewer line collapses without warning. Life has a way of accelerating learning curves.
Since then we’ve navigated serious health challenges, career changes, aging parents, and painful losses. We’ve also celebrated new grandchildren, nieces and nephews, unforgettable travel, and the quiet satisfaction of building a life rooted in purpose.
Our family includes:
• two big mutts, Odie and Jaxson
• and two fainting goats named — lovingly and with permission — after Christine’s parents.
Life around here is rarely dull.

Why This Business — Why Now
This project brings together two long-held dreams.
The first is a working woodshop.
Rob has spent nearly five decades working with wood, first learning from his grandfather — a master craftsman — and continuing that tradition through years of training, experimentation, practice, and eventually blending traditional techniques with modern tools and technology.
He has always had a shop in one form or another, but this will be the largest and most complete woodshop he has ever built for himself — a space designed not only for creating high-quality work, but also for sharing the process of craftsmanship and learning.
The second dream is something Rob has talked about for years:
Opening a welcoming, straightforward place where people can grab a great espresso in the morning, enjoy comfort food throughout the day, and maybe treat themselves to a milkshake or something sweet along the way.
A place that feels approachable, relaxed, and community-centered.

One Property, Two Businesses, One Shared Vision
As it turns out, we already had the perfect place to build both.
Our property sits on Half Acre Lane, and true to the name, the main building is being divided right down the middle:
Half woodshop
Half quick-service restaurant
One side will be filled with sawdust, tools, and creative problem-solving.
The other will serve espresso drinks, comfort food, and a convenient drive-through designed for everyday life in Walla Walla.
For a project built around sawdust, espresso, and stubborn optimism, it feels oddly perfect.

Building Something That Lasts
Christine brings a background in business operations, logistics, and safety, along with a deep appreciation for systems that work well and workplaces where people are treated well.
Together we believe in building things that last:
• thoughtfully
• responsibly
• with respect for materials
• with respect for the process
• and with appreciation for the people who support it
This is the biggest project we’ve taken on together.
It asks a lot of us — creatively, financially, physically, and emotionally. But it also reflects exactly the kind of life we want to build: one rooted in craftsmanship, hospitality, resilience, and purpose.
We know there will be surprises, setbacks, and a few moments where we question our own sanity. That seems to come with the territory.
What we also know is this: we build better together.
And now, we’re inviting others to follow the story as it unfolds.