Kirsten Stoop bought Amish Barn Company in Oneonta, New York, in January 2020.
She was six months pregnant … and three months from a worldwide shutdown.
“Things got really quiet for what felt like the longest three weeks of the 10-plus years I’d been doing this,” she recalls. “And then, boom, the consumer changed overnight. The phone calls and emails came flying in.
“Our skeleton sales crew, which, at that time, consisted of myself and the amazing Samantha Dufresne, got to work from our homes and sent my husband running around our expansive 100-mile free delivery radius offering contactless delivery with every building we had in stock until the lots were empty.
“Materials were now scarce and expensive, people were already angry and scared, business relationships were a ‘take it or leave it’ vibe because nobody had the time nor the answers.
“We were flush with orders and yet couldn’t get things built quick enough. I felt completely lost sitting in my office with the doors locked to the public and newborn baby, Maggie, beside me in her bassinet.”
Stoop doesn’t believe in the saying, “It is what it is.” Rather, she lives by the words, “It is what you make it.”
“I started to double down on relationships with our local Amish communities,” she says. “These builders, who offer mostly rough-cut structures, helped bring life back to our lots while we waited for the more engineered wood products and vinyl structures to catch up with our other crews.
“I made new relationships and expanded on previous relationships with existing builders. We started to get back in a groove, added to our sales staff, and put another delivery rig on the road.
“Now, taking a breath after a world of COVID, there is a new challenge on the horizon, and that is adapting to the post-COVID era that stretches before us.”
ENTERING SHED BUSINESS
As a young girl growing up, Stoop doesn’t recall having her mind set on a specific career, but she did have an admirable, necessary quality that is required to succeed—she loved to work.
“My parents, in addition to their professional careers, worked other jobs and ran businesses of their own as well,” she shares. “I loved getting the chance to go to work with my mom when she waited tables late into Saturday night, putting on an apron and ‘helping’ serve the guests.
“I also enjoyed setting up my own businesses at home pretending to take the calls, and some days going to their actual businesses and taking on small chores there for the day.”
Stoop’s first “real” paying job was pushing carts and bagging in a local grocery store at the age of 14.
“From there, I soon joined the food service industry working for tips while going through college,” she says. “I was on a mission to get through school and start working for real … whatever that meant.
“And my push paid off. By the age of 19, I had my bachelor’s degree and was off to conquer the world! But still, I had no idea what that meant.
“Along with a friend, I moved from Central New York to Providence, Rhode Island, for no other reason than to try something new. My food service ‘career’ continued there. I worked any and all shifts I could get, met lots of wonderful people, and learned an incredible amount about business and the importance of high-quality service.”
It was during this time that Stoop’s parents launched Amish Barn Company. They planned to create a business to retire with—and things got busy.
“All four of my sisters, plus myself, would eventually have some part to play in this growing business,” she points out. “All hands were needed on deck, so in 2008 I moved back home to Oneonta, New York, and jumped in.
“In no way did I think this would be my forever job, but with my parents still working full time and the business growing as fast as it was, the only way to help was to get involved.
“I had zero building knowledge when I started, and although that was intimidating at times, I was no stranger to selling things I didn’t fully understand. My first waitressing job in Rhode Island was at a seafood restaurant.
“Not eating much seafood growing up, I wasn’t quite sure how to explain monkfish or Prince Edward Island oysters, but I always gave the specials with confidence and tried the food whenever possible to learn more about it. I would take the guests’ feedback as my own and use it to answer other guests’ questions.
“It was no different selling a shed. In fact, it ended up being fun! So fun that I bought Amish Barn Company when my parents decided to retire just three years ago.
“All my sisters had moved on with school or careers and wound up all over this country. And here I was, in my now forever job, which had become my passion.”
SHED-BUILDING WOMAN
Stoop admits that the shed-building industry isn’t traditionally seen as a typical career for a woman, and while she has succeeded as a woman owner in the industry, she has faced some male-centered attitudes over her years on the job.
“Although I absolutely love what I do, it isn’t always sunshine and roses,” she admits. “There have been many times that I have met opposition or hesitation.
“In the beginning, it was mostly men coming in and asking if there was a guy around they could talk to about getting a building. When I made them aware that I was that ‘guy,’ it sometimes made for an awkward start of a sale.
“And there were many moments after I became the manager of Amish Barn Company with the hope of continuing to grow that I felt like I had to work extra hard to gain the respect of others in the industry. But my dad always supported us girls and celebrated our capabilities.
“If someone asked to talk to him instead of me, he’d respond with, ‘You can, but I’ll probably just send you back in the office to Kir for the answers.’ Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the answers I had stemmed from what my parents had taught me after I came to work. But I took that information and ran with it.
“I wanted to know more. I must have asked a million questions over the years to my parents, our builders, Google, code enforcers, and friends in the building industry.”
Sometimes, Stoop says she would just listen, which she considers highly important. That includes listening to customers.
“Taking the feedback from our customers, listening to what they liked and disliked, and using that information as a tool to learn,” she says. “In turn, I was able to provide better answers and better-suited products to our customers.”
Stoop points out that there are many talented, strong, and hardworking women out there propelling businesses and industries, and women in the shed industry need to make connections to assist one another.
“It’s important to build relationships with these women as it will be mutually beneficial,” she shares. “Whether these women are suppliers, builders, dealers, in sales, or the consumer, valuing their role will lead to growth.
“Combined, our perspectives and ideas will broaden as we listen carefully and respectfully to each other on every level of the building industry.”
OPERATION IN ACTION
Stoop makes it clear that while she’s the owner of Amish Barn Company, the business isn’t a one-woman show.
“I’ve used a lot of ‘me’ and ‘I’ so far, but to make myself perfectly clear, there are people I couldn’t do this without,” she points out. “My husband is an extremely talented man and incredibly supportive.
“For all the years I wanted to buy Amish Barn Company, there seemed to be a missing puzzle piece, and he was it! Before Jeff was my husband, he ran his own contracting business, and both my mom and I had hired him to work on houses of ours.
“Sometime later we ended up dating, and soon after were planning our wedding. Raised on a farm, Jeff was no stranger to running large equipment and hard work. So, when he started riding around with my dad on deliveries, he was quick to pick up the gig and headed out solo on shed-setting adventures.”
Stoop says her husband was the missing puzzle piece, giving her assurance that she had someone on the delivery side of the business since her dad was making deliveries solo at that time.
“Surely Jeff was a gift from God, and I was and am so very thankful,” she shares. “Then there is my amazing staff who have worked hard alongside me through some of the crazy best and stressful worst parts of the journey.
“They are like family to me. We spend our days working closely with each other to give our customers the best experience, service, and products. They fight with me for the success and growth of Amish Barn Company. For my beautiful team, I am also so grateful.”
And Stoop can’t give thanks enough for the Amish craftsmen who build the structures the company provides.
“Their hard work and attention to detail is what gives us the confidence to assure our customers that we are the best!” she points out. “The innovators of these crews, the dedicated builders, and the truck drivers who keep our lots full are such a vital part of our success. I am also so grateful to them.”
Stoop stands in awe of how far Amish Barn Company has come, from starting as a little mom-and-pop shop in 2005 to a close-knit family of people selling and delivering hundreds of buildings while pushing $3 million in sales a year.
“I thank God for the turns in life that brought me into the world of shed sales,” she shares. “I am thankful for the strength He has given me to operate outside of my comfort zone. He has given me the wisdom to never let a bad day be the last day and to never let a good day lead to complacency.
“And there are days that I feel like this is it, we’ve made it. I have made friendships and connections with others in this industry; I have gained their respect and trust. I am fortunate to have the success we have.
“And then another door opens or a change in the world makes you pivot. This is what makes being in business fun, stressful, energizing, and exhausting. Always evolving, always pushing, always changing direction just when you think the course is set.
“With six employees (four women and two men), two delivery trucks and trailers, a wonderful network of talented builders, I am humbled. Yet, I believe this is only just the beginning.”
Although COVID left most people with no choice but to have patience for almost everything in their lives, Stoop still sees the United States as a country raised on fast food.
“We get hungry for something and will satisfy that hunger with anything we can have now,” she says.
“This is why I’ve focused on being a stock-heavy business. Not only can I offer you something you can have today—literally sometimes I will sell and deliver a shed on the same day—having a variety of things people can physically see, touch, and envision in their backyard leads to a much quicker sale.”
For custom orders, Stoop observes that her customers’ threshold for turnaround time is about two months from start to finish.
“The last couple of years left us with lead times on some structures between four to six months,” she points out. “With the supply chains being so strained and our crews exhausted from keeping up with high demand, the best we could do was prepare our customers for the longer lead times and take their phone calls with a smile even if they called every week.
“And what I learned from these long lead times was that customers were less satisfied with the final product. The longer a project took, the more changes customers would make to their orders, leaving more room for error.”
Stoop believes that although you can’t always control how long the process may take, it’s best to keep a sale as short, sweet, and simple as possible for the best customer experience.
“The shed world is really an amazing place because it’s never just the sheds that already exist; it’s an evolution,” she shares. “It’s an adaptation to the times.
“It’s what do our customers need in this very moment to solve their needs? Do our floors provide the strength and do our doors provide the space for how equipment has evolved? Can our four walls and roof provide a family with lasting memories in an Amish Barn on their hunting, fishing, and secluded getaway property?
“Do we have enough windows to give light to the artist’s retreat or the gardener’s potting shed? Are the floors insulated to keep the feet warm of a person who has transitioned to working from home?
“Are our prices competitive enough and do we have the proper financing so that everyone can have their storage needs met? Is our presence online keeping up with the need for shopping from home?
“I mean, sure, we sell sheds, garages, cabins, gazebos, horse barns, chicken coops, play structures, shade structures, and outdoor furniture, but many shed businesses do that. So, we must evaluate our products often, make adjustments, focus on being able to do and provide more custom units with on-site finishing, and once again step out of our comfort zone to stay relevant.”
Stoop says it’s important to always be doing something that is just outside of your comfort zone.
“When a customer comes in and asks for something I’ve never done before, I always try and say yes,” she shares. “When a project like this comes to life, I consider it, to me, my biggest success … until the next one. We have built everything from a 4-foot by 4-foot outhouse to a three-story home throughout the years, and I’ve learned a great deal from all of them.
“And although nothing is ever off limits, it’s important not to lose sight or spend too much energy on things you can’t be efficient in. I don’t want to be in the business of tiny outhouses or large homes, but I will never stop saying yes to what may seem like outside-the-box ideas because those are the projects that help me to gain knowledge in new areas and open my world up to new ideas.”
THINGS TO COME
Stoop and her husband recently purchased a piece of property that they have rented as a display lot for their buildings since the start of Amish Barn Company.
“With almost 5 acres of flat land along a main highway in Oneonta, it’s a great location,” she says. “With the proper improvements, this parcel will provide us with more room to showcase a larger selection of buildings, such as large garages and two-story structures, plus it will increase space for stock.
“Our goal is to re-locate our main office, which currently sits along a less busy highway, where we have outgrown its space, and in turn put all our eggs into one big beautiful, bustling blessing of a new lot.”
But Stoop’s thought processes and heart are never far away from family, especially the couple’s young daughter.
“As I raise my daughter, I often imagine what she will find passion and joy in throughout the years,” she shares. “Will she be accepted into these things, or will she have to fight her way through? Will the world welcome her into positions that currently aren’t seen as typical positions for a girl/woman?
“But then some days I watch as she puts on her construction vest, tools in hand while adorning her bright rainbow tutu, and I am reminded that she can do and be anything she aspires to, regardless of what may be considered the norm.”
Stoop says that her mother is a strong and independent woman who took on the shed industry before her, inspiring her to become the woman she is today.
“I hope to be the same role model for my daughter as she grows up,” she says. “And I would encourage all women to remember that we can do it!
“We can drive a truck loaded to the max with a building and back it down over a bank behind a house, setting it perfectly on its prepared foundation, if that is what we want to do. We can frame up a structure from bottom to top, if that is what we want to do.
“We can be a leader in an industry that didn’t start, and may not lend itself well YET to women, if that is what we want to do!”
