Fishers Cop Doubles As a Local Carpenter Creating Custom Pieces Through Woodworking Business
Photographer / Glenda White
For Fishers resident Jarred Koopman, the act of crafting and creating is more than just shaping wood and building furniture. For him, carpentry and woodworking act as an outlet to create something of worth and value while doing something he loves, and it’s that attitude that led him to open his own company, The 108 Brand Woodworking.
Based out of Fishers, 108 Brand is a woodworking company specializing in creating handcrafted furniture, household fittings and a number of other wood pieces by request for the greater Indianapolis community. Jarred Koopman, the founder of 108 Brand and creator of every piece sold, works full time as an officer for the Fishers Police Department and originally got into carpentry as a hobby before it became a side-business he could run alongside his career in law enforcement.
“It started as a stress reliever; building things and kind of looking forward to something outside of work,” Koopman says. “I wanted to do something outside of police work that was fun and creative, and obviously that I’m passionate about. It took off out of wanting to get away from everyday police work.”
Being part of a family that has been involved in carpentry and construction in the past, Koopman first found a liking of woodworking from spending time with family as they worked, but first put his interests into practice after purchasing a fixer-upper home and spending extensive time building on and repairing the house, an experience that allowed him to learn and grow in his ability to work with his hands. As time went on, an inherent talent became refined and mastered, and Koopman continued to find a creative outlet and an escape from stress through carpentry, and his work began to expand outside of simply home renovation and into projects such as crafting furniture and unique wood pieces. Koopman’s friends and family began to take notice of his work, and following encouragement from his wife, he decided to start making his pieces available to buy, officially launching 108 Brand as a business.
“Everything I do is custom, so what happens is somebody will see something on Pinterest or they’ll see something that someone has in their house, and they’ll send me the picture and ask if I can make it,” Koopman says. “It’s a fun thing because you never know what someone will ask for next. In the beginning, it was people I knew reaching out to me, and now I’m starting to get people I’ve never met before who came across my Instagram page.”
Koopman has made wood pieces for both Indiana residents and those out of state and has seen consistent growth in his customer base in the several years since 108 Brand began. His work history includes creating tables, cabinets, shelving, shoe racks, dog kennels and even one memorable sale crafting a coffee table for Cleveland Browns Quarterback Baker Mayfield, to name a few. 108 Brand is always willing to listen to order requests from anyone interested and provides a great option for those looking for local, quality wood pieces.
For more information, visit The 108 Brand by searching them online on Facebook or on Instagram at @the108brand.
