Meet James and Sam: The Family Behind The Wood Look
People often ask who’s actually behind The Wood Look. The answer is a small family team in the West Midlands: Sam, who runs the business day to day, and James, who helps out wherever he can. We sat down and answered the questions we get asked most.
How did The Wood Look start?
James: It started with a present. Sam, who was my wife-to-be at the time, bought me a wooden watch for my birthday. I thought it was amazing, but I couldn’t help thinking the branding could have been better. That’s where the idea came from: a wooden watch brand that gives you a lot more than just a wooden watch. We started The Wood Look in 2017.
Who does what?
James: Sam runs the business. She looks after customer messages, engraves the orders and handles pretty much everything you see on the website. I support her with parts of the business in my spare time.
What does a normal day look like?
Sam: We work from a small workshop in the West Midlands, where we engrave your messages on our Trotec Speedy laser, which gives really sharp detail. Each watch and bracelet goes out in its own wooden box, with a cork backing sheet that says “inspired by nature”. A normal day means checking messages, engraving orders, packing and working on new ideas.
What’s the most memorable thing you’ve engraved?
Sam: It has to be a wedding proposal. It’s such a special occasion, and being a small part of it is simply wonderful.
Why do you send a preview before engraving?
Sam: We think it’s important to be open. Some customers aren’t very tech-savvy, and that’s fine, because we always make sure each engraving fits properly anyway. But a free preview means you can see what your engraving will look like before we start, at no extra cost. When you’re buying something this personal, it needs to be exactly right. You can read more in how our engraving works.
Why do you accept returns on engraved watches?
James: Because we think it’s important to go above and beyond. We take a small loss on parts when an engraved watch comes back, but there’s no worse feeling than buying something you think someone will love and finding it’s been a waste of money. That worry puts a lot of people off buying personalised gifts. With us, we’ll always accept returns, even on engraved watches and bracelets.
Which watch is your favourite?
James: I love the Oslo. It combines wood and stainless steel perfectly. Some people aren’t keen on a fully wooden watch because they can feel quite light, so the Oslo is the perfect balance. It has more weight to it but still feels unique, especially with the oak around the dial.
What’s Christmas like in the workshop?
Sam: Chaos! Especially the run-up to Black Friday. We usually have some good offers around then, and we start our promotions in October.
What have you learned running a small family business?
James: It’s hard, and it can be lonely, but it’s incredibly rewarding when you find out the difference you’ve made to someone. Customers tell us they own three or four of our watches and love the brand. We’re not here just to sell a watch. It’s about how it feels, and why that watch matters, because it’s usually tied to a memory, a person or a moment. That’s what it’s all about.
What’s next for The Wood Look?
James: We’re going to keep doing what we do well. I hope we can bring out more wooden watches that are a bit different, along with offers you won’t find anywhere else, like our free gift offer, where we design, cut and engrave little wooden gifts on our own lasers.
Sam: Thanks so much for reading, and for supporting a small family business. If you’ve got a question we haven’t answered, just get in touch. I read every message. Sam x
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