The Story Behind the Grain

Welcome to my space, if you have a few seconds read this wild story, I’m Mark. A transplant of the Chicago suburbs to North Scottsdale Arizona. For the past three years, I’ve created this entire vision of craftsmanship thanks to all of you.

The journey actually began as me being a potential client. I was searching online for a specific piece of wall art for my own space. The few outlets offering anything close to what I had in mind were charging far too much in my opinion... I'm a "I'll figure it out" kind of mindset and decided to create it myself. That single project sparked a new curiosity into woodworking. I've done everything under the moon when it comes to trades... why not entertain this craft. My thought, people should have fair pricing for the product they want personalized in their space.

I built my business on that exact idea—keeping pricing fair, transparent, and direct from the maker. Before I knew it, by the grace of god, I was years into business and my pieces were shipping out to homes and businesses across 22 different states, all while holding onto a perfect, five-star review streak on Google for every project built.

The Crash That Rewired the Craft

The Day Everything Snapped

Crazy thing is, your body might not run to full potential but your mind doesn't stop firing. Instead of letting that bury the business, I used that forced downtime to completely re-think my entire direction of the business. Life is a hell of a lot too short to stay in one lane. I wanted to expand on my design limits and that is exactly how Mark Owen & Co. was born. I didn't just heal up and slide back into my old comfort zone—I expanded the whole operation. What was and still is Rustic American Flags LLC is now something bigger for those who requested and trusted me to do more. I’m finally back at the workbench, and alongside the signature torched flags that built my name, I'm now crafting much more highly detailed custom pieces as well as different collections. Thanks for running with me and being part of this new chapter. Let’s make something incredible for your wall. Send me a message if you have any questions.

Then, on December 28th, 2024, my entire day to day hit a brick wall.... Or more like the front fender of a BMW SUV that turned out in front of me at 50 MPH. I survived a massive motorcycle accident that by all accounts should have clocked me out from this place. Instead, I woke up in a hospital bed 2 days later looking like the operation toy. I had a shattered left hand, a broken right wrist, a fractured knee, a fractured hip, and a right femur snapped clean in half like a dry twig. Turns out, German engineering is no joke. Lets just say I had to put a pause on the business for a week or two .... I spent a solid year trapped in recovery, completely cut off from getting out into the shop, firing up the tools, and creating things with my own hands. It was a bit of mental gymnastics.... watching hours of infomercials.

Envision.Design.Create.Align

mark@markowenandco.com