Without knowing it, you may have seen — or even posed next to — one of Ann Marie and Kai Martin’s installations. It could have been at Hilldale, where they’ve constructed seasonal displays that need nothing more than a smiley subject in the foreground, or maybe it was at a wedding, a baby shower or a business event. The husband-and-wife team may blend into the background, but the towering backdrops they build often steal the spotlight.
In her previous career as an event planner, Ann Marie Martin knew there was something missing from her industry. “I kept seeing that there was a need in the market for something a little bit more fun and interesting,” she says. “Something experiential, something that would make people take a lot of photos and enjoy and laugh.”
She enlisted help from her husband. Kai Martin’s first big woodworking project was building a crib for the couple’s first daughter, Vera. Two years later, their second daughter, Sylvie, used the handmade crib as well. “I’ve always been the kind of guy to just figure it out,” he says. “I know that there’s a way to do it, and I’ll do my research and figure out how to make stuff.”
The crib was followed by a few other event decor items Kai Martin made for his wife, but that wasn’t what got the business idea off the ground. One day, Ann Marie Martin had an epiphany: “She came to me and said, ‘Kai, I’ve got it! I have our solution to how we’re going to enter this market. We’re going to make a doughnut wall.’ ”
The words “give me some sugar” are centered on a pink shiplap wall featuring 167 pegs that hold individual doughnuts, creating an interactive dessert display. This became the first Cedar & Spice proof of concept that is still rented out for weddings today. Other wedding items they’ve fabricated include a floral hexagonal arbor as an altar backdrop and creative seating charts — one of which incorporated their clients’ personal vinyl collection.
The client list quickly grew beyond private events. During the 2020 holiday season when Hilldale was avoiding photo-ops with Santa due to COVID-19, Cedar & Spice created an intricate frame around a projector screen for the mall’s Santa Cam. The project is memorable for the Martins because it was their first year with a CNC machine, which uses a computer to cut out designs efficiently and accurately. They used the machine to create patterned layers of snow, topped with a pastel color palette of fir trees and houses with illuminated windows.
In addition to the many displays they’ve created for Hilldale, the pair has worked with local and national names including jewelry store Kendra Scott, The Corners of Brookfield shopping mall, the software company Zendesk, national spirits brands and the clothing brand Wantable.
This full-fledged business began in the Martins’ garage in Oregon, where they used the tools they had lying around to meticulously cut out lettering by hand. It has blossomed into a company with six employees and a workshop in Stoughton. The Martins also count the CNC machine as an employee (named Henrietta), since it does much of the heavy lifting.
While they have a doughnut wall to thank for the beginning of the business, it was a unicycle that first got the Martins together while they were students at Iowa State.
“Here I was,” Kai Martin says, “first week on campus, unicycling around — riding down a flight of stairs looking all cool. Then this really cute girl says, ‘I like your unicycle,’ and I’m thinking, ‘Man, this thing’s really working for me.’ ”
Ann Marie and Kai Martin celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary in September, and they marked four years as business partners in November.
“It’s really interesting to see where the path has led us, because we didn’t even know it was a ‘thing’ to do what we’re doing,” says Ann Marie Martin.
The Martins also love that the business has inspired their children — Vera, 7, and Sylvie, 5 — to draw designs and figure out how to make them (with occasional help from Mom and Dad, of course). At the beginning of quarantine, Kai Martin was building a lifted playhouse, and the girls hammered in some of the nails. Sometimes they’ll look over Mom’s shoulder while she works on the computer and give their opinion on color choices.
“Anything we can imagine, we can create. I feel like that’s what their mindset is,” says Ann Marie Martin. “It’s super fun to be able to share that.”
And with the couple’s client builds, they get to share their creativity with the Madison community and beyond.
“It is staggering to stand back and look at the things we’ve been able to build,” says Kai Martin. “It’s been such an interesting ride because I feel like we’ve always challenged ourselves to look to the next level — and [answer] calls to step up to the next level, which usually come from the client.”
Melissa Behling is a freelance writer for Madison Magazine.
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