T & T Metal Designs opens in Princeton, selling gifts and custom decor

T & T Metal Designs held its official grand opening on Wednesday as it opened for business at 104 N. Main St. in Princeton.

The family-owned shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It specializes in metal signs, personalized gifts, powder coating and engraving.

Owners Don and Angela Thompson have enjoyed being creative and after they acquired their building on Main Street, they saw it as a perfect opportunity to begin creating personalized items for the community that they call home.

“I like doing this kind of thing and I like the small shop feel,” Angela said. “I just felt like it was time in my life to do kind of what I wanted to do. We hadn’t really been doing it, but it was just something that I thought of.”

T & T Metal Designs creates custom signs, decor and other items made out of cold rolled steel and many other design materials.

All metal products designed and professionally cut to ensure accuracy before they are powder coated. The powder coating ensures that the items can be placed indoor or outdoor and be protected from the weather.

The powder coating is available in a variety of colors to help fit an individual customer’s wants or needs. The metal that is used is heavy-duty and can be cut according to the design.

The shop contains a wide variety of pre-made templates from designs featuring family names, school pride, novelty signs and much more. Someone looking for a more custom approach is also welcome to visit the shop and see if a solution can be found.

“Basically if you can think about it, we can create something close and try to put in a bunch of things that you’re looking for,” Angela said.

Aside from metal designs, the shop offers a wide variety of wood products including charcuterie boards, walling hangings, bar signs and more. Different designs and wording may also be created to fit an individual’s needs.

“Each piece can be customized to whatever you want,” Don said.

The family also wanted to create a shop that people could visit to possibly find gifts for all members of the family.

“I like stuff that is made right here,” Angela said. “It can also be difficult sometimes to go out and find a gift, especially a man’s gift, so I wanted something that could be for both women and men.”

For the Thompsons, Princeton made sense as the perfect place to set up their shop. With the family being from the area, and the opportunity the city’s Main Street offers, they are excited to get started.

“I really like the small shop feel and the tourism aspect of small towns,” Angela said. “I wanted to find something that was unique from anybody else.”

The family mentioned that they have enjoyed seeing people from out of town come and enjoy what Princeton has had to offer. From Summer events and Christmas Walks in the downtown area, the city has continued to bring people in.

After months of work behind the scenes from the family and many trial and error runs to hone in their machines and designs, T & T Metal Designs is excited to start serving the community.

Anyone interested in local, custom metal designs and more can contact T & T Metal Designs at 815-915-8694 or stop by it 104 N. Main St. location. Those interested can also follow along on its FaceBook page.