Who are you? Tell us about yourselves! My name is Ben Harvey - I am the founder of B.A.D (Bens Automotive Decor).
Where are you from? I was born and raised in England, but now live in Atascadero with my wife and 2 small kids.
What do you sell? I like to say that ‘I reincarnate automotive parts’. I take automotive parts and make artwork, gift items, furniture, man cave decor etc all completely with car parts.
How did you get into your business as a dealer? I trained as a mechanic in England, and carried on that career upon my move to California, working in a high end automotive repair and restoration shop. I took a broken Aston Martin V12 engine block and made myself a coffee table with it. When everyone who saw it liked it so much, I started thinking of different things I could make, and made my nephew in England a clock with a piston. Everyone who saw that loved it, so I started selling a few items/making gifts for friends. It started as a hobby and grew from there, and I just keep making stuff and people like it!
What is your favorite treasure you have found/sold? I recently sold a vintage V12 Jaguar engine coffee table in British racing green and it came out awesome, I wanted to keep it.
What is one find you cannot part with? I still have my first coffee table I ever built in my possession, and I would love not to ever have to part with it.
What are you most looking forward to during the Three Speckled Hens Spring Show? I am really looking forward to seeing peoples reaction to my art at the spring show. My line of products is very different than what people have seen before, so if they are into cars or not, I am looking forward to seeing what they think. I’m hoping to bring a bathroom sink made from a transmission, people often enjoy seeing how those are built!