Our Story

Mark Bengel started Carolina Wood Signs as a side project — just a creative outlet making wooden gifts for family and friends.

“I never planned on starting a business,” Bengel said. “People would see something I made and ask, ‘Hey, can you make one for me?’ And I’d just say, ‘I don’t know — let me try.’”

Based in Clyde, North Carolina, Bengel — a police officer by trade — has always had an artistic side but is completely self-taught when it comes to woodworking.

What started with American flag designs soon turned into custom lake signs, trail markers, and vintage-style décor celebrating the Carolinas and beyond.

“I love working with reclaimed wood,” he said. “I’m always on the lookout for scrap pieces — old fencing, barn wood, anything with character. My garage is basically a giant scrap pile. I never throw anything away because I never know when I’ll need it for a sign or a project.”

Bengel uses a wood router to carve his signature vintage-style signs, featuring local lakes like Lake Junaluska, Fontana Lake, or Lake Lure — as well as custom designs shipped all over the country.

“People want a piece of home — something that reminds them of their favorite place,” he said.

He works out of his garage workshop in the evenings or on days off, often while his daughters are at school.

“Woodworking is a way to unwind — to take something God made and turn it into something beautiful,” he said.

The name Carolina Wood Signs was inspired by his love of the mountains and lakes of Western North Carolina — a region that’s become home since moving there in 2012.

“It’s a slower pace here. People appreciate handmade things — something with a story behind it.”