On A Whim is a small business owned by wife & husband team, Cheri and Steve Thomas, in the rural village of Herscher, Illinois.

In August 2018, they started out just by creating a couple custom handmade furniture pieces requested by friends. Steve’s background in the construction industry as a union Heat & Frost Insulator and his love of building with wood launched a little side hustle. They became dedicated to providing their customers personally created home décor and handmade furniture.

Due to the pandemic, in March 2020 Cheri found herself furloughed from her job as a land title searcher. She realized many government offices would likely make the move to online records and the need for “boots on the ground” searchers would greatly diminish. After some research, Cheri amped up their creative game by adding a 40W CO2 laser to the workshop. This nifty tool opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Cheri and Steve. Custom-cut and engraved items like signs, ornaments, and more were now possible. As a kid who never found her name on anything in a store, Cheri especially enjoys creating personalized, one-of-a-kind items like ornaments which become family treasures.

In 2022, Cheri began offering Make & Take Workshops. Working with area businesses, clubs and organizations to host a workshop, a design or theme is chosen. Cheri organizes the registration, publicity materials, cuts all the wood blanks, and teaches participants during the workshop. Providing tips and techniques, encouraging creativity, and guiding them through the assembly to go home with their own unique completed project.

And the story doesn’t stop there. Late in 2023, Cheri and Steve added a much larger 100W CO2 laser and a 30W fiber laser. These cutting-edge machines will open new possibilities for On A Whim. With the ability to work with additional materials like stone, metal, leather, glass and more on the new lasers, Cheri and Steve are excited to collaborate with customers to create something special.