Entrepreneur Joy Horstmann’s business is tanking.

The Marion resident and mother of three began Fancy Fire Pit almost two years ago, creating the backyard centerpieces from carbon steel tank heads.

“About five years ago, my son wanted a fire pit to hang out with friends in the backyard,” said Horstmann. “We got an old tank head, put a base on it, and turned it into a fire pit.”

The fire pit was such a success that Horstmann decided, after a few years of deliberation, to start her own business.

With her oldest son in college and her other two children away at boarding schools, Horstmann said, “I knew I was going to have an empty nest and I wanted to go back to work. I figured I could have fun doing it.”

From designing the fire pits to figuring out where and how to market them, the past two years have been a learning curve for Horstman. An English major, trained cook, and former food writer, she said getting her small company up and running has been a process.

“It takes so much longer than I thought it was going to take. By two years, you can’t tell anything,” she said.

Horstmann often uses old tank heads from her husband Carl’s company Mass Tank. But because the carbon steel is pricey, Horstmann has little room for error in creating the fire pits.

Cutting out the designs requires a skilled and steady hand, said Horstmann. Welders from Mass Tank practice on the center of the tank before cutting them out on the fire pits with plasma cutters.

The new pits are then sandblasted and left outside to weather, turning a rusty patina.

Retailing at approximately $1,000, Horstmann said customers need to see the finished product in person to understand its quality. “I don’t actually sell much online,” she explained. “It’s hard for people to appreciate why they would buy something for $1,000 when they can go to Lowe’s and buy one for $150.”

While the cheaper versions tend to rust through in one to two years, Horstmann said her sturdy fire pits will outlive their customers.

To get her product into yards, Horstmann has begun to canvas the country with her product, attending trade and garden shows in the South, Midwest, and locally.

“I’ve found that American made, family made, and women-run businesses are really big. It’s very attractive to people,” she said.

Although she enjoys the creative aspects of Fancy Fire Pit, Horstmann views herself as a businesswoman. That allows her to create custom designs, a large part of her company, that might not be her taste.

“I’m not attached to them in the sense that – if this is what you want, I’m happy to make it,” she said. “I have no claims to being an artist. I’m just making fire pits that I think look cool.”

Horstmann’s fire pits are for sale at Anthi Frangiadis Associates at 11 Spring Street, Marion. For more information on Fancy Fire Pit, visit the website here.