Take To the Trees

How a Georgia couple turned a pandemic project into a business creating whimsical wooden forts

- TARA MASSOULEH MCCAY

DURING the summer of 2020, the ScagliD one family-like so many others around the world-felt bored and desperate for a break from the monotony of life in quarantine. Mike, who was used to a demanding job in the medical-sales industry, found himself sidelined and was itching for a way to occupy his newfound free time.

"We were all stuck in the house with our kids, and they were constantly on iPads and phones," he says. "I needed to find a way to get them out."

His solution to both conundrums was to construct a tree fort in their Alpharetta, Georgia, backyard. With little building experience and even less knowledge about woodworking, he got started. "Over the course of four to six weeks, he just plugged away at it day after day," says his wife, Kristin. “Then, all of a sudden, this fort that was beyond my-and I think even his-expectations just started appearing."

While Mike was building, Kristin documented the progress on social media. The couple never planned to make a business out of the project, but as the structure began to take shape, inquiries and requests from friends and acquaintances wanting their own backyard tree forts started flooding in.