Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Pace.
Hi Shawn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’m 52 years old, and I started in landscaping as a teenager, building retaining walls after school for people I cut grass for. That’s when I first entered the construction phase, and from the beginning I was taking on jobs that pushed me beyond what I’d done before. With the right mindset, tools, and determination, I always found a way to get the work done. That mindset has carried me through three decades of work, and at this point I’ve about seen it all.
Over the years, I’ve built projects you can’t just look up a plan for online. I built a whiskey barrel over 15 feet tall for a bar that was opening. I built a working bar in the shape of a boat. With jobs like that, there’s no manual — I take them one step at a time, and when a problem comes up, I solve it right then, not before and not after. Over time, especially with custom woodwork and furniture, people started calling me an artist. At first that made me uncomfortable — I could handle being called creative, but “artist” felt like something I wasn’t. Eventually I came to accept it, because a lot of what I do really is art.
Recently, I decided to split my work into two separate identities, giving each its own brand. SPace & Son focuses on remodels and woodworking, where the details and design challenges push my creativity. Metro East Epoxy grew naturally out of that work and is now its own brand, delivering premium epoxy floors with a four- to five-day turnaround. Remodels and woodworking give me the chance to treat projects like art. Epoxy isn’t art in the same way, but I like the system, the pace, and the chance to hand over something that’s exciting and built to last.
After thirty-plus years in construction, I’ve learned that the approach never changes: bring everything you’ve got, keep moving forward, and build work that lasts..
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Running a business has tested me in ways I never could have planned for, but those challenges have shaped the way I work today. Relationship and custody issues have a way of forcing you to decide what matters most, and for me, that made my kids the top priority, even when it meant making sacrifices in other areas. Owning my own business has also given me the flexibility to be there for them in ways that would be harder in a conventional job, and that time is something I value more than anything.
Another challenge has been learning to evolve with the industry. Early in my career, clients often looked to me for design ideas, but as trends and channels like HGTV grew, customers began arriving with exact visions of what they wanted. That shift moved me more from design build to more of an installer. Over the years, I have learned that growth in this trade is not just about keeping up with the work, it is about evolving yourself and your business to match where you want to go, what the market is asking for, and what the future holds.
Like many creative professionals, I have had to work at balancing the creative side with the business side. It is easy to get lost in the work itself, but running a business also means keeping up with organization, paperwork, and financial discipline.
The struggles have shaped my work ethic, and they have also made me grateful for every project, every client, and every chance to create something that will outlast the hard days.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in building or renovating just about anything someone wants. That ranges from bathroom and kitchen remodels, to metallic epoxy floors, to custom projects like built-ins, hidden doors, bookshelves, wine racks, and even custom tables and conference tables. The list really just goes on, and I do not think it will ever end because people keep coming to me with new ideas. We are just wrapping up a game room for a client’s two boys that includes some intricate epoxy work, and I love projects like that because they let me add personal touches that make the space unique to the family.
What I am most proud of is the reputation I have built. People know that when I finish a job, it looks the way it is supposed to look, and it works the way it is supposed to work. I low-key love when people brag on me because it reminds me I have moved in the right direction. Not like I have arrived, but like I am where I am supposed to be. The best compliment I can get is when a client says, “Just do what you think is right and looks the best.” That kind of trust means everything to me because it lets me do what I do best, take something out of a client’s head and turn it into something real.
Remodels are the foundation, the very basics of the construction process, and I love mixing creative elements into them to transform an ordinary project into something personal. At the same time, metallic epoxy floors give me the chance to keep building and pouring with a system that delivers fast, lasting results. That balance is what keeps me moving forward.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t really believe in luck, at least not the way most people use the word. What looks like good luck is really just the blessing of acting on a planted idea and instinct, and what looks like bad luck is often not acting. I believe they are planted, and you have a choice to do something with them or let them pass by. Other times, what people call bad luck is really just a lesson waiting to be learned. If you don’t learn the lesson, it repeats itself until you do — and that string of lessons can easily be mistaken for a string of bad luck.
For me, it mostly comes down to what you ask for, what you’re willing to work for, and what you’re open to receive. The closest thing to luck in my life has been my personal relationship with the universe. I believe the universe responds when you ask and when you act, and that feels like a blessing, not chance. My grandma used to say, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” As a kid, I didn’t understand it, but now I see the truth in it — if you aren’t acting, you aren’t receiving.
More than anything, I’ve learned that blessings and gratitude play a much bigger role in life than luck ever has. Even on the most difficult days, if you can find gratitude, it can turn things around quickly. That’s not luck, that’s perspective, faith, and work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spaceandson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeDesignandRemodel
- Other: Space and Son (618)567-4028 Metro-East Epoxy (618) 72-EPOXY
