Barn XO

My name is Kyle Nied and I have an older brother named Nick. Our business, “Barn XO”, was born out of a desperate situation. A couple years ago, Nick got very sick and found out that he would eventually need a kidney transplant. My mom and the rest of our family became very proactive in finding my brother a kidney.

We knew that the only way my brother was going to get a kidney and have a chance at survival was to find a donor. We discovered that I could help my brother through the “UW Transplant Program” at the Health University of Wisconsin.

As Nick’s condition progressed, I looked for a way to get his mind off of things. We happened to meet some farmers who talked about old barns that they needed to have torn down. I saw an opportunity to reclaim this wood and give it new life and purpose. Together, we developed our craft by creating unique pieces of furniture using this reclaimed wood.

We started with a load of wood from the farmers and used it to build a table and bench for our mom. We then took pictures and created listings on “Craig’s List” and orders started flying in.

On January 8, 2015 my brother received a kidney from a donor in San Francisco and I donated one of my kidneys to a person in West Virginia. I do not know how my parents made it through that day, having both of their sons in surgery. Our transplant chain was the largest chain in the world with 35 pairs, helping 70 people with kidney donations. In April, our story was aired on Channel 5 ABC World News.

We are both doing great and are back in the swing of giving new life to each piece of furniture we build. We both feel so blessed that we are donating $5.00 of our proceeds to the “Kidney Foundation” for each piece we build. Join us in helping create new life with each piece of wood we acquire and help us to “pay it forward”.

Kindest Regards,
Kyle and Nick Nied