Kristina Molinaro
Kristina Molinaro co-founded Dayton-based woodworking brand Twenty Five and Pine with her husband Nick. TikTok helped them grow the business to full-time operations, and the pair were featured on NPR’s How I Built This podcast.
Kristina Molinaro's Bio
Kristina Molinaro co-founded Twenty Five and Pine, a Dayton-based woodworking brand that makes functional hardwood furniture designed for parents and children to share. She launched the company with her husband Nick, blending small-batch craftsmanship with direct-to-consumer storytelling.
Before building furniture full-time, Molinaro built a background in marketing and operations, later applying those skills to the brand she and Nick started in their Dayton garage. Their first product was a kids’ table and chair set that converted into adult seating—a design born from their own experience as parents who were tired of choosing between toddler-sized furniture and giving up their living space.
The brand grew through organic social media, with YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Etsy content showing the real woodworking process and the couple’s day-to-day as small-business owners. A TikTok video for their wine table went viral right before Christmas, triggering a demand surge large enough to move the business from their basement into a commercial shop.
Over roughly five years, Twenty Five and Pine reached about $600,000 in cumulative sales while remaining a locally rooted, made-in-house operation. Molinaro emphasizes accessibility and community, positioning the furniture as both practical for family life and honest about the realities of running a small manufacturing business.
Career Timeline
2017 — Co-founded Twenty Five and Pine
Co-founded the Dayton-based woodworking brand with husband Nick, crafting modern hardwood furniture from their garage-turned-woodshop.
2018 — First product launch at Twenty Five and Pine
Launched initial kids' table-and-chair set that converts into adult seating, born from real parenting experience.
2019 — Built social media following at Twenty Five and Pine
Grew YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Etsy channels showing the real woodworking process and small-business realities.
2021 — TikTok viral moment at Twenty Five and Pine
A TikTok video featuring their wine table went viral right before Christmas, triggering a demand surge that pushed the business from basement to commercial shop.
2022 — Moved to commercial shop at Twenty Five and Pine
Transitioned production from home garage to a dedicated commercial woodshop in Dayton, Ohio.
2023 — Expanded product line at Twenty Five and Pine
Introduced additional table and seating products, maintaining small-batch, made-in-house production.
2024 — Reached ~$600K cumulative sales at Twenty Five and Pine
Business reached roughly $600,000 in cumulative sales over approximately five years, remaining a locally rooted, made-in-house operation.
2026 — Featured on How I Built This episode 839 at How I Built This / NPR
Appeared on NPR's How I Built This podcast to tell the Twenty Five and Pine story with Guy Raz.
