In the beginning - Part 1

July 13, 2024

It seems like a zillion years ago when we started this whole venture. As I’ve thought about this blog and what to do with it, I figured, why not take this time to put the whole story in writing. I’ve done a series of videos telling the story but maybe this is the way it really should be done… maybe it won’t get lost this way.

So there I was… it was October of 2016 while Nick and I were hanging out in Grafton for our anniversary, we stopped by this little wood shop called Knotty by Nature. We met Dan, the owner. Solid dude. Cool shop.

Lots of fun wood and a lot of live edge. I had always wanted something live edge but at that time I didn’t even know what it was called.

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I learned that day.

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I found a long board of some thin live edge spalted maple with some unique grains, simple and elegant and just raw… and fell in love. I wanted to use it to put up some shelves with brackets in for our son’s room. Everyone needs more places to put stuff, right? Joe was only 2 years old. He was as crazy of a baby and toddler as he has grown to be now. That kid never stops!

So we snatched up this maple board, threw it in that old blue dodge, went home and then figured out what to do with it. It was a super simple endeavor of some sanding and finishing and cutting but it totally hooked us on live edge wood, the unique grains, the natural beauty, the work…. Everything.

-AJ