“I worked in the food service industry for twelve years and loved it, but I needed a change, so I took a job at a woodworking company even though I knew nothing about the craft. The first things I made were just awful, but I got better. Then a friend hired me to make a table for her printer. I must have spent twenty hours on it, non-stop. I finished it at 2:00 in the morning; I didn’t even want to sleep. When it was done, I told her, ‘This is still yours, but it’s way too pretty to cover up. Here, I bought you a $12 table at Wal-Mart for your printer.’ That was a turning point for me. I decided that making furniture is what I really wanted to do. I found a great spot to lease just off Broad Avenue and plan to open my business within a couple of months. The space will be designed so that people can come in, watch the furniture being built, ask questions if they’re having issues with a building project of their own, or just shoot the breeze. I’m calling it 'His & Hearse Furniture' because some of what I’ll do will involve taking old pieces and giving them new life. Plus, when I can afford it, I’m going to purchase a hearse. They’re great used cars because they’re always in good condition, have never been driven fast, are roomy enough for transporting large furniture, and have rollers to help get the pieces in and out safely and without scarring. I thought I had found my niche before, but it was nothing like this. I love figuring out the engineering involved in building furniture, and I love the designing. It’s a creative challenge."
The table that started it all:
John Carr, His & Hearse Hardwoods, LLC, 455 Collins St.
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