Woodworker enjoys the challenge of custom projects
Quality furniture is built to last
NEW GLASGOW — In a world where buying furniture in a cardboard box to be assembled at home is common practice, Mark Wartak is out of the norm.
The 24- year- old entrepreneur is striving to build a business on handmade products. That endeavour has seen him go from building cedar outdoor furniture in the summer to his latest effort of creating indoor hardwood and pine furniture.
Wartak had been involved in various forms of carpentry for years, but found he enjoyed finish work the best.
“After a while I noticed that there were a lot of cabinet makers, and finish carpenters and high- end furniture makers, but no one that really makes a good ole fashioned kitchen table, or a nicely built desk, or even a custom TV stand,” he said. “So I decided to pursue a sort of middle of the road path and make beautiful, hand crafted, hardwood, custom furniture at a comparable price to local stores.”
The qualities of solid wood furniture as opposed to pressboard, MDF and veneered softwood are many and varied, from the look, to the durability, to the strength, he says.
“Many of my customers come to me exclusively because they are tired of going to the big box stores, buying cheap furniture, and then it either rotting out or breaking to pieces before they ever really get to enjoy it,” he said.
For outdoor furniture which he has sold the past couple of years at the New Glasgow Farmers’ Market, he uses cedar because of its decay and rot resistant and stainless steel hardware because it’s rustproof.
For the furniture that sells to stores and major residences, he said he tries to design each piece with the endgame in mind.
“I try to think of what I would like in patio or interior furniture and put that into wood,” he said.
But much of his indoor work so far has been custom designs where customers would find a picture online or somewhere and ask him to recreate it.
“Not only could I often make it more cheaply than the original website would have it listed, but I would save them the shipping fees as well,” he said. “But at the same time, they may have found a product in a store that is made out of pressboard and would like it made out of solid wood. Or they may find a product that they love, but they need it larger, such as a kitchen table that seats six, they like the design, but need it to seat 10.”
As much as it is a benefit to customers, he said it’s something he personally enjoys as well.
“I love working on custom projects simply because I get to work with my two favourite things in life, I get to work with people, and with wood,” he said. “Custom work is fun because each piece that I do is a new and exciting adventure as I rarely do the same piece twice. Starting with only a basic picture, creating a workable drawing with measurements, and following it through to the finished project can be both a difficult and a fulfilling experience.”
Starting a business in Pictou County for a younger person has had its ups and downs.
In many ways this area is a great place to start up a company because people are concerned about supporting local business. The biggest challenge, he said, is his age.
“Because I’m only 24, people often equate my age with lack of both experience and ability,” he said. “There have been times when I go to customers homes for delivery, and they automatically think I’m simply the delivery person, and they wonder who actually built the product, as if it would be impossible for someone my age to do the job.”
But he hopes to continue to pursue his dream of making his business a reality here in Pictou County.
If you’d like to learn more about his business, check out Timeless Woodcraft on Facebook.