A Return to Seattle: Reflections on a Community that Continues to Provide Great Insights
Seattle, Wa
Returning to a place with such a profound impact on where you are now is a unique experience. It allows a perspective yet unseen revealing where you have been, what you have learned, and how you wish to grow. The Seattle area has and continues to be a prominent influence for us at KERR Woodworking. Such a beautiful city, surrounded by water and mountains, cradled by breathtaking vistas and lush wildlife. It’s an incubator for the creative maker and a place to learn and develop skills from some of the most talented individuals and prominent businesses in the country.
It is a Thursday morning as I look through the circular plane window excited to be greeted by the majestic Mount Rainier. A symbol of the Pacific Northwest and a monumental and humbling force of nature emulating Seattle's growing stature as a true formidable city. I land in the Emerald City with a full schedule and a hunger to connect with other makers as well as with Seattle itself - an old friend bursting with nostalgia, art, nature, and delicious food.
After moving away four years earlier and launching KERR Woodworking in Asheville NC, I return to Seattle with new eyes and begin with a tour of Dovetail, a Seattle-based builder and general contractor, creating beautiful and intentional spaces. Having just launched their new wood fabrication shop under the moniker of Interbay Wood and Metal, I connect with an old colleague and their shop manager for a behind the scenes tour. With efficient use of shop space, I’m inspired by the opportunity to get a glimpse of a company we so strongly admire. To witness such a space and a company in full stride while staying intentional greatly impresses upon me as we will soon begin to design and build a shop of our own just outside Asheville.
After an inspiring morning, lunch begins to call, and I welcome some delicious Bibimbap, a Korean speciality at a small restaurant in Fremont, while catching up with my former employers and great friends/ owners of Chadhaus, a local furniture company designing and building sustainable and beautiful pieces. With a substantial influence on me and how we see our own business journey, the owners offer great advice and feedback on KERR Woodworking thus far. “Trust the process, stay genuine, and continue focusing on your goals.” Their insights are invaluable, and we are grateful for the encouraging words.
When you live, work, and grow in a city for twenty years you tend to develop favorite spots, little nooks and crannies that embolden your creativity, and a trip back to Seattle wouldn’t be complete without a night out at one of the many amazing music venues to catch a show. Goodnight, Texas plays at the Tractor Tavern, a small bar and music venue located in the heart of Ballard. I feel elated to visit an old haunt while enjoying some good music with good friends, a vital component of the creative culture of this city.
Mayer Designs in the neighborhood of South Park is on the docket for Friday. A custom fabrication shop specializing mostly in metal work that supports high end residential and commercial spaces. Also run by a husband and wife team, further along in their journey, work on some really interesting and creative pieces with the profound and coveted firm, Olson Kundig. I listen intently as Nich and Jessica Mayer discuss how they balance and move forward with their own furniture line in congruent with direct custom work and substantial projects with larger firms. Insights that fit well for KERR as we grow and develop these aspects of our business in the woodworking world.
Community is fundamental to any small business and the community we have in Seattle is invaluable. Many people: designers, woodworkers, architects have all been instrumental to my development as a furniture maker, to mine and Erin’s growth as business owners, and to our design aesthetic. My ability on how to work with clients to seamlessly pair good design with structural soundness has been honed from these many relationships I’ve fostered over the years working and growing within this community. Twenty years in a city full of talented teachers. One highly notable source being my time at Henrybuilt.
After eight years of walking the production facility at Henrybuilt, I feel a sense of comfort and nostalgia being around old friends and co-workers during my visit. The massive scale of the space filled with top of the line equipment and machinery is like a dream - one I cherish having had the opportunity of being a part of in multiple capacities. I took with me an immense bank of knowledge, insight, and a work ethic unseen in many shop spaces. Production techniques, flow, and the importance of cleanliness, organization, and efficiency are just a few integral components we now apply to the KERR wood shop space in Asheville. As I sip a beer at the Friday Henrybuilt Happy Hour, I am reminded of my time there and get caught up in a reflective moment of how I have returned as a small business owner with a specific vision of my own. I can’t help but to think that I am just one of many employees whom have moved on to begin their own woodworking adventures. A sign of a great teacher and company to work for, to inspire and create new companies, and for that I feel truly grateful.
A quick bite at Un Bien, an unassuming yet other-worldly cuban sandwich spot proceeds a stroll through Discovery Park with an old, great friend. We believe here at KERR that moments of reflection are necessary to properly absorb an influx of information and generate new ideas based on those thoughts. For us, nature is a huge proponent for reflection and if you’ve ever been to Discovery Park in Seattle, there is no better spot. Elliot Bay in the distance, a ferry traversing the waters of the Puget Sound, islands, mountains, maybe even a bald eagle sighting if you’re really lucky. As the sun begins to set, I head toward downtown Seattle to the Showbox to a Pretty Girls Make Graves show - a local band from a throw back era, yet another reminder of who I was before this new adventure. I try and soak it all in as I gear up for an anticipated stop along my trip, a visit to the offices of Olson Kundig.
Monday morning, I meet up with a friend and one of the Olson Kundig senior project delivery managers. Engulfed in steel and glass and old growth Douglas Fir beams, Olson Kundig has a stunning and quintessential Seattle office located in the heart of Pioneer Square, an old and preserved area of Seattle and a dream space for design and art through architecture. The pinnacle of the office tour was their prototype shop, a small yet completely outfitted wood shop encased in sound-proof glass right in the middle of their offices. An incredible and monumental experience. When working for Chadhaus, I had the great opportunity to build multiple custom pieces for Olson Kundig, including for Jim Olson’s personal Longbranch project on Key Peninsula, a beautiful setting at the south end of Puget Sound. It would be a dream to have another opportunity to create more custom pieces for this inspiring firm.
As I leave Seattle to head back to the Blue Ridge Mountains I again, feel inspired by our Seattle community on how to move forward, to create new furniture pieces and to cultivate new relationships. We strive to continue to grow KERR Woodworking as a small intentional company connecting with others and the natural world through beautiful, organic, and well-built pieces that will last a lifetime.
