Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 31, 1990 TAG: 9005300179
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARIANNA FILLMORE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The true definition is all but lost except to the dictionary. The Woods River Co. of Christiansburg, however, is breathing new life into the word, recreating it in the fullest sense.
Designers and builders of fine wood furniture for the home and office, Jeffrey Turner and David St. Jean have created a business that offers a special service as well as a product.
Customers can either choose from the standard line of bookcases, desks and entertainment centers in the showroom, or have the partners work with them to custom design a piece that will exactly meet their needs.
"People don't know that this service exists," Turner said.
"They don't understand that we will design a piece with them, that they don't have to take what's on the floor. Not many places can you go and design your own affordable piece of furniture and have it built right there."
If a customer can't picture exactly what he or she wants or needs, Turner and St. Jean have the expertise to ask questions and show examples until they have worked out a design that is exactly right.
The partners will also take a customer's own design and build to its specifications or, if necessary, modify it to utilize the materials most efficiently.
"We work hard to accommodate the customer in every possible way," Turner said.
The furniture in their showroom is basically their own design - "very simple and functional," Turner said.
About 30 percent of their business is from stock items, primarily in birch, oak, and cherry.
Turner and St. Jean usually use a natural finish on their furniture, although they will stain pieces if requested.
"Most people appreciate the natural wood tones," said Turner.
When the partners get a custom order that they believe will be pleasing to others, they will make several of that item at the same time, usually with some slight stylistic difference
In designing their own pieces, many of the prototypes become gifts to family and friends as they experiment with styles and woods.
Both Turner, 31, and St. Jean, 32, have done woodworking for years. Throughout high school and college they worked in furniture or cabinet-making shops or as carpenters with contractors.
St. Jean attended the University of Maryland, and was involved with restoration work in Rappahannock County.
In 1983, his wife was accepted at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and they moved to Blacksburg. Here he started his own business, David St. Jean - Handcrafted Furniture.
After receiving a degree in philosophy and religion at Juniata College in Pennsylvania, Turner came to Blacksburg to pursue a master's in history at Virginia Tech. He and his wife became curators at Smithfield Plantation where he did a lot of restoration work.
He also did woodworking on the side to make ends meet. It was on one such job that he met St. Jean while he was installing cabinets. They found that they had many of the same goals and values, and in 1984, decided to form their own company.
For the first three years, working out of the old railroad station in Cambria, the partners focused primarily on restoration and renovation of buildings and furniture.
They dreamed, however, of a place where they could have both a shop, where they could work year-round out of the weather, and a showroom, where they could display and sell their craftsmanship and not rely so heavily on commissions.
In 1987, they moved to their present location at 3390 Midway Road just off U.S. 460 between Blacksburg and Christiansburg. They operated out of their shop for two years, then designed and helped build the showroom eight months ago.
Both partners believe that the business is doing well, especially since they opened the showroom.
The company offers a price list on its standard production items. They will deliver finished pieces throughout the New River Valley. Business hours are 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
by CNB