Published: July 12, 2008 09:41 pm         

Hand-crafted cabinets highlight new Beckley business

Brad Guthrie has been making his own hand-crafted cabinets and furniture since he was a teenager.

“I have always enjoyed working with wood,” Guthrie said. “Making cabinets is my favorite.”

Despite his cabinet-making abilities, Guthrie had always considered it more of a hobby.

“I never really thought about doing it as a full-time job,” he said.

That was until his employer closed down in January.

“We moved to Beckley six years ago and really love it here,” Guthrie said. “My wife, Tania, and I wanted to stay. We decided to open up a primitive crafts store that would feature my handcrafted cabinets.”

The couple opened Brad’s Boards, located at 501 South Eisenhower Drive in Beckley.

“We are in the same building as The Speckled Hen,” Guthrie said.

Guthrie says his 1-1/2-year-old daughter, Victoria, can often be found at the new store “being daddy’s little helper.”

“She keeps me company some times,” he said.

Guthrie says nothing beats the quality of a hand-made piece of furniture.

“These cabinets are mass produced in China,” he said. “Those mass produced items are made with a very low quality type of wood. There is just no comparison when it comes to quality.”

Plus, a handcrafted cabinet is unique, according to Guthrie.

“Each one is a little bit different from the next one I make,” he said. “When you purchase one of these cabinets you are getting a one-of-a-kind each and every time.”

Jelly cupboards, chicken coop cabinets, and one cabinet that looks like an outhouse are all on display at the store.

“We take special orders as well,” Guthrie said. “I can pretty much build any type of cabinet a person would like to have.”

The store also sells candles, tarts and primitive items.

“We carry different types of old-style kitchen ware,” he said. “We also are trying to feature as many West Virginia-made items as possible, instead of out-of-state or out-of-country,” said Guthrie.

The primitive items include older looking dolls, the old barn stars and other old-fashioned types of home decoration items.

“We have items that remind people of older times,” Guthrie said.

The new business has been open about a month.

“We have been pleasantly surprised with the amount of interest we have had since opening the store,” Guthrie said. “Our customers are telling others about us and through word of mouth we have seen a steady flow of customers and visitors to the store.”

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday; and closed on Sunday.

For additional information, call 237-6926.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com