Local woodcraftsman wants it known his work is made right here at home
(Talk of the Town photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano) A bench marked "Not Made in China" catches the eyes of passersby along North Line Street.
By Jennifer Zartman Romano
On a daily commute up and down the roadways in this community, there are certain things that always catch your eye.
Going down North Line Street, there are often brightly colored Adirondack chairs and benches in a yard for sale – capturing the eye and triggering thoughts of tall glasses of lemonade at the lakeside. Occasionally, there are new ones in new colors. The offerings change frequently, but the style still paints a relaxes mood in one's mind. Recently, however, the addition of a small sign added an even more patriotic contemplation to those thoughts.
A small, hand-lettered inscription reads “Not Made in China.” In a day and age where so much of what we have and use comes from foreign countries, it makes sense for local woodcraftsman Jonathan Schoeph to set his work apart since, after all, he makes his chairs one at a time here in Columbia City.
“He’s all about that,” said his daughter Kaley Schoeph Friday afternoon. “He likes to make it known it all him!”
“He’s an all-American guy,” she said of her father, a Columbia City resident.
While similar pieces of lawn furniture might be available elsewhere in the community, she’s eager to point out that her dad’s furniture is of better quality, better wood and will last much longer – and best of all, it’s locally made.
Schoeph said her dad has been making the chairs and benches she sells for him in her front yard for more than 10 years, getting quite a following. She said her dad enjoys getting to know his customers and sharing his work with them.
For more information, call 244-5948.