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Woodworking with a purpose: Apple Blossom flourishes

Posted 10/27/19

When Philip Glassmeyer started his custom furniture company Apple Blossom Woodworks August 2018, he was working out of his garage. Just over a year later he is about to celebrate a grand opening, Nov. 2, in a 3,750 square-foot commercial suite at 8581 W. Kelton Lane, #206, in the Arrowhead Commerce Center.

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Woodworking with a purpose: Apple Blossom flourishes

Posted

When Philip Glassmeyer started his custom furniture company Apple Blossom Woodworks August 2018, he was working out of his garage. Just over a year later he is about to celebrate a grand opening, Nov. 2, in a 3,750 square-foot commercial suite at 8581 W. Kelton Lane, #206, in the Arrowhead Commerce Center.

Mr. Glassmeyer said the business has experienced growth every month since he opened with the new space allowing for more production and space for retail open to the public.

The majority of the wood Mr. Glassmeyer uses come from trees recovered from people’s homes after storms, keeping it from the fate of becoming fire wood or ending up in a landfill.

The expansion will include room for a vacuum kiln that dries wood much quicker than traditional kilns. From there he builds custom furniture ranging from tables and shelves to bar tops.

Mr. Glassmeyer has been a woodworker for years with early inspiration from his father who served in the Navy’s construction battalion. He said building furniture has paid great personal rewards over the years.

“It’s like working on a playground,” he said. “It’s hard work. It’s dirty. And you’re not going to retire early doing it. But there is deep satisfaction that comes with it. Completing the finished product and walking with the material from the beginning, which would have been a forsaken resource, and then seeing the look on clients’ faces when the project is complete.”

Peoria Independent spoke to Mr. Glassmeyer on the details of his work, and how it’s not just about making furniture but about protecting an important natural resource.

Question: How did you come to start Apple Blossom Woodworks?

Answer: For years I have been a custom furniture builder. I cut my teeth in Las Vegas fabricating custom elements for displays that companies ordered to use at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Apple Blossom Woodworks is about more than making custom pieces. Many people make furniture, but I want to incorporate my preference for making higher-end pieces with recovering and using fallen trees from here in the Valley. I want to highlight the beauty and value of these trees that for years have simply been cut into firewood or tossed into the chipper. My hope is that this resource will begin to be used on a larger scale, and that people will do more to plant and care for trees in our city.

Q: How does your process work?

A: We recover logs from fallen trees, often in partnership with some of the great tree services in the Valley. We then cut them on our EZ Boardwalk sawmill and prepare them for drying. The use of our vacuum kiln not only allows us to dry wood quicker, but it is also less stressful on the wood, better preserving color and nearly eliminating checking (cracks) in the ends of the boards. This is all one side of our business. We use this curated wood for our own custom work and we also make it available to the public to purchase. On the custom side of the business we make tables, dressers, beds, floating shelves, bar tops, doors, and most anything else you can imagine accept boats. We don’t make boats or canoes.

Q: Why was it important to have the business in Peoria?

A: My wife and our children called the Valley home for many years before we moved to St. Louis for grad school in 2004 and then on to Las Vegas in 2007. When we had the opportunity to return to Phoenix in 2016, we were eager to make Peoria our home. We looked for nearly a year to find a location for our shop because it was our desire to be within the bounds of Peoria, a place that we hope to call home for many years.

Q: What is unique about Apple Blossom Woodworks?

A: That we use recovered trees from the city to build most of our pieces sets us apart from most other custom shops. We are able to use mesquite, eucalyptus, acacia, sissoo (rosewood), ash, oak, and Texas ebony, all trees that thrive here in our city.

Q: You have a celebrity connection, don’t you?

A: People are often intrigued to learn that I ran Clint Harp’s shop in Waco, Texas during seasons 3-4 of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.” I built nearly all the show items that came from Clint’s shop during those seasons. It’s still fun see “Fixer Upper” on the TV at the doctor’s office, for example, and recall those builds as they are highlighted on the show.

Q: How will the new location benefit the customer?

A: People will be able to come by the shop to begin their custom project. They will also be able to buy spec pieces that we build and have for sale, in addition to cutting boards, floating shelves, and other design elements.

Q: What do you think the future hold for Apple Blossom Woodworks?

A: Right now our plans are to become more firmly established within the Peoria communities of remodelers, designers, and DIYers. Our only hope regarding expansion will be to need a bigger space in order to provide work for more of our neighbors in Peoria.

Philip Haldiman can be reached at 623-876-3697, phaldiman@newszap.com, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.