I started Reed Handcrafted Furniture because I envisioned building a woodworking business focused on creating custom pieces of heirloom-quality wood furniture. Not the kind of furniture that's thrown together in a couple of days—rather, pieces that are treated more like fine artwork. 

Let me tell you a little more about me: I grew up in Williamsport, PA and went to Bishop Neumann High School. Our school did not offer woodshop, automotive, or any other program that involves tools, but I was around them my whole life, and learned to use them with my father and my brother as guides. I went to college to study business, because I wasn't sure what I wanted, and thought it would be better to have a degree in something rather than nothing. Soon enough, I discovered that it wasn't for me. After a year in college, I moved back to Williamsport, and got into the field of graphic design and sign production. That line of work allowed me to work with tools again, and I realized how much I enjoyed it. I worked in that field for about seven years until moving to Harrisburg with my girlfriend (now my wife). I continued to do graphic design on the side and found a job with a local business doing commercial window washing. Although window washing wasn’t the career I ultimately envisioned for myself, I became good friends with my boss, who created a very positive environment in which to work.  

Soon I decided that I wanted to own my own business. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out what would make me happy. I began studying the history of furniture, and steadily gained an appreciation for this art form and the countless eras and styles associated with it. The midcentury modern era, in particular, drew me in. The more I learned about this era, the more it excited and inspired me, so I decided to try and learn how to recreate it, one piece at a time, while imbuing each one with my own personality. I accumulated most of the necessary saws, chisels and other tools and began practicing techniques and various joinery methods, and simply absorbing everything I could. I started off making small things as gifts and slowly worked up to full-scale pieces. Now, I’m excited and ready to start building custom heirloom pieces, ones that will be strong enough—and remarkable enough—to be passed down through the generations.