|
A Colorado-based carpenter, mountaineering guide
and technical rigger in the movie industry, Sandy East saw a
need to supply quality reclaimed materials to projects he was
involved with in the Telluride area. So, in 1999, he set out
to find the best Long Leaf Pine available for flooring, mill
work and decorative beams.
He returned to his native Georgia where he remembered
as a child seeing beautiful Long Leaf Pine and White Oak in buildings
his father, a contractor, would renovate or demolish. At “Gainswood,”
the family’s ancestral home in Demopolis, Alabama, he also remembered
the hand hewn timbers used for outbuildings and sheds. Inside
Gainswood were some of the most beautiful Long Leaf Pine flooring
and mill work that was used in the 1840’s. In revisiting the
South with a purpose and gaining so many memories, Sandy realized
why antique woods from the East were so popular in the West.
It became his mission to meet this demand.
Quality and service would be the keys to success
in this new venture, and Sandy started working with hand hewn
timbers from the Ohio River valley, beautiful silver gray barn
siding from Tennessee and other antique woods from Illinois.
With supplying partners in Tennessee, Illinois,
and Ohio, and family in Georgia, Southern Wood Imports has grown
from selling woods out of a garage and front yard to a beautiful
3.5 acre lumber yard, shop and office in Montrose, Colorado.
At Southern Wood Imports, our interest in antique
woods goes beyond just the actual fiber. The history of early
America and the growth of the lumber and agriculture industry
is an amazing story of work, skills, and tools used to mill,
hew and fabricate these antique materials into buildings, ships,
barrels, barns and furniture.
While reclaiming old structures is our passion,
we also believe in preserving America’s history. Some structures
should be left alone or used to preserve others that are historically
significant. This philosophy can be difficult to uphold in this
industry.
This appreciation of antique woods and American
history is what Southern Wood Imports is all about. Our philosophy
is that we are first and foremost a business, yet environmental
awareness and action are key to our decision making. Our customers
are our most important asset and supplying quality products is
crucial to our success, both past and future.
|
