The ability to combine divergent and convergent thinking to produce unique ideas and then turn those ideas into a product that people want and are willing to buy is quite rare. Most businesses fail within the first year. The really good ones, the innovative ones, they prosper.
Justin had never intended to be an entrepreneur. He wasn’t particularly interested in business and knew nothing about dendrology (the study of trees), or xylology (the study of the structure of wood). After high school, he attended Virginia Highlands Community College and earned an associate degree in business before transferring to King to study Security and Intelligence with the intention of one day pursuing a career in the military.
But life happens, and along the way, Justin’s road deviated from the original path when he stumbled upon the world of woodworking. “It began as a hobby while I was at King,” Justin said “I have always been handy. Growing up our father encouraged us to fix things that broke or needed tending to around the house. If the oil needed to be changed on the car, for example, then we’d change our own.”
Justin began building furniture out of wood. He joined a Facebook woodworking group where everyone would post pictures of projects they were working on. He posted had submitted a picture of a table he’d done, and a lady messaged him. “I want something like that. Can you make me one?” She asked.
He built it for her, and his career more or less began. Justin began to research trees and wood, and the business of acquiring the wood that he wanted and once he had it, how to manipulate it to create the visions he had for his projects. He then formed his own company, Black Copper Woodworking.
The wood he uses is primarily rescued and salvaged trees, those trees that were saved from wildfires, ones that were dead or dying or in danger of falling and hurting somebody or causing damage. The majority of his wood comes from Northern California including redwood, walnut, maple, and olivewood trees. “The slab of wood I will receive will still have char on it from California forest fires.”
He is a member of the Urban Wood Network which works to spread the word and promote the use of reclaimed trees. “We source our woods responsibly and turn rescued trees into heirloom pieces which can be preserved throughout generations,” Justin states.
Along with shipping in wood from California, Justin also has acquired wood from Turkey, Italy, and even South America. “Turkey has great olivewood. What sets my company apart from others and what I am proud of is the highly unique, hard-to-find species of wood.”
Each table takes between 2-4 weeks and costs between $3,000 – $8,000. “The biggest challenge I face is making customers understand that the tables are expensive. I spend a lot of time searching for the correct species of tree and wood for the specific customer.” It then takes time to restore the wood and craft the tables. Every step of this process is specialized. These tables aren’t the kind that you see mass-produced in a department store. Justin explains that the most difficult wood to work with is Redwood, mostly because it is so old. The wood often has to be restored before it can be turned into a table. Older wood has a tendency to form cracks and become porous and that has to be fixed.
Justin’s favorite type of wood to use is Claro Walnut that he purchases from Northern California. “I work alone,” he said. “I would like to someday have employees but for now it is just me doing the craftwork. My brother does my photography and digital design. My cousin does the 3-D design. I couldn’t have done it without them. To date, I am exceeding sales of $200,000. I feel like God has blessed me,” Justin said. “It really was incredible timing, everything just worked. I work very hard, but I have also been very fortunate.”
Justin doesn’t just sell locally. He has had customers drive to Bristol from states as far away as Michigan and Kansas to transport their tables home. Locally he has begun making a name for himself and along with creating custom table designs for private parties he has been commissioned to build the bar and multiple tables for the new Nicewonder Farm & Vineyards Inn located at The Virginian. The project will include the use of the three largest big leaf maple tree slabs known to exist in the country. It is an extraordinary opportunity for Justin, and he is very grateful and excited about this project. Another restaurant] that has commissioned his work is 620 on State Street in Bristol. “I am so humbled that they like my work enough to allow me to create their tables.”
Later this year he will also travel to Wilmington, North Carolina to build tables for a restaurant there. It was in North Carolina that he had one of his most memorable experiences. “I created a large serving board, from wood that has a personal story to me, for a world-famous sushi chef. He has been a big supporter of my company. To show him my gratitude I brought the serving board. He then used an old knife made by a Japanese master to cut sushi and served it on the table. It means a lot to me that we have been able to build such a great friendship.”
Like all successful artists, Justin also had a mentor of sorts that guided him early on, Matt Hirtle of “Of Earth Furniture” based out of Canada. “He became my mentor and taught me a lot about my finishing process.”
“I have always been pretty creative. It runs in my family,” Justin said. My uncle is one of the top 50 knife makers in the country. My grandma is also a beautiful artist. My talent is the ability to learn new skills and then apply them to the real world. To have your own business requires a lot of learning through experience.”
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. “It’s tough because no one is out there giving you directions,” Justin said. “You have to learn the ins and outs. There are some days when I think how nice it would be to go to work, get a paycheck and then go home. In my line of work, this year I have done well, but there are no guarantees about next year.”
But his success hasn’t only been about learning on the job, he also explained that his time at King helped to prepare him for the challenges he would face as a business owner. “We had a challenging professor. A lot of the students didn’t like his class, but I liked that it was hard. I enjoyed the push and I feel like I grew from attending it. We did a lot of presentation work and I feel like it helped me with my communication skills and being able to present ideas clearly. I also learned professionalism and how to maintain composure when presenting ideas. I learned to be analytical, see what works and what doesn’t.
Justin’s goal is to continue to grow and expand his knowledge of trees, wood, and woodworking. Through word of mouth, he is becoming a name in this niche market. To learn more about his work please visit his social media handles:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackcopperofficial
Instagram: Blackcopperofficial