QUENTIN KELLEY – I grew up around tools and building projects as I helped my father, over some years, build our western MA house. After a grueling engineering program at Cornell University, and two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic, I decided to pursue the vague but lingering notion in the back of my head of working in wood.

I landed at Dixon Brothers Woodworking in Boston’s South End, after bugging owner Andy Dixon until he finally gave me a job. I picked up woodworking basics while building many, many doors and other architectural elements. I spent some time with the maniacal but very talented and inspiring Rhode Island furniture maker Hank Gilpin, who taught basics of furniture design, construction, history, and how to run a small shop.

That was the start, fifteen years ago. Since 2006, and with some help, I’ve been building original modern furniture and other custom woodwork, for clients in Boston and beyond. I love the challenges of being a designer, builder, and business owner. The range of skills and tasks required, everything from machine maintenance to marketing, and a lot of other things in between, keeps it interesting, challenging and fun.