Giving someone you care about an item that is unique, thoughtful, and handmade is rewarding. Making it yourself is even better, but if your crafting and DIY skills need some work, there is no shame in letting someone else do the handy work for you. Enter Lennox and Addington's Stone City Woodworks.

“The ability to give someone something that is better than they were expecting, and to see their reaction, is what made this so addicting.”

For owner and craftsman Rob Purvis, Stone City Woodworks began as a hobby, making and giving small handmade items to friends and family. He never imagined it would become something more. “The ability to give someone something that is better than they were expecting, and to see their reaction, is what made this so addicting,” said Rob, sitting in his new retail space.
 

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Rob grew up in Brockville Ontario and eventually moved to Amherstview to raise his family. Woodworking started as a garage-based hobby project and has rapidly turned into a full fledged business after years in a corporate career. Rob is a predominantly solo team who, with the help of his wife, crafts stunning tables, benches, wall installations, charcuterie boards, and decorative pieces from locally sourced and reclaimed wood.

When it came to finding retail space and setting up shop, Rob knew he wanted to keep the business in Lennox and Addington County. Even though Lennox and Addington was Rob’s adopted home, it felt more like home than anywhere he had lived.

“Over the past four years, the business has been strong enough that I was able to leave the corporate world and do this full time. Initially we worked in our garage, but we grew so big and so fast that we weren’t able to keep up with orders. I needed to start looking for a physical location.”

Web blog image3 layout_0.jpg"Our community really came around and supported us".

Now in his new retail space, Rob has so much gratitude for friends and neighbours. Community support has been huge for Stone City Woodworks. “Our community really came around and supported us. A lot of our first customers were from Amherstview and Napanee and it spread from there”.

Rob reached out to Lennox and Addington County when he knew it was time to get outside help and expertise. “I went on the website and saw so many examples of businesses who were flourishing because of their help.” When he sat down with the team at Lennox and Addington Rob said, “It was like sitting down with a friend”.

The resources are limitless for a promising small business. “The grants they know about, and the funding they are able to find, the opportunities that are out there that a normal person would have no idea about”. Lennox and Addington had helped with more than just sourcing funding, finding consultants, and researching retail space for Rob, “They are about my business and they care about me and my family’s well being".

As Rob’s business continues to grow and he looks to expand, he knows he has Lennox and Addington in his corner.

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