Anna Faltermeier/Liberty TribuneBrad Charles works on restoring a table Aug. 7 at his shop in Liberty. Charles, whose business restores old furniture, went “green” long before the trend arose.
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Master craftsman follows earth-friendly business model
By Angie Anaya Borgedalen
Long before it was trendy, Brad Charles was running a “green” business.
Charles owns The Woodstripper and Bradford’s Antiques in downtown Liberty. The complementary shops are three blocks apart.
By repairing and restoring furniture, Charles said he keeps many broken or cast-offs out of landfills.
“Not only are we saving pieces from the dump, we’re saving history and part of our heritage,” Charles said.
Perhaps because he lived in California before he arrived in Liberty 32 years ago, Charles was already aware of green initiatives long before they caught on in the Midwest.
“California was way ahead of the curve. It was so much stricter even back then,” Charles said. “We recycle everything here, even our rags, which are used T-shirts so are already recycled.”
Charles said when he arrived in town, he worked for Tom and Sandy Williams, who owned The Woodstripper and an antique store in Corbin Mill. He later bought The Woodstripper from the Williamses.
“I kept the name, but stripping wood is very little of what we do. We mostly clean, restore, rehab and refinish,” Charles said. “We’re the original recyclers. We waste very little.”
Charles works in the furniture-cluttered Woodstripper next to the railroad tracks along side a small staff of skilled craftsmen who bring fine antique furniture back to its original beauty for customers and for sale at his store on Liberty Square.
While some of the items are quite intricate, rare and expensive, others are just functional and need a leg or spindle replaced. Some pieces he works on may just have sentimental value for a family member.
One of his customers is Ann Waters of Parkville, who had Charles repair and restore her grandmother’s dining room set. She said the 1940s furniture was both potentially valuable and definitely sentimental.
“It’s mahogany and I remember my grandmother using it,” Waters said. “He’s expensive, but he really did a nice job on it.”
Waters said she planned to have Charles strip down the six chairs that match the buffet and dining room table. Charles has already touched up, cleaned and reglued the chairs. One day Waters may pass the family heirlooms down to her children.
“But I’m not planning to give it up real soon,” she said.
Last week Charles was working on a particularly ornate oak sideboard that featured carved angels’ faces that was part of group of 20 antique furniture pieces he picked up in Pella, Iowa.
“It’s French, probably from the 1880s. When it’s done, it will be dark oak,” Charles said. “It’s a beautiful piece.”
Charles, who also does appraisals, said really nice antique furniture was getting harder to find such as signed pieces by turn-of-the-century cabinet makers George Flint and R.J. Horner.
So what’s the best thing he’s ever found on his trips to auctions, thrift stores and antique malls?
“I bought a Tiffany lamp at a junk shop for $35 about 15 years ago, but I wasn’t sure until I took it apart and there was a sticker inside,” Charles said. “It was worth a lot of money.”
Charles said hot trends right now include well-made American furniture circa the 1880s, winged Griffin chairs, country store display cases and thread cabinets.
The details:
- What: The Woodstripper
- Where: 130 S. Main St., and Bradford’s Antiques, 4 E. Franklin St.
- Services: Restore, repair, appraise and sell fine antique furniture
- For information: Call 781-9468 or 781-4022 or visit www.bradsantiques.com.
Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or aborgedalen@npgco.com.
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Charles owns The Woodstripper and Bradford’s Antiques in downtown Liberty. The complementary shops are three blocks apart.
By repairing and restoring furniture, Charles said he keeps many broken or cast-offs out of landfills.
“Not only are we saving pieces from the dump, we’re saving history and part of our heritage,” Charles said.
Perhaps because he lived in California before he arrived in Liberty 32 years ago, Charles was already aware of green initiatives long before they caught on in the Midwest.
“California was way ahead of the curve. It was so much stricter even back then,” Charles said. “We recycle everything here, even our rags, which are used T-shirts so are already recycled.”
Charles said when he arrived in town, he worked for Tom and Sandy Williams, who owned The Woodstripper and an antique store in Corbin Mill. He later bought The Woodstripper from the Williamses.
“I kept the name, but stripping wood is very little of what we do. We mostly clean, restore, rehab and refinish,” Charles said. “We’re the original recyclers. We waste very little.”
Charles works in the furniture-cluttered Woodstripper next to the railroad tracks along side a small staff of skilled craftsmen who bring fine antique furniture back to its original beauty for customers and for sale at his store on Liberty Square.
While some of the items are quite intricate, rare and expensive, others are just functional and need a leg or spindle replaced. Some pieces he works on may just have sentimental value for a family member.
One of his customers is Ann Waters of Parkville, who had Charles repair and restore her grandmother’s dining room set. She said the 1940s furniture was both potentially valuable and definitely sentimental.
“It’s mahogany and I remember my grandmother using it,” Waters said. “He’s expensive, but he really did a nice job on it.”
Waters said she planned to have Charles strip down the six chairs that match the buffet and dining room table. Charles has already touched up, cleaned and reglued the chairs. One day Waters may pass the family heirlooms down to her children.
“But I’m not planning to give it up real soon,” she said.
Last week Charles was working on a particularly ornate oak sideboard that featured carved angels’ faces that was part of group of 20 antique furniture pieces he picked up in Pella, Iowa.
“It’s French, probably from the 1880s. When it’s done, it will be dark oak,” Charles said. “It’s a beautiful piece.”
Charles, who also does appraisals, said really nice antique furniture was getting harder to find such as signed pieces by turn-of-the-century cabinet makers George Flint and R.J. Horner.
So what’s the best thing he’s ever found on his trips to auctions, thrift stores and antique malls?
“I bought a Tiffany lamp at a junk shop for $35 about 15 years ago, but I wasn’t sure until I took it apart and there was a sticker inside,” Charles said. “It was worth a lot of money.”
Charles said hot trends right now include well-made American furniture circa the 1880s, winged Griffin chairs, country store display cases and thread cabinets.
The details:
- What: The Woodstripper
- Where: 130 S. Main St., and Bradford’s Antiques, 4 E. Franklin St.
- Services: Restore, repair, appraise and sell fine antique furniture
- For information: Call 781-9468 or 781-4022 or visit www.bradsantiques.com.
Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or aborgedalen@npgco.com.