Craftsman creates unique furniture in his own style

SPIRIT LAKE – Rainbow-colored Adirondack chairs, log-embellished furniture and unique designs are craftsman Gary Gabrick’s specialty.

The former automotive technician moved to Spirit Lake 1 1/2 years ago, ready to begin a new profession. In the short time since, he has cleaned up a Spirit Lake eyesore, designed a unique line of handcrafted furniture and established a successful business.

Gabrick and his wife, Patti, a counselor at Spirit Lake Elementary School, began designing and building furniture while living in Lava Hot Springs, in southeastern Idaho. The rustic furniture sold so well to customers in Jackson Hole, Wyo., area, that when Patti Gabrick transferred to Spirit Lake for a job, her husband followed with the intent of turning his hobby into a business.

His first challenge, says Gabrick, was turning the building he found on Highway 41 into an inviting business. The former tire store property was covered with piles of discarded tires and scrap metal. “The city had been trying to clean it up for years and years,” said Gabrick, “but never got the job done.”

Despite his wife’s “hesitancy,” Gabrick said he could see “potential through the junk,” and the couple purchased the property. Community members showed how much they appreciated the new owners’ efforts that they pitched in. “Others in the community came and helped scrap and helped clean it up,” Gabrick said.

Today, a few well-placed rocks and other landscaping add to an inviting exterior that includes carefully arranged displays of the colorful chairs, tables and window boxes he builds. Inside the building, bookcases, dressers, chairs, bed frames, small tables and benches line the walls of the small showroom that includes a display of consignment pieces and rustic gifts.

Gabrick said his designs are unique, and he can custom-build “most anything” from kitchen cupboards to picnic tables. He uses furniture-grade Idaho white pine from Idaho Veneer in Post Falls, or local lumber mills, for most of his furniture.

“Painted Adirondack chairs are my best-selling item,” Gabrick said. Customers, especially those from Priest Lake like the effect of the colorful chairs lined up along their lakefronts. “One guy bought 10 chairs,” he said, “each one was a different bright color.”

The bold colors are sprayed onto the chairs with an airless sprayer, resulting in a beautifully even finish, reminiscent of an automobile paint job. Gabrick sells chairs in colors including lime green, mango and bright reds, blues and yellows. Following the suggestion of a Seattle customer, he even found periwinkle to be popular.

“We really have fun with the colors,” Gabrick said. “We will even take the time to match the chairs to the color of your house if you bring in a paint sample.”

While the Adirondacks are the best-sellers, Gabrick said his favorite pieces are his log rockers. “The patterns are all our own. We spent a lot of time refining the design, and there’s nothing else like them,” he said. Gabrick began working with wood while in high school and has found he enjoys building something from raw materials.

“When you put the final finish on it, you feel really good about it,” he said. “Crafting something, that’s not something you can really duplicate in any other line of work.”

So far, Gabrick and his wife are doing all the work. He hopes to hire an employee next year, or even eventually find craftsmen who will produce his designs in their home workshops, leaving him more time to build up the business. Producing a catalog and building an Internet site are two more things he would like to find time for.

Samples of Gabrick’s work can be found around the community. He built all the bookcases and the coffee bar at Spirit Lake Books and Coffee, and his furniture can be purchased at Northwest Handmade, a high-end furniture shop in Sandpoint. The owner of an arts and crafts store in Priest Lake has asked to stock some of his furniture for next season, and he hopes to continue displaying his wares at area farmers’ markets.

Gabrick plans on spending the next few months enlarging his showroom and building up his stock of furniture. He hopes to design and construct a few rustic storage sheds for sale next year; and has plans to add an Americana section, offering rustic antiques for sale.