Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Osage Woodworking
Justin Brown started what became Osage Woodworking as a junior in college at Oklahoma State. He and wife Lindsay now live in Palouse with their two children.
A new tenant at the corner of the St. Elmo’s building on Main Street in Palouse will open for business Dec. 16.
Osage Woodworking is a showroom gallery for the shop in Moscow owned by Palouse residents Justin and Lindsay Brown.
The gallery will feature furniture and cabinetry made by Justin, plus a small retail side selling cutting boards, handmade organic candles by Lindsay and Pendleton blankets.
“We’re trying to represent not just my shop but to highlight craftsmanship, people making stuff,” Justin said.
Brown began the business as a junior at Oklahoma State University. Working his way to a degree in construction management (2005), he started the shop as J.B. Woodworking, making cabinets out of a garage in an off-campus house.
Previously he had worked at a lumber yard where he made contacts with Stillwater, Okla., area contractors.
After graduation, Brown kept up his business full-time.
“The best thing to work for is your reputation,” he said.
Brown and wife Lindsay moved to Moscow eight years ago after she was hired as Director of Sports Nutrition at WSU.
Justin, who grew up in Hennessey, Okla. on a wheat and cattle ranch, learned woodworking through a hobbyist grandfather and taking shop classes in high school.
“I’ve always had just a natural inclination to build things,” he said. “I wanted to learn, read and study about it.”
He makes a varied slate of items – cabinetry for kitchens and bathrooms, offices, entertainment centers, dining tables, beds – mainly from western woods such as oak, maple, cherry and walnut.
Since May when they rented the Palouse space, which formerly housed Dot’s Vintage Funk, Brown did a major renovation, installing a wood floor, adding tile and using tongue-and-groove boards on one wall and installing new moldings on the windows.
“Invested quite a bit of money, more than I like to think about, really,” Brown said.
For the grand opening, apple cider and cookies will be served and a drawing held for a Pendleton blanket.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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