OCONOMOWOC — Mindy Arington-Goff never had a real passion for woodworking for most of her life.
It wasn’t until she was between jobs and her father Joe Arington asked her if she wanted to get involved with it did she truly find her way with the grain.
That simple question Joe asked led her to open her own business in 2019 called the Wood Station Co-op, which recently opened at its new location in the marketplace building at 132 E. Wisconsin Ave.
Arington-Goff said her family owns a tree farm called the Arington Tree Farm in Cambridge in which her father has hundreds of acres of land and even more trees.
She said her family works with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to have a land management plan in place to make sure the land stays sustainable.
As part of that plan, Arington-Goff uses the trees they are allowed to harvest each year to make a variety of items including tables, benches, shelves and even cutting boards for her business.
“The only time we go out and buy wood is when we buy local,” Arington-Goff said. “Sometimes if a client wants a specific piece of wood that I don’t have at the time, instead of making them wait a year or more just to start building, I’ll go look for it and get their approval through pictures.”
Arington-Goff said she had always been crafty and handy, but had to work with various carpenters and friends to learn how to handle wood.
However, some traditional carpenters couldn’t wrap their heads around one fact: She didn’t need to be exact for the things she was making.
“It’s not carpentry skills like matching up corners and making sure angles are right,” she said. “The wood is going to dictate what I can do to it.
“It’s really just an eye and a feel for what you’re doing. It’s flattening the wood and understanding the grain and how it will take to the different kind of finishes.”
Arington-Goff, an Oconomowoc native, has her woodshed in Cambridge on the farm, while her store will be in Oconomowoc.
In addition to her own pieces in the store, Arington-Goff works with local artisans and artists to display their items as well including lotions, honey, some jewelry and other home decor items.
Overall, Arington-Goff said she enjoys working with clients to figure out a piece for them that can fit almost any budget.
“I like to call it custom because we can do what you want to do, but it doesn’t have to have a huge price tag,” she said. “… I’ll always have pieces in the store people can see. We’ll have pictures of some and samples of wood they can look at. I want to build the piece for what that person is looking for.”
Wood Station Co-op is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
Find out more information by visiting Arington-Goff’s website at woodstationcoop.com or following them on Facebook and Instagram at @woodstationcoop.
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October 22, 2020 at 07:45PM
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