Business: Lost Paddle Woodworks
Address: Naperville
Website/email: www.lostpaddlewoodworks.com; [email protected]
Owner: Grant Wehrli, 57, of Naperville
Years in business: 5
What does your business do? “Design and manufacture primarily home furnishings for people involved in fly fishing. That has branched out to basically any home furnishing. A dining room table, kitchen table, coffee table, end tables. Custom cabinetry for a unique piece. I’ve done office desks, lamps, beds, cribs. … Anything somebody wants me to make out of hardwood. Heirloom quality stuff,” Wehrli said.
What’s your background? “I worked hard through high school and college. Shoveling concrete. Trim carpenter. Framing houses. I was a trades guy. Working with my hands has always been something I’ve done. I figured out at an early age that concrete was too much like work. So, I got into trim carpentry.
“I was in aviation. I was also involved in politics. I was on the Naperville City Council for 10 years. Then I was a state representative for six years, 2014 to 2020. When I left the General Assembly, the thought was to go back into aviation and be a pilot (again) for corporate aviation. But then friends and family started asking me to do this. It took on a life of its own and I really enjoy doing this.”
More Top Picks Best Professional Metal Detectors For Relic Hunting
Do you still enjoy flying? “I love the stick and rudder part. I do not necessarily enjoy the lifestyle. It’s demanding. … This organically came along and grew into a business I love. … I quit being a pilot 20 years ago. I worked for Bosch (Power Tools). You see all the Bosch swag around (my workshop).”
How did this business — pardon the pun — get off the ground? “I started doing stuff for my fly-fishing buddies. By word of mouth — I don’t advertise — it grew into a business I enjoy running. … People say, ‘Do what you enjoy.’ But you also need to make some money along the way.”
What happens here? “I will meet with the person, usually in their home because it’s easier for me to visualize the space and if we need to take measurements. Usually people will say, ‘We like this style (of table) but we need it to be two feet longer.’ Usually, I get a pretty good launching off point, then I can give some artistic license.”
What about your fly rod display racks? “I offer those in walnut, cherry, maple and mahogany. Cherry is my favorite to work with. It machines really well. It smells delicious. It finishes very nice. It develops a great patina over time to a deeper red.”
What about pricing? “I base my pricing on the materials plus my time. A walnut tube stand? You’re looking at $700. … When a fly rod is broken down, it fits into a tube. … Tables depend on the size, species, how detailed, what style.”
Any favorite wood for tables? “Maple is great. Walnut is great. I try to not do too much in oak because you can go to so many retail outlets and find something in oak.”
Any wood you don’t like? “Locust. It’s heavy. It’s oily. I just don’t like the way it looks.”
What should people know? “I turn down projects that are too big. A dining room table made of two-inch maple that’s 12 feet long? This is my shop and I am one guy. I can’t do it … I do not make chairs. That’s a unique woodworking project. … I don’t refinish or repair furniture but I will make replacement parts.”
What’s your business philosophy? “If you’re in a hurry for a piece, I’m probably not your guy. But if you want something that’s going to be high quality and last you a lifetime plus, it’s worth the wait.”
What about competition? “So far, I really haven’t faced any. There’s nobody coming after me. … I want my customers to be happy. Go on my Etsy page and see my reviews. All five-star.”
Do you enjoy your work? “I love what I do. The challenges are different. It involves physical work, it involves math, some client interaction. I just enjoy it. … I’m flexible in my hours. I can work 14 hours one day or take a day off. … If I have four hours to kill, I go fly fishing down here in the DuPage (River). Great for smallmouth bass.”
Does your political background help? “People know the Wehrli name in town. … My grandfather, Judge Winfred Knoch, once said, ‘Any town worth living in is worth doing something for.’”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “Don’t listen to people who say you can’t do something.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see profiled in Down to Business, contact him at [email protected].