Red Oak Wood Shop

Written by Brie Handgraaf Photography by Adam Jennings

When slapping a ten-spot down for a craft beer, most customers’ eyes are on the tap. But at the Rocky Mount Mills campus, take a moment to study the bar itself because thanks to the artisans at Red Oak Wood Shop, the grain of the wood is nearly as interesting as the grain in the brew.

“Probably our most unique pieces in terms of rarity of wood comes from our L-Beam Collection, which is most prominently displayed in the side bars at Koi Pond,” said Red Oak Wood Shop coowner Marilynn Anselmi. “ e wood is from one solid chunk, which in this case was hard pine. It was used in the 1700s and looked like an L in the corners of plantation houses.

“ ey were hand-hewed, meaning they were finished with an axe and adze, so no machine was involved in the preparation of the wood. All the joinery also was done by hand.” e hand tools left iconic marks on the wood. at craftsmanship likely was under-appreciated when the wood was originally used, but Anselmi and business partner Jan Sullivan-Volz said those marks are selling points once the artisans have breathed new life into the wood by transforming it into a table, a desk or something else.

“Each piece of wood tells its own story: where it has been and how old it is,” said Sullivan-Volz. “We’re able to recognize certain features such as nails, saw marks and growth rings that tells us what type of wood we’re working with and its history.”

Red Oak Wood Shop started out of happenstance when a Singer sewing machine base Sullivan-Volz picked up for use in her mixed media pieces was transformed into a hot ticket item with a wide board top of historic wood. e duo found more historic wood for sale online and they carved out their niche market.

“We fused our joy of working with old, unique objects and reclaimed wood,” Anselmi said. “Fortunately in Eastern North Carolina, there is a plethora of all those raw materials.”

When Capitol Broadcasting Co. started developing a new life for the historic Rocky Mount Mill, salvaging the materials that made the mill run for more than a century was a must and working with Red Oak Wood Shop was an obvious move.

“Everything on this site was built for the long term and has withstood the test of time,” said Capitol Development Manager Evan Covington Chavez.“ at wood is something you don’t find as readily anymore, so bringing it back into the building has been phenomenal. Red Oak has been great because they’ve really grasped what we’re doing, and we’re just thrilled.”

Sweet Taters Brewmaster Erin Flora said the bar crafted by Red Oak Wood Shop is the centerpiece of the Sweet Taters restaurant and brewery, paying tribute to the past life of the historic mill house while embracing the future.

“Craft beer is all about giving back to the community, not about getting drunk and chugging beer,” Flora said. “It is about connection with your family, your friends, and having comfortable furniture made of wood that has been around for centuries makes it feel like this place matters.”

While many of the pieces incorporated into the Rocky Mount Mills are custommade for the spaces, Red Oak Wood Shop also makes furniture inspired by the wood itself and available for sale at the Bel Air Artisan Center in downtown Rocky Mount, among other places.

“We approach each creation as a piece of art,” Sullivan-Volz said. “ ere is a deliberate process of finding the right marriage of metal and wood.”

After treating the wood for insects, the duo use oil and beeswax to bring out the wood’s natural coloring. Chavez said awe is the most common reaction when seeing decking from a mill warehouse salvaged for a coffee table or old floorboards transformed into a bar.

“I think our collaboration with the mill is particularly fulfilling because they were so interested in us maintaining the history,” Anselmi said. “Whether the wood is pulled from a house or an old barn, when this wood is gone, it is gone. You can’t run to Lowe’s and get more.

“It truly is history, which is evident in the grain, the joinery of the pieces. For those who appreciate that, it speaks volume in a piece of furniture.”

For more information, go to www.redoakwoodshop.com.