Wood, iron and stone comprise the key elements of three very unusual businesses in Allyn.
Kenny's Northwest Experience ~ Ornamental Stone ~ Old Cedar Forge Gallery & Gifts
These home-town entrepreneurs take pride in their community, and their presence contributes to the unique fabric of this rural seaside village.
Although bears are certainly a popular feature, Kenny's has many other carvings to choose from also, including sea captains, beavers and salmon, to name a few. Along with carvings, the store offers a packed array of gifts for all occasions, most with a distinctive Northwest flavor. Espresso and ice cream is available for customers to enjoy while browsing the shop.
"It is wonderful to live in ‘paradise’ and still make a good living", says Frank.
The store often hosts special signing events with popular Northwest artists on site. Chainsaw carving contests occur throughout the year and are regularly announced on the store's website at
www.kennysnorthwestexperience.com
.
Just down the street at the junction of North Bay Road and State Route 3, Ornamental Stone features a classic line of hand cast exposed aggregate stone products constructed onsite for commercial and home use.
Initially founded in 1964 by Spence Chamberlain as a part-time enterprise in his Lake City garage, the business moved to Allyn in 1987 when his son Keith took over. It's been a full-time thriving operation ever since with a crew of six churning out 15,000 pounds of product each week.
"At Ornamental Stone, our goal is to produce quality and competitively-priced products that will last," says Keith.
The five-step process is simple, but requires skilled attention. Once the concrete is hand-packed into a mold, a template is employed to hand sweep the sand inside for a smooth interior finish. After the concrete hardens, it is carefully removed from the mold, washed and readied for sale or shipment.
Stone planters, benches, waste receptacles and many other products designed and constructed by Ornamental Stone are used throughout the Pacific Northwest. Airports, Safeco Field, Key Arena, Microsoft, Boeing, the Tacoma Dome and many other large institutions. Customers request Ornamental Stone products from as far away as Florida and in major cities throughout the country, including Hollywood!
Just as popular are the many stone products designed for home use. Planters of all shapes and sizes are a favorite addition to local landscaping along with garden benches and tables. Imagine the possibilities as you shop the inventory of available homes in North Mason County. Visit
www.ornamentalstone.com
for a complete listing of what this business has to offer.
"At Ornamental Stone, our goal is to produce quality and competitively-priced products that will last," says Keith. Customers are also attracted to the strength, durability and appearance of these products.
Old Cedar Forge Gallery and Gifts
"Chaucer, a by-gone blacksmith, once wrote: “The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.” Jerry's wry sense of humor is evident in his translation which reads: “It takes 60 years to learn the craft and then you die.”
And finally, artist and teacher Jerry Culberson, owner of Old Cedar Forge Gallery and Gifts, conjures up images of a bygone era with his hand-forged wrought iron products and class offerings. This picturesque business is located just south of Allyn on the Grapeview Loop Road. Co-owned by Jerry and Ina Culberson, Old Cedar Forge is an authentic, working blacksmith's forge housed in a cedar-sided shop packed full of equipment and hundreds of special tools.
An artist blacksmith for the past 54 years, Jerry is renowned for his artistry and design. As he bends and molds raw steel using an anvil and various hammers in tandem with his 2400-degree forge, the end result is a variety of useful items, many of which are on display in the gallery next door. The rhythmic ringing of the blacksmith’s hammer on anvil can be heard throughout the shop as hot iron is wrought into a functional or one-of-a-kind custom order for many satisfied clients. Visitors and friends are encouraged to stop by almost any morning and watch Jerry at work.
Ina, Jerry’s wife and business partner, operates the on-site gallery where visitors can browse for everything from small hooks to fireplace tools, paper towel holders, towel bars, pot-racks and candleholders.
Jerry takes a special pride in his craft and the fact that he is preserving an art form hundreds of years old. He first picked up a blacksmith hammer at the age of 11 and discovered a passion within that has only increased with time. His expertise and artistic flair is evident in every piece he produces and in work produced by shop apprentices under his guidance and direction.
Ina, Jerry’s wife and business partner, operates the on-site gallery where visitors can browse for everything from small hooks to fireplace tools, paper towel holders, towel bars, pot-racks and candleholders. The gallery offers over 100 products and much more is available through custom work. Enhance your new home’s décor with any of these fine products and set the tone for blending the unique history of the past with the classic elegance of the present.
Known in circles as the “dean of blacksmithing” Jerry's legacy lives on. He has taught over 1,400 students during the past 24 years. If you’ve ever had a yen to swing the blacksmith’s hammer or experience the brilliant orange glow of fire in the forge, Jerry can teach you the basics and more. Classes are held throughout the year at Old Cedar Forge.
Chaucer, a by-gone blacksmith, once wrote: “The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.” Jerry's wry sense of humor is evident in his translation which reads: “It takes 60 years to learn the craft and then you die.”
Come and see for yourself the strength and quality of these items made the good old-fashioned way with heavy, hand-forged iron. Be a part of the rustic Americana that is surging to new life at Old Cedar Forge. You can also visit www.oldcedarforge.com to learn more. For tours, demonstrations, and more information or to take a blacksmithing class, call 360-275-6769.
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Under a spreading chestnut-tree
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