Ballew Woodworks
Ballew Woodworks is a local family owned and operated woodworking business. While it started as just a hobby for Andy Ballew, it has grown to be the foundation of his family.
Family Owned and Operated
Ballew Woodworks is truly a family run business. Andy works with his father every day! After his father retired from a 40-year career as a truck driver, he and Andy started working together in the woodshop, which is located on his parents’ property. The two men have really grown together in their skill. Andy considers himself very lucky to be able to spend so much time with his parents.
Additionally, Andy’s wife assists with the social media marketing and advertising for Ballew Woodworks. What about his children, you might ask? Well, looks like they might follow in dad’s footsteps! His two older sons have already shown an interest in the business and have learned to turn wooden pens on the lathe. His youngest son loves tagging along and helping dad select wood from the lumber shops.
How it all Began
Andy has always been interested in woodworking. He liked being able to design and build anything that came to my mind. In high school, he took wood shop and learned the fundamentals. He continued to work in the construction industry, building residential and commercial buildings but always came back to woodworking and building tables and other furniture. In 2016, a local restaurant owner at Bacon Bros. Public House asked him to build tables for an additional location they were opening in Houston, Texas. This motivated him to quit his job and open Ballew Woodworks full time. Andy considers himself very fortunate to see how his business has grown over the last four years.
What makes Ballew Woodworks unique?
Every item they build is handcrafted! They select each piece of wood and create unique designs for their cutting boards, butcher blocks, serving boards, and pepper mills. Andy states, “I like to think of each of our designs as a piece of art because nothing is identical.”
Have you seen one of his designs? Then you know how colorful they can be. Andy and his father are often asked if the wood is stained and the answer is NO! Each stripe of wood is actually a different wood species. They use a large variety of woods, including maple, cherry, walnut, oak, white oak, padauk, yellow heart, purple heart, sapele, and zebrawood. They use each of these different types of wood to develop patterns and cut or turn the wood to create their work.
Why Greenville?
Andy was born and raised in the Upstate. He and his wife met here and decided to raise their family here. Greenville, SC is home. He and his wife love the area and how well Greenville supports the artisan community. They enjoy participating in the different markets in and around Greenville which allows them to meet so many people and other artisans.
Andy and his family love to visit the many local restaurants Greenville has to offer. Living in Greer makes it easy to get to the mountains. This past year they have enjoyed taking their boys hiking at Bald Rock and other nearby hiking trails.
Growth and Gratitude
Ballew Woodworks feels fortunate that they have been able to grow their business by word of mouth and happy customers. Andy says, “We want to thank all of our customers who have supported us over the past four years.” In the future, he hopes to continue to create unique wooden pieces and expand the business into more states across the US.
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