Shopper Blog: Specialty hardwoods company is in new hands, but still in the family

BEARDEN

Specialty hardwoods company is in new hands, but still in the family

John Shearer, Shopper News

For Nick McNutt, his lumber and wood products business is literally part of his family tree.

Since 1975, his family has operated Woodstream Hardwoods and Building Specialties, a firm that now offers hardwood lumber and flooring as well as reclaimed vintage woods and custom wood products.

The business was started by his father, Jim McNutt, in a small home on Homberg Drive with what he said were only a few hand tools but a strong love of woodworking with hands.

Now located in several unique shed and barn-like buildings at 3636 Division St. on some land that had been owned by his recently deceased grandfather, James Allen McNutt, the business has a definite local feel but has also found customers and materials far and wide.

“We deal with DIY (do it yourself) people and deal with a lot of contractors, so we do wholesale and retail. And we get it from all over the place,” said Nick McNutt, adding that his father was able to locate places outside the United States to find exotic lumber.

He cited a community-owned sawmill in Mexico near the border with Belize as one place the family has visited, hinting that the work also involves being an adventurer as well as just a woodworker, miller, and carpenter.

Nick McNutt is also now going on another adventure of sorts, as he recently bought the business from his father. After working there off and on while growing into young adulthood, and full time the last four or five years, he is excited about being the new owner.

As he talked recently during a tour of what was like a superstore for all kinds of specialty woods despite the facility’s somewhat compact size, he sounded like the work is as much an avocation as a vocation.

“I enjoy dealing with all the customers and seeing all the stuff that people make,” he said. “There’s a lot of talent in this area. And I love doing woodwork myself and seeing how happy a customer is.”

He said he personally does a lot of bar tops, kitchen islands, kitchen countertops and dining room tables, adding that wood tables and tops covered in epoxy resin are quite popular now.

But the enjoyment from working with his hands has apparently never gone out of style for him. “It’s extremely therapeutic to create something, and working with my hands is rewarding,” he said. “I enjoy it and I like to be outside. I’m not really the tech savvy kind of guy and don’t like being behind a computer. I like doing this kind of work.”

He explained that the business sells all kinds of domestic and exotic hardwoods, hardwood flooring, domestic and exotic slabs, specialty building products, and reclaimed woods like cypress and barn wood, the latter of which is reshaped usually to smaller boards.

The domestic woods come from the plethora of trees found in the surrounding area, he said. “All of the domestic stuff we get locally because we’re here in East Tennessee and we’ve got such a diverse species of hardwoods,” he said.

Regarding barn wood, he said it can be acquired a variety of ways. For example, he said he has recently talked to a church that bought some land by Heritage High in Blount County for construction, and they are removing a barn on the property but hope to get some wood to use in their church facility. While McNutt said he personally hates to see old barns disappear anywhere, he is glad he can help give the wood a second life.

He is also excited about the life of his business continuing and said that he hopes for another 48 years in operation. As part of this year’s anniversary celebration, the firm recently had an open house and gave away trees in connection with Arbor Day.

They are also having ongoing classes related to working with wood, he said. People wanting more information about the business can call (865) 524-0001 or visit https://woodstreamhardwoods.com.

HALLS

Florist and artist make magic happen with new Cultivate mural

Ali James, Shopper News

When Savannah Pannell opened Cultivate, she had three main goals. “We wanted it be about community, creativity and conversation,” said Pannell. “There was always a vision for artists to be involved. We wanted large art pieces, and the one in the back room was a trial.”

After talking to one artist about what Pannell wanted customers to see when they came into the combined flower and coffee shop, it became apparent that her art was different from Cultivate’s aesthetic. So, she recommended her friend Paris Woodhull, who was a better fit.

“Our goal was last summer,” said Pannell. “But we had to wait a few months; she has a waitlist to put you on her schedule.”

Cultivate wanted to blend coffee (Likewise Coffee) and flowers (Flourish Flowers). “In the beginning we thought it would be through wording, but we decided to do it more visually for it to catch your eye,” said Pannell. “We gave Paris creative freedom. We wanted people to understand the shop by looking at it.”

Woodhull worked on the mural during Cultivate’s opening hours. “She came on a Sunday night after closing, projected and drew the design on the wall,” said Pannell. “The next day she painted while we were open, and customers seemed to enjoy watching that process.”

Over the past year, Cultivate has become a popular photo backdrop for regulars and people passing through Knoxville.

“Murals are the new ‘advertising.’ I say that loosely,” said Woodhull. “It is a way of incorporating community into your space, showing you’re local and how your space feels.”

Woodhull said Pannell came to her with a little bit of a vision for the mural. “I always appreciate that, since we have a good starting point,” she said. “She had an idea of the flowers in the cup and I messed around with it, using the color scheme and vibe at Cultivate. Every so often I align with a client and it’s magic.”

The installation process was equally smooth. “I spent Monday and Tuesday, not even the entire day, and I almost wish it was a little longer, because it was fun to get away from my computer,” said Woodhull. “I really don’t mind people watching me paint, because I love watching people paint, too.”

Typically, Woodhull says, people approach her to share about their own art while she works. “The only time I have weird comments is when I’m outdoors,” she said. “Everyone at Cultivate is so sweet. They really stay busy there; I can tell people really wanted something local and were excited to see a local artist installing something in their local coffee shop.”

Last September, Woodhull fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening up an artist's studio and retail print shop at 121 S. Gay Street. As things really start to ramp up for the spring festival season, the illustrator said she hopes to get more mural commissions. “It is the thing I really enjoy doing,” said Woodhull. “I try to balance it with keeping the shop in check, running my wholesale, retail and online. Hopefully I’ll incorporate a little more balance into my worlds soon.”

Just as Cultivate has focused on building community, Woodhull works hard to highlight the importance of good mental health, both her own and others'. “When I am grouchy, I just need to sit and draw for myself; it is almost journaling through drawing,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many of my ‘Probably Anxious’ I’ve sold. There is a really big push around mental health these days.”

Woodhull has spent the past six or so months tweaking the store. “It is great to have that production facility,” she said. “I am lucky to have the small and mighty team that I have.”

As for Cultivate, Pannell said they may eventually add more art inside, but for now the main goal was Paris Woodhull’s impactful mural. “We wanted to see how much space that took up,” said Pannell. “We would love to do more fun color and floral art outside.”

OPINION

Dropping the Little Mermaid for Taylor Swift

Leslie Snow, Shopper News

The stories are part of our morning routine, and Clara loves them. Each time she climbs into her car seat to go to preschool, she claps her hands and chants, “Stor-y! Stor-y!” That’s my cue to weave a bit of drive-time magic.

The stories always involve a princess with remarkable gifts. She is smart, kind, wise, and well-loved by everyone in her kingdom.

And though I never describe her physical appearance, focusing instead on her clever mind and her great courage, Clara knows that princesses are meant to be beautiful. Every time I utter, “Once upon a time there was a princess,” Clara shouts, “And she was very beautiful with long pretty hair.” Dutifully, I repeat her words, giving our charmed princess every quality a nearly-5-year-old-girl could ask for.

At the beginning of the school year, Clara demanded that all our fictional princesses be named Elsa, after the Disney princess in "Frozen." Lucky little Elsa possessed every requisite princess gift, including the power to freeze our villain, The Big Bad Wolf.

When Clara became fascinated by mermaids a few months ago, the princess in my story morphed from Elsa into Ariel. She was still clever and kind, and of course beautiful, but this time her nemesis was The Big Bad Wolf-Fish who wanted to capture the princess to make his famous mermaid soup.

Sometimes I would try to mix things up, to make Clara part of her own stories. I would bless Clara-Elsa with great wisdom and super speed. I would give Clara-Ariel a beautiful rainbow tail and long pink hair.

But the real Clara resisted those stories. She wanted to hear about the princesses’ great adventures, but she didn’t want to own them. Clara-Elsa and Clara-Ariel lacked the magic and mystery of the originals. They might be wise and brave, but they weren’t good enough to land a starring role in my morning tales.

Then yesterday, when Clara climbed into the car and started calling for one of my princess stories, she demanded a new protagonist. Elsa and her ice powers were a thing of the past. Ariel was yesterday’s news. This time the beloved princess in the story was not only brilliant and daring, and powerful enough to vanquish The Big Bad Wolf, but she could also sing and write her own music.

This time, at Clara’s insistence, the princess was named Taylor Swift, a mega pop star with a head for business who could strike down The Big Bad Wolf with one melodic refrain. Clara’s choice made me laugh, but it left me feeling a little deflated, too.

I guess, as far as famous people go, Taylor Swift is a good role model. She’s no Ruth Bader Ginsberg, but she’s a talented lyricist and is appealing in all those credit card commercials. I was just surprised and a little sad to see the princess stage of Clara’s life give way to the pop star phase so soon. I was sorry to see the magic of mermaids and the mystery of ice powers replaced by a superstar.

I had hoped that when the Disney Princesses left to find adventure in the imagination of other preschoolers, Clara would be empowered enough to cast herself in the leading role in her own adventures. I never realized that the Taylor Swift effect would trickle down to 4-year-olds, even ones who are about to turn 5.

I hope that when Clara tires of being Taylor Swift in our stories, she’ll recognize the power of her own gifts. Even if she never sings to a sold-out crowd.

Leslie Snow may be reached at snow column@aol.com.

Knox County keeps losing your tax dollars in fight against special-needs children | Ashe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Shopper News brings you the latest happenings in your community