Storage to storefront: Veteran’s furniture business in Springville growing
Co-owners Ron Warren and his wife, Theresa, work on furniture Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Theresa Warren sands a stool Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Tabitha Pacheco and her daughter, Stella, 3, both of Springville, peek in a drawer as they browse furniture Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Wheel-barrow benches are pictured Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Theresa Warren paints a stool Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Ron Warren installs a door on a nightstand Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Ron Warren readies a drawer to be installed on a nightstand Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Theresa Warren paints a stool Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Theresa Warren sands a stool Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Co-owner Ron Warren applies an all-weather stain on a wheel-barrow bench Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
A bed stands among taxidermy animals (not for sale) Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
Armoires are pictured Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018, at Warren's Rustic Furniture in Springville. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald
The expansive, rustic wood furniture store celebrating its opening this week in Springville started in humbler beginnings earlier this year.
Ron and Theresa Warren are opening Warren’s Rustic Furniture this week, a store specializing in rustic and reclaimed wood furniture.
Ron Warren, a helicopter pilot in the United States Army, took a woodworking class about four years ago after a stint in Afghanistan. The class was a workshop on the Texas base where he was stationed to help military personnel with post-traumatic stress disorder. He enjoyed it so much, he and two other soldiers partnered to create and sell furniture through boutiques and craft fairs there in Texas.
“For me, being in the military, you always want a sense of accomplishment, and when you finish a piece and take it to a customer — having them appreciate it as much as I do …” Ron Warren said. “Knowing someday somebody is going to give it to their kid. That’s the goal, to build it to last.”
Ron Warren and his wife, Theresa, moved to Provo earlier this year, and Warren wanted to continue his small business — even to see it grow. In a Provo storage unit, he started building furniture using reclaimed and newer wood made to appear rustic.
“We try to do as much with reclaimed wood as we can,” Ron Warren said while perched on a coffee table whose top was an old barn door. In another section of the Springville store, he showed off a bedroom set where he incorporated old shutters into the design.
Theresa Warren is the furniture painter and finisher — adding charm and style to the dressers, bedside tables, bedroom sets and kitchen tables her husband builds.
This summer, they took a few finished pieces to local city celebrations “to see if the demand was there,” Ron said. They got multiple custom furniture orders, and found their niche.
“It was so successful, we thought, it can’t hurt to start a business,” Ron Warren said. “People would ask us, ‘Where’s your shop?’ all the time. But you can’t take them to a storage unit and wade through the stuff there.”
The Warrens recently delivered a nine-foot long built-in entertainment center for one customer, and are working on a large bookshelf/desk combination for another customer. They also are working on a 12-foot dining room table that seats 24 people.
With these types of successes, the Warrens decided to try a store location. Though they have quite the inventory already, the focus of their business is not competing with local pre-made furniture stores, but to appeal to customers who want custom-built furniture.
“We can build it, and the quality is there, and we enjoy it,” Theresa Warren said, explaining that she loves painting and designing a piece for customers. “It’s relaxing.”
Ron Warren is retiring from the military in five months, and the Warrens hope to make Warren’s Rustic Furniture their full-time job.
“If this thing really goes, I’m hoping to build a shop where we can build, and we can also sell out of,” Ron Warren said.
The grand opening for Warren’s Rustic Furniture will be from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday at 241 S. 100 West in Springville. The Warrens are excited to share their creations with the community.
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