24 July 18 • 2019
jn
Long White
Beard
D
riving through Ferndale, it’
s
easy to miss Long White Beard’
s
white, unassuming building. It’
s
almost easiest to figure out where it is by
the symphony of saw noises rather than
through your phone’
s navigation system.
First opened in 2014, this uniquely
named shop is co-owned by Shelby
Holtzman and Dan Erickson, who dabble
in designing and crafting heirloom-qual-
ity furniture and other unique home
furnishings.
“We have a full woodshop and a small
steel shop, so we do all of our own table
bases and brackets and hardware and
things like that,
” West Bloomfield native
and Temple Israel attendee Holtzman
said. “It really allows us to do almost
everything in-house and get the end
result that we really want.
”
Before opening Long White Beard,
named after the fathers of the afore-
mentioned team who both had beards,
Holtzman merely engaged in woodwork-
ing as a hobby. It was an avenue through
which she could gift handmade pieces to
family and friends and, soon enough, it
became something a bit more.
“Five years ago, I was managing a
coffee shop, and Dan was a custom-
er,
” Holtzman said. “He was looking
to start a business and, by that point,
I was making furniture for not only
myself but also for my family and
friends. We started talking and decided
to put this together and make it an actual
company.
”
Upon opening, Long White Beard
operated out of Holtzman’
s garage in
Ferndale. The next year, they moved
to the Russell Industrial Center in
Downtown Detroit. However, in
November 2016, their current location
became available and they jumped at the
chance to return to Ferndale, the city
where it all began for them.
HANDMADE TREASURES
Though they make a variety of piec-
es forged out of wood and steel, Long
White Beard offers a variety of mostly
custom-made, but also standard, hand-
crafted items.
“In terms of small home goods stuff,
we’
ve sold our diamond shelves quite a
bit, and we sell an adjustable bath caddy,
”
Holtzman said. “We made non-adjust-
able, custom bath caddies for three years,
and they were one of our most popular
items. Finally, we combined all of the
numbers and we figured out how to
make an adjustable one so we can just
make them and have them available.
“In terms of big stuff, we make a lot
of dining room tables,
” she continued.
“We make a fair amount of coffee tables,
desks, shelves, stuff like that, but we make
a lot of tables. I think that people feel if
there’
s one thing they want to have that’
s
very special to keep and pass on, and
with the idea of having the whole family
around it and it being this kind of center-
piece of the house, it’
s a table.
”
The wood that Long White Beard
utilizes to make these tables, bath caddies
and other items is all sustainable. In other
words, these are all Michigan hardwoods
that would otherwise be chipped. These
live-edge slabs come from a local com-
pany called Live Edge Detroit. Whenever
possible, Long White Beard uses all the
natural edges of the wood to give each
piece its unique, individual style.
“We like to experiment with colors,
experiment with grain — especially the
live-edge stuff,
” Holtzman said. “Being
able to preserve what is unique and beau-
tiful about it serves as an inspiration on
its own. We rarely make two pieces exact-
ly the same.
”
Woodworking and owning a business
weren’
t skills that Holtzman learned
overnight. With each project, she and
Erickson are learning more about best
practices and improving the quality of
their products.
“
As we make things, we add it to the
list of things we’
re super comfortable
making, and we want to make on a larg-
er scale,
” Holtzman said. “
As we started
business SPOTlight
brought to you in partnership with
hot topics
PLUM MARKET
OPENS IN
DOWNTOWN
DETROIT
The Farmington Hills-based
grocer’
s 8,000-square-foot
store on the first floor of
the Ally Detroit Center at
500 Woodward Ave. has
fast casual dining with beer and wine, event space, a patio and, of
course, a market. It will function as an upscale market with “a con-
densed collection of grocery and apothecary essentials,” according
to a media advisory from the company. Salads, soups, sandwiches
and self-service hot food will be served alongside Zingerman’
s
coffee and baked goods at the Detroit location. Patrons will also
find fresh-cut flowers and snacks.
Sustainable custom-made
woodworking shop thrives
in Ferndale.
B I R M I N G H A M
Bank of Ann Arbor Helps.
How can we help you?
STEFANI CHUDNOW SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
PHOTOS BY DERRICK MARTINEZ
ABOVE: Shelby Holtzman LEFT: A custom coffee table from Long
White Beard.
VIA PLUM MARKET FACEBOOK
DETROIT AXE
ANNOUNCES NEW LOCATIONS
Axe-throwing fanatics will soon be able to experience the
sport beyond downtown Ferndale. Detroit Axe owner Geoff
Kretchmer and partner Brian Siegel recently announced
locations in Corktown and the Mall at Partridge Creek in
Clinton Township.
After becoming a hot destination for corporate groups,
bachelor and bachelorette parties and more, the two decid-
ed to expand Detroit Axe to serve other high-energy areas
in Metro Detroit.
“We knew we were going to expand if it worked, so
these two spaces were obvious to us,” Kretchmer says.
Corktown’
s Detroit Axe will boast a food truck built
into the interior with a focus on vegetarian, vegan and
meat-friendly delights.
The new locations will have accessible parking and are
projected to open around October of this year.
BRETT MOUNTAIN