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