WHF Blog

Western Heritage - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

          Shown with Ghosttown Copper panels and top and Bartlet legs


 

Western Heritage - Tuesday, July 05, 2011
It is just fun to say.  DOG BLOG.

This week I thought it would be fun to spotlight some of the "Dogs of Western Heritage".  I have to say the best part of putting this post together was asking the guys about their pets.  The immediate smiles and tender looks in the guys' eyes was endearing and made me feel like I knew each of them a little better.  Big Softies.

Not only do our pets provide us with unconditional love and joy ("I said SIT!!!"), mostly, but they give us a connection to each other.   In a room full of strangers, our pets give us something to bond over, a story to tell or a picture to share with a smile. 

These are some of the pets that make us smile...


Name:  Suzi
Age:  3
Favorite Food:  Steak
Hobbies:  Chasing the ball
Human:  John "Johnny Two Coats" Kaldes



Name:  Cele (short for "Celebration")
Age:  2
Favorite Food: Cheese
Hobbies:  Playing outside, and eluding my humans
Human:  Neith Brock



Name:  Pico
Age:  6
Favorite Food:  Anything and Everything
Hobbies:  Playing with my boobah and sleeping
Human:  Neith Brock



Name: Precious
Age:  5
Favorite Food:  Whatever Pico doesn't eat
Hobbies:  Playing with Pico and burying stuff
Human:  Neith Brock



Name: Roxy
Age: 5
Favorite Food:  O.D.F. (Other Dog's Food)
Hobbies:  Swimming, Pirating, and giving the "Stinkeye"
Human:  Kim Maneely



Name:  Baby
Age: A lady never tells
Favorite Food:  DOG FOOD!
Hobbies:  Sneaking off to see Roxy, anything involving my Mom, not listening to my Dad.
Human:  Tim McCune


Thanks to all who sent me pictures and gave me info! 






 

Western Heritage - Thursday, June 02, 2011

I get a kick out of this old cowboys take on life.

 “Life should never be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, in a well preserved body but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of dust, thoroughly used up, totally wore out and proclaiming loudly, “WOW, what a ride!”

Well, I am pleased to announce that, to the best of my knowledge, I am nowhere near the end, but can proclaim “WOW, What a ride!” Fourteen years ago, on May 22, I was blessed with a beautiful baby girl Riley Claire McClellan. Five pounds thirteen ounces and all of 18 inches long this little angel changed my life. 

                                           

Riley and I, a few moons ago

A more recent pic of me and Riley

At the time, I had a small woodshop and was a one man show. Upon her arrival, I quickly realized that I could not, with just my two hands, generate enough furniture to afford the life I wished for her. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I had, in the past, had a difficult time hiring help. I just couldn’t leave well enough alone. But for the future financial security of Western Heritage (and thus Miss Riley) I was able to overcome this limitation of mine. I did have to make a pact with myself in order to fully embrace this new adventure.

The pact:  At some point in the foreseeable future I would build a new shop, just for me, where I could pick projects based on my desire to create rather than my need to pay the bills.

                                         

My new home in Durango

                                       

My new shop space

                                         

Unwrapping some new toys, I mean tools

                                      

Hard at work

                                     

A beautiful shot of Erika Roberts at the ranch

The story of Western Heritage is a long exciting tale that I will save for another time, but suffice it to say that we have surpassed all of my wildest dreams. I have been blessed again with a great building for my new shop. I am now almost finished with the build-out (an extension of WHF) in beautiful Durango Colorado. Attached are a few photos. I will attempt to keep everyone posted on the progress and projects of the shop as well as my endeavors to improve my fly fishing skills.

Cheers,

Tim McClellan

 

Western Heritage - Thursday, May 26, 2011
This past weekend marked the opening of The Mine House Collection on Main Street in Jerome.  The store is a conglomeration of Tim McCune of Western Heritage Furniture and Dean Bubolo of Escalante Imports (escalanteimports.com). 

The Mine House Collection... Sign to Debut Soon...


Peeking in the front door...


The Signature Credenza looks pretty good...


Last weekend was also the Jerome Home Tour, the longest running home tour in Arizona.  As the town is a National Historic Landmark, this event is a major draw for people to come up the mountain and get an inside peek at some beautiful old homes.  To help draw in the crowds, Christine and myself dressed as ladies of ill-repute.  We were tax collectors. 


Kim and Christine... the painted ladies of WHF


Zoe thought we were princesses.  She was right.

It was a great day for all.  Good people, a beautiful store, and red party cups.  (We classed it up for the toast shot, thanks to Paul and Jerry's)


Kim, Tim, Christine, Dean, and Heather

K
 

Western Heritage - Wednesday, May 18, 2011
There is rarely a dull moment up here in the tiny town of Jerome.  As a "newcomer" to this town, I can say that the place full of characters, tall tales, and small town adventure. 

Someone once described it as a cross between "Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure, and the X-Files".  After an exciting afternoon a few weeks ago, I think that we should add Rapunzel to that list. 

To give a little background to those who have never had the pleasure of visiting our factory/showroom in Jerome, we are based in the old high school auditorium.  The furniture is made in the gymnasium, and our showroom is in the old coach's offices on the second floor. 
                                                                   Western Heritage Factory in Jerome, AZ
We had the pleasure of working with designer extraordinaire Cathe Dyer that afternoon, as well as having the company of Tim McCune's four year old daughter, Zoe.  

We were all being well entertained by Zoe's killer tap moves, when the little dancer excused herself to use the restroom.  Thinking nothing of it and continuing our discussion on custom furniture, we began to hear shouts from the hallway.   I went to check on the situation, to discover that she was locked inside the restroom.  We all took turns trying explain to her how to move the slider to unlock the door to no avail.   
That is when Papa Tim jumped into action, commandeering Jim to drive a Western Heritage delivery vehicle underneath the bathroom window. 
Of course Cathe, Christine (our Customer Service Manager), and myself were beyond entertained and took many, many photos of the debacle.   

Please contact Christine in Customer Service for any quotes regarding kittens in trees, children in wells, or horrible first date rescue services. 
 

Western Heritage - Thursday, May 12, 2011
Western Heritage Furniture is going to be featured on AAA Presents Highroads with Dan Davis, on Saturday May 14th.   In Phoenix, the show will air on KPNX Channel 12 at 6:30 pm, and in Tucson on KVOA Channel 4 at 4pm.   Check the website for more details, http://www.aaaaz.com/highroads/index.htm

Also, take a look at clips from Robin Sewell's Arizona Highways Television.  Ms. Sewell has featured Western Heritage Furniture ("Furniture with a Green Heart") as well as Verde BioFuel ("Fry Grease to Fuel" and "Verde Biofuel").  All the clips can be found through this link, http://www.azhighwaystv.com/show-archives/green-eco-friendly/

Happy Watching! 






 

Western Heritage - Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Earth Day came and went this year.  I planted no trees, didn't choose to walk or bike, and didn't switch out any light bulbs.  I probably drank bottled water, in my car, while wearing my baby dolphin shoes made in a Malaysian sweatshop.  (Ok, relax.  I don't support sweatshop goods.) 

Anyhow, it got me thinking about Western Heritage Furniture as a green product, and other companies that are committed to eco-friendly products.  I thought I would share some of my favorites....

 TOMS - These kicks are an affordable fashion statement for hipsters and humanitarians alike.  For every pair of shoes you buy, the company provides a pair of shoes to a child need.  As of September 2010, the company has donated over 1 million pairs of shoes.  toms.com

    

Solio Classic Solar Charger - It has happened to all of us, and probably more times than you ever care to recall.  Trapped in the hot, sunny desert with only half a bar left on your phone. (I live in AZ, and this is truly how it goes down.)  Your charging worries are over with this awesomely versatile, hybrid solar charger.  It is compatible with over 3200 devices, stores energy for up to a year, and can be plugged in on a cloudy day.  solio.com


Ice Stone - This company has been a long standing favorite of mine.  Mostly because the idea of having a counter top made of blue vodka bottles is just plain fun.  Besides blue, they offer all colors of the rainbow and use 100% recycled glass to make their products.   Ice Stone is a wonderful alternative to slabs of stone quarried from faraway countries, this is a must see for anyone considering a kitchen or bath remodel.  icestone.biz
Larson Rugs - I know that it is considered a sin, but I covet these rugs.  Frankly, it is hard to talk about how they are made in California, made of New Zealand wool, minimal carbon footprint, commitment to the environment, blah, blah, blah.  I want to sink my toes into that shaggy wonderfulness.  (I am not paid by the Larson Rug company for endorsements, but will accept any swag they wanna send my way :)  larsonrugs.com




-K


 

Western Heritage - Thursday, April 14, 2011

Ok Ladies…..

At one time or another, we have all found ourselves standing on our tippy-toes in front of the bathroom mirror trying to see how these shoes look with this dress?/ panty hose or no panty hose?/ does my posterior look amazing in these jeans?/ etc.

God Bless the person who invented the Cheval Mirror!

We made this free-standing mirror custom for a customer to avoid such bathroom balancing acts.  It is made out of our signature Ghostwood with Ghost Town Copper accents. 

And much like the previously mentioned posterior, we think it looks pretty good!

-K

 

Western Heritage - Thursday, May 06, 2010

 

This is the second of four videos of the "Evolution of a Pool Table". In the video you begin to get a good sense of what the final table is going to look like. It shows what the old hand hewn oak looks like with the fine sanding and lacquer finish applied. Our unique Cayonland Copper corner details are installed on the table legs. The finely carved leather rails and leg panels created by renowned tooler Phillip Smith. Noah Pfeffer is the well known jeweler responsible for the hand cut turquoise sites set in silver bezels. He is also the craftsman who made the refined silver Western Heritage logo set into the end rail. I incorporated seven deferent species of wood throughout the the pool table. I used 200+ year old oak for the super structure, walnut on the top rails, poplar for the sub rails, reclaimed rosewood for the rail edge caps, 100+ year old pine barn siding for the rail aprons and 80+ year old douglas fir for the raised panels in the tables skirt. I believe the marriage of all these different woods along with the tooled leather, jewelery quality sites and professional grade felt form a perfect union.

 

Western Heritage - Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Custom reclaimed wood pool table from Western Heritage Furniture. This pool table's design is based on elements from our Teton Collection of Furniture. Inspired by the grandeur and beauty of the Teton Mountains in western Wyoming, this Teton table has a massive presence. It incorporates a combination of reclaimed wood beams, hand carved leather and copper details seamlessly married together in this one of a kind creation.

The Pool table's superstructure will be constructed using two identical hand hewn oak beams. The exact history of these beams is unknown, however we reclaimed them from a barn in Iowa a few years back. The barn was constructed about 100 years ago using Douglas Fir. These beams were salvaged from a much older structure then reused in the building of this barn.

In the video you will notice the nature of the ax and adz marks left by the original craftsman. One can tell a lot about the craftsman by these markings as well as the fact that both beams are exactly 7" x 7" square. This particular pioneer probably fell these trees 170 to 200 years ago, long before there were saw mills.