How many times does the question “Can you please take out the trash” get asked in homes across the country?A question about what to do with that trash actually led to the creation of a Massachusetts furniture company.Justin Robichaud’s road to heirloom furniture maker is hardly traditional. His company, Wood You Build It in Gardner, started with a question asked by his wife more than 12 years ago.“My wife was pregnant with my daughter, and we were just literally hanging a trash bag off the doorknob of a door, and she said, ‘Can you do something about this?’” Robichaud said.His answer was to hand-build a trash receptacle for the family.Soon, others were asking the same, with one customer’s question becoming a game changer.“A customer wanted four trash bins, ‘Two and two, back-to-back and just put a butcher block on top of it.’ And that was the very first kitchen island and it exploded from there,” Robichaud said. From those humble beginnings, Robichaud and his team are now hand-crafting custom made-to-order kitchen islands to the tune of more than 800 per year, and he has room to grow.“Because we’re building with our hands and not c & c machines, our production line allows us for … if we double our sales, we can double our staff,” Robichaud said.The significance of his success goes beyond dollars and cents.For Robichaud, it was important to set up shop in a community once known as the Furniture Capital of the Country.With each product made, he hopes to build back that pride, heritage and legacy. “The people of Gardner, they love the idea that we’re trying to bring this back and the support that we get from the community is amazing,” Robichaud said.
How many times does the question “Can you please take out the trash” get asked in homes across the country?
A question about what to do with that trash actually led to the creation of a Massachusetts furniture company.
Justin Robichaud’s road to heirloom furniture maker is hardly traditional. His company, Wood You Build It in Gardner, started with a question asked by his wife more than 12 years ago.
“My wife was pregnant with my daughter, and we were just literally hanging a trash bag off the doorknob of a door, and she said, ‘Can you do something about this?’” Robichaud said.
His answer was to hand-build a trash receptacle for the family.
Soon, others were asking the same, with one customer’s question becoming a game changer.
“A customer wanted four trash bins, ‘Two and two, back-to-back and just put a butcher block on top of it.’ And that was the very first kitchen island and it exploded from there,” Robichaud said.
From those humble beginnings, Robichaud and his team are now hand-crafting custom made-to-order kitchen islands to the tune of more than 800 per year, and he has room to grow.
“Because we’re building with our hands and not c & c machines, our production line allows us for … if we double our sales, we can double our staff,” Robichaud said.
The significance of his success goes beyond dollars and cents.
For Robichaud, it was important to set up shop in a community once known as the Furniture Capital of the Country.
With each product made, he hopes to build back that pride, heritage and legacy.
“The people of Gardner, they love the idea that we’re trying to bring this back and the support that we get from the community is amazing,” Robichaud said.
