Creative Reuse: Summer 2004

Sitting on the Fence

by Sarah Weimer

While typically a phrase that is attributed to the vacillation between opinions, Harvey Keys of Josswood Designs has turned "sitting on the fence" into a business of creative reuse. Keys accepts 10 to 20 tons of fence board and wood windows each month to create custom furniture with the patina of age.

Though Keys has been in the business for six years, he still struggles to make ends meet. He believes if he had a certificate showing he’s a "Certified Recycler," many more doors would open for him in the cities he visits. Keys is currently looking for sponsors to start his Recycled Show, which would focus on environmental awareness and have an audience of more than 250,000.

La Verne cable channel did a story on Keys’ products. Josswood Design’s creations can also be seen on the big screen. Keys rents his products to film studios—he doesn’t sell the items because then the studios would dispose of them once a film is completed.

Once Keys has accumulated enough money to hire someone to pull nails and stockpile the wood, he is confident his business will substantially increase. Keys currently uses his home as his store and hopes that the television shows will change this. Since he doesn’t have enough room for additional material, Keys continually attempts to solicit businesses to rent space to hold the material for him to collect.

The production of old, painted fence boards with a distressed appearance is part of Keys’ business. To maintain each piece’s authenticity, only the colors of paint known to have been employed during the replicated period are used. The reclaimed wood and barn timbers his skilled craftsmen use to create the furniture provide a naturally aged and distressed appearance. Every piece is hand finished, resulting in a beautiful and unique piece that is a close replica of the actual antique it represents.

Keys observes that many grant opportunities are available for oil and tire companies, but not for wood entrepreneurs—he hopes this will soon change. He has no shortage of ideas for reusing the wood currently being disposed in California, and through Josswood Design, Keys hopes to broaden awareness of the importance of reusing materials and purchasing reused items.

Contact information:
Harvey Keys
Josswood Designs
1919 6th Street
La Verne, CA 91750
(909) 596-4303
josswood@earthlink.net
www.josswood.org

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Last updated: August 01, 2008