Local handyman knows his stuff

We wanted to turn our kitchen nook into a pantry.  I researched ready-made shelving systems, but the look and/or storage options weren’t what we were looking for.  One day we were at our locally owned Beaumont Hardware store and saw near the checkout area a business card rack which included the cards of local handymen.  We grabbed a card with the name Herb Schlobohm on it. His card said “Home Maintenance and Repairs.  Unusual skills such as Blacksmithing to Veneering and just about everything in between.  Small Jobs Welcomed!”

Herb turned out to be a traditional 70+ years young handyman with old time craftsmanship and attention to detail.  It was obvious he was doing what he loved – working with people, wood, and problem solving.  Working with his hands was his idea of play.  His eyes sparkled with creativity as he explained the type of wood he’d suggest, and why it needed to be a certain thickness so it wouldn’t bend under the weight of canned goods.  He measured carefully and took lots of notes.    Then he took home his notes to compile an estimate/bid.  My husband and I weren’t sure if we’d be able to afford this kind of fine craftsmanship, but figured why not check it out.

Well, Herb gave us a bid that was about the same price as if we’d tried to cobble something together by ourselves!  But Herb’s was solid wood and custom designed to our specifications!  He even fixed our wood cutting board for free.

The moral of the story is, if you need something done, check your locally-owned hardware store to see if they’ve got a business card rack.  If they don’t, ask the people who work at the store – they may be willing to do projects for you on the side.  Sometimes local hardware stores themselves are willing to help: we brought in our disintegrating wood window screens and Beaumont hardware created new custom wood window frames and then installed screens in them for a fraction of what we’d pay in a store for ready made!