Family and fun are at the heart of Gardner Carpentry’s hand-carved creations.
Knots and whorls and burls. Live edges and meandering curves. Some look for beauty in perfect symmetry; for the Gardner Carpentry family, the imperfections are the whole point.
“We call ours an ‘old-world market’ style, to represent the generations of woodworkers in our family from years past,” reveals John Gardner, co-owner with his son, Nathan, and wife, Deanna. “Everything is handmade and hand carved. We don’t use a computer or CNC machine—which is essentially a computerized wood carver or laser engraver—which makes our work different from other woodworkers in the area.”
Nathan Gardner founded the business in 2017 as a way to earn money for his college tuition. He quickly pulled in his father, a retired law enforcement officer, and his mother, a musician and conductor. All three family members devote hours and hours in the woodshop to cutting, sanding, sealing, and more to keep up with the demand for their handmade kitchen utensils and household products.
“I grew up on a farm, so making things with my hands is fun,” says John. “My dad also did woodworking—he built our house. And my father-in-law enjoyed woodcraft, too. Our [products] pay homage to them, to their work and legacy of making things.”
While Gardner Carpentry has made larger custom items like kitchen tables in the past, they’re now focused on smaller goods that do well at the TD Saturday Market in downtown Greenville, where you’ll often see John manning the booth. In fact, their old-world-style kitchen utensils and charcuterie boards have essentially paid for Nathan’s master’s degree. The Gardners’ small-batch approach means things sell fast and aren’t replaced quickly—so be prepared to wait a little for custom orders. (Hint: it’s worth it.)
“We do a lot of custom client gifts, such as engraving logos on our South Carolina-shaped cheese boards,” says John. “We’ve worked with realtors, tourism, local businesses, the GSP Airport. Our handmade journals are perfect for capturing family recipes.” When asked what his favorite item to make is, however, Gardner lights up with a grin. “Believe it or not, it’s an ‘Oven Rack Push Puller’ stick. That’s the most interesting item, for me. It’s a stick that has a hook on it that you pull out your oven rack with to check on a dish, with a curved cup that allows you to push the rack back in. It’s so useful and odd—we’ve sold hundreds of them.”
Gardner Carpentry: Gift Recommendations
The Gardners’ creations make great gifts for individuals or for teams, such as:
- A journal for a family recipe collector
- A notebook for a student
- Kitchen utensils for a new couple
- Engraved cutting boards for company events
Shop the woodshop by visiting gardnercarpentry.us.
