Island Times Furniture was conceived as a business to provide a retirement adventure for us -- Dan and Sue Ryder. It started when we found some chair kits for Adirondack-styled chairs. We assembled the chairs, painted them and took them for “test drives”. We sat in them. From the styles we bought originally, we found one style that felt better to our backs, necks, arms, legs and butts. We took four chairs to our initial outing at a local “Art in the Park” activity. Overwhelmingly, the public told us which chair they preferred for not only comfort but looks, too. It’s the fan-backed chair with smaller slats and an interesting curve on the back piece and angled bottom.
Dan is the artist who works his magic with the New Zealand pine (wood) to create not only a comfortable chair but a wooden sculpture. Each piece of wood in the chair, ottoman or side table is cut, sanded, primed, painted twice and sealed twice, also. The only exception is the back of the chair that is assembled after it is primed and painted and given to the next artist to work my magic.
I started painting in high school which was #@%* years ago. During the years of raising two daughters to adulthood, painting took a back seat to other more important activities. The girls are grown and retirement is around the corner. It’s time to go back to painting and Dan’s furniture is my canvas. The pictures I paint are oil paintings. I design the scenes after listening to my customer for what they want to see on their furniture. After the oil paint dries, Dan applies two coats of a weatherproofing sealer. (Look on our web page “Frequently Asked Questions” to see how we treat our chairs and how we suggest you take care of them.)
As Island Times Furniture is a small just starting business, there’s presently no storefront or warehouse. There’s no team of employees. Just me and Dan. We do custom work, one piece at a time and turn out a product we’re proud to offer to you.
