Editorial
Front Page - Friday, November 13, 2009
In a world of prefabrication, local woodworker is a true original
David Laprad
Aaron Cabeen leans over the frame of the table he’s making and drills a screw into place. Made from ash, the same wood used to produce baseball bats, the piece looks as sturdy as they come. A close look at the legs, however, reveals a thin curve of solid inlaid walnut running the length of each one. When Cabeen adds the top, also made of alternating strips of ash and walnut, the result will be a table of remarkable elegance, simplicity and originality.
After all, the 28-year-old woodworker and owner of Cabeen Originals has a name to make for himself.
“I got bit by the bug in 2006 when a friend wanted me to make something for his wife,” the Chattanooga native says, surrounded by the tools of his trade and looking comfortable in dusty clothes.
Initially, Cabeen wavered between building custom kitchen cabinets and furniture, but in the end, he gravitated to furniture. Then, before he knew much about the industry he’d decided to enter, he laid down several core principles that would guide his efforts.
At the top of his list was using solid, domestically grown wood. Unless a client asked for engineered wood, nothing forged would ever find its way into one of his pieces. In addition, he’d produce everything in the U.S.
“People say they’re glad my furniture is made here,” says Cabeen. “You can build a business quickly and have a product to sell, but are you going to have a quality American-made product? I still have a lot to learn about the furniture industry, but I’m sticking to my values, and it’s paying off.”
Cabeen recently entered into an agreement with The Furniture Shoppe in Chattanooga to sell his creations. His plan is to eventually distribute his line regionally and then establish a national presence by 2015. Even further down the line, Cabeen sees his work going global.
“Growing a business that’s going to be around past my time is going to take a while,” Cabeen says. “I’m not trying to grow a business like a weed; I’m trying to grow a business like an oak tree.”
Word of mouth about his custom line is helping Cabeen to establish deep roots. When people from out of state see his work, for example, many express surprise at what they find.
“They’re tired of seeing the same old thing,” says Cabeen. “Ever since I was a kid, I was drawn to the unusual. I didn’t want to go down the mainstream path. I like quirky little twists.”
At the same time, Cabeen, who’s married and has twin infant daughters, knows he needs to make a living. Yet he claims there’s no tension between his creativity and his sense of
industry.
“It’s not easy to mix art and business because many artists aren’t business savvy and many businessmen aren’t artistic,” he says. “So I’m an anomaly in that I have some business sense, and I’m ambitious, but I also have an abstract strain that helps me to make beautiful furniture.”
While Cabeen’s work has an unmistakable Frank Lloyd Wright aesthetic, he says he draws inspiration from a number of things. “I like playing with curves and allowing nature and the work of other people to inspire me. Even a painting or a piece of music can help me visualize something unique,” says Cabeen.
Despite the intangible nature of his design process, Cabeen has yet to come across a client who hasn’t given him complete creative freedom. “I’ve been blessed to have people trust me,” he says.
Cabeen’s early success is also something of an irregularity in the furniture industry. As he was starting out, people told him he’d have to take on a lot of debt before he’d start making money, but he refused to take the comments to heart. “I was determined to stay out of debt, and today, I’m turning a profit,” says Cabeen, who operates out of a secluded warehouse loft on Cherokee Boulevard. “I look at businesses that are in debt and not making money, and I feel fortunate.”
Above all, Cabeen is glad he’s able to turn a profit while holding fast to his guiding principles. “We live in a global society in which we have a greater variety of products than at any other time in history,” he says. “That’s great, but we can also have more products that are inferior in quality. I want to make the best furniture and sell as much of it as I can while sticking to my values.”
To learn more about Cabeen Originals or contact Cabeen, visit www.cabeenoriginals.com.
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