About — Salvation Workshop

Our Story: How It All Started

Faith and Family. Both are integral to Salvation Workshop. Following Jesus permeates my life. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. It’s foundational. Family is also very important to me. I would not be where I am today without the unconditional love and support of my family.

But why “Salvation” Workshop? Well, there’s a dual purpose to the use of “Salvation.” The first purpose is to explain to our customers how Jesus saved me. It’s my personal salvation story. The second purpose of salvation is this: to the greatest extent possible, we want to reuse materials that may otherwise end up in a landfill. In other words, salvage them.

That’s the Salvation part of the business.

The roots of the “Workshop” part of the business go deep with seeds planted in the 19th century when my grandfathers were born.

My Mom’s Dad was a coal miner and a farmer. Coal miners work in austere conditions and farmers have a legendary work ethic. Combine these two professions in one man and it produced what I recall as a strong, quiet man dedicated to providing for his wife and eleven children.

My Dad’s Dad was a machinist. A machinist of that era worked with his head and his hands to provide for his family; a wife and nine children. He had to be clever to not only solve problems but also to reuse materials and reduce waste.

Both men often had to make do with what was on hand. Sometimes they didn’t have the exact materials needed for the job. Other times they didn’t have the exact tool for the job. Either way, they had to get the job done and deliver the goods. Period.

I was but a wee lad when my grandfathers went on to their great reward, but I reminisce about them fondly. I also kept a few mementos to remember them all these years later – the largest of which is my machinist grandfather’s workbench, which I proudly use in my workshop today, nearly a century after he built it.

This venerable workbench (photo coming soon) epitomizes what I want to accomplish in Salvation Workshop: build furnishings that are strong and sturdy, functional and generational. Pieces that are lovingly and carefully built to last the way they were in my grandfathers’ era. And to the greatest extent possible, they’re made with materials that have been salvaged (some might say “saved”) from going to a landfill. Some materials are from a bygone era and some are brand new.

So, please take a moment to look over the items we offer for you to adopt into this generation of your family. I trust you’ll appreciate the beauty and quality for years to come.

Barry

PS: I’m camera shy, but my niece said I had to add a “selfie.” So, this one’s for you, Melanie.