community ^ makers
Michelle Myers, Chuck Myers and Lonnie Johnson
From Barn Wood to Farm Table
by Calli Green
M aybe you’ve seen them— at Green- wood Mercantile or As Time Goes By in Greenwood, MO or Good Ju Ju or Hickory Dickory in the West Bottoms — or maybe not. The “not” could be because these old barn wood Farm Tables by Chuck and Michelle Myers, and builder Lonnie Johnson, fromDusty Shelf An- tiques & Repurposed Furniture in Lee’s Summit, MO don’t stay long on a shop’s floor. Michelle: I’m a special education teacher. The students and teachers I work with inspire me every day. And I had always been an antique/ vintage collector, even when it wasn’t as popu- lar as it is today. The tables had always been in the back of my mind from the beginning. I just knew my husband wouldn’t have the time because of a full time job that was requiring travel- ing. Now, he has become the chief bench maker, because the tables just naturally lend themselves to a bench that uses the same wood as the top. Many people like benches on one side, then they’ll have me re-purpose old chairs that they can use on the other side. We also restore or re-purpose old pieces to be beautiful and loved again. I always try to pass on savings to my cus- tomers. The cheaper I can buy, the cheaper I can sell. This allows me to sell more quantity. VKC: What motivated you to start your business?
I have lots of repeat custom- ers. They trust that I’m giving them a qual- ity product as affordable as I can make
it. I never sell anything that I wouldn’t put in my home. This continues to grow my business. I also surround myself with quality people. VKC: Where do you find the materials to build your tables? Michelle: Finding old barns isn’t as easy as you would think. I have a young man, Josh, in Bates
County, MO who contacts farmers, but mostly he runs across people who need old barns torn down to build new ones. My husband [Chuck] and I go to the sites and pick the wood up by the trailer load. We use those massive beams as table legs. We also purchase wood from other people who have torn down barns. The wood is stored at our table builder’s [Lonnie Johnson] house. VKC: How did you meet table builder Lon- nie Johnson?
Michelle: We met Lonnie through some finish carpentry work he was doing for us on our home, and knew he was perfect for our busi- ness. Lonnie’s attention to detail and quality of construction is above and beyond what’s ex- pected. He is a creative genius, and early on we decided that no two tables should be alike. So, when he constructs a table it may be the design on top, the bolts, the skirt, or the subtle edging differences; but they’re all different. This way each person who purchases a
6 VINTAGEKC WINTER 2016
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