IT guy finds greater reward working with wood

It all began with a birthday gift for his wife. Gary Shadders was baffled at the price of the Pottery Barn dining table his wife wanted to purchase, so he set out to recreate it with his own two hands. Little did he know that woodworking would be his calling.

“Somehow I stumbled across plans for the exact same style table my wife wanted, so I built it in the basement when she wasn’t home—she’s a nurse at Rochester General Hospital—and I surprised her with it for her birthday,” says Shadders. “Of course she posted a picture of it on Facebook and one of our neighbors loved it, and she sent me a picture of a table from our house and asked me if I could recreate it. I told her I would give it a try.”

From there, business took off. It was 2014 and Shadders was working as a telecom analyst for EarthLink, now part of Windstream Holdings Inc. He spent 18 years in IT, shifting back and forth between Frontier Communications Corp. and EarthLink, handling mostly call routing and managing toll-free numbers. But he was never truly happy in his work.

“When I was 24 I found out I was having my daughter, so I went to school for IT, got an associate’s degree in computer science from Bryant and Stratton and got a job doing that—I was in the restaurant business before that—because I knew I wanted to be home when my daughter was born and work regular hours Monday through Friday,” he explains. “But I always knew I wanted to be on my own and have my own business. It felt pointless sitting in a cubicle.”

Shadders, a Hilton resident, had little experience in woodworking before building the table for his wife, but he had a natural inclination toward the “do-it-yourself” lifestyle. He recalls taking apart his roller skates as a kid and grabbing scrap wood from the garage to fashion a homemade go-kart for him and his friends to play with.

Nonetheless, Shadders found a passion in building tables, so he decided to make a Facebook page to advertise his work. As business picked up, Shadders found himself in a cycle: He would work at EarthLink from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, come home and have dinner with his family, then head out to the garage to work on building tables for clients until 11 p.m. or midnight. It was a strenuous way to live, and he and his wife decided that something had to give.

The couple sat down, took a hard look at their budget and came to the conclusion that it was the right time for Shadders to follow the dream he had for years of opening his own business. He quit his job in May 2017, found a warehouse to work out of in Brockport and launched Salmon Creek Woodworks on June 1, 2017.

Shadders, 47, says that most people find his work on Etsy and Facebook, and the only paid advertising he does for his business is on Facebook. He also designed his own website, an advantage of spending 18 years in IT. On his website are the different table styles that he offers. Customers can choose their desired dimensions as well as paint or stain color.

Shadders is willing and able to accommodate his client’s needs when it comes to the design of the table, whether it’s matching the stain they have on their floor or matching the cabinets in their kitchen. Some clients seek Shadders’ help recreating a table they’ve found on Pinterest, a task Shadders is willing to take a stab at.

On his website Shadders also carries two styles of chairs. One is Amish-made from Ohio, and they tend to be a bit more expensive. The second style comes from Vietnam. They’re cheaper, but they come unfinished so Shadders can finish them to match his clients’ tables.

Business has been relatively steady since Shadders took on Salmon Creek Woodworks full time, and he recently experienced his busiest month to date in September following Homearama in August.

Shadders was invited to participate in Homearama by Elvio Fernandes, best known locally for his many years spent as the vocalist for Uncle Plum and now a member of Grammy-nominated band Daughtry, led by former “American Idol” contestant Chris Daughtry. Fernandes and his wife were building a house for Homearama and, as fans of Shadders’ furniture they requested that he build a few pieces for them. Shadders immediately agreed, knowing it would be a great means of exposure.

“We did Homearama in August, and it was amazing,” says Shadders. “We gave out probably 1,000 business cards and brochures, and since then business has been insane. September was our biggest sales to date. I definitely need to hire more help.”

Salmon Creek Woodworks is a one-man show, and Shadders is coming to realize that it’s time to bring others onboard. His turnaround time has climbed from eight weeks to 10 to 12 weeks. Currently, his daughter lends a hand in sanding and finishing the tables and his son helps with deliveries on the weekends, but with business booming Shadders sees a need for hiring official employees.

Eventually, Shadders would like to see Salmon Creek Woodworks having a storefront. Ideally, he would like to accomplish that by fall 2019.

“I’d like it to be rustic furniture with décor and maybe some antiques mixed in,” he says.

Shadders dove head first into his business, just like he does with each new project. He encountered many unforeseen obstacles along the way, most notably the innumerable hours he devotes to the business including bookkeeping and being accessible to customers 24/7 through Facebook and Instagram.

But with time and effort, Shadders has carefully persevered through each challenge. Every table he makes is customized, but with hard work and dedication he nails it for each and every client.

Small Business is a biweekly feature focusing on local entrepreneurs. Send suggestions for Small Business stories to Reporter/Editorial Assistant Nicole Sheldon at [email protected]. (585) 363-7031