Environmentalists Praise The Wooden Duck's Furniture
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
September 18, 2003
Berkeley, CA---Harvesting old-growth wood to make thinks ordinarily raise the ire of environmentalists. The Wooden Duck gets kudos from them instead, because its furniture is created from salvaged wood that has been recycled.
The 8-year old Berkeley company has dismantled everything from high school gym bleachers to railroad ties to craft furniture that is both practical and beautiful, and also imports recycled-wood furniture from around the world.
Amy Ferber and Eric Gellerman started their business in 1995 by importing furniture from Indonesia that was made of teak from demolished homes and other structures. They started with a company name, a sign to put a name on or even a door on which to hang a sign.
From that humble beginning has grown a business that now covers more than two acres, is a wood lover's dream and is something of a shopping institution in Berkeley.
The Wooden Duck factory builds furniture mainly from Douglas fir culled from demolished barns, warehouses and other old structures that have outlived thir usefulness. Gellerman and Ferber continue to import recycled teak furniture from Indonesian and have added furniture made in South Africa, China and Eastern Europe.
While Ferber and Gellerman feel strongly about the environmental benefits of their furniture, their primary motivation for using recyled wood in the quality and character of the final product.
"I love the look of old wood," says Gellerman. "I don't want to make cookie-cutter furniture."
A selection of The Wooden Duck's furniture will be displayed this weekend at the Sonoma Fall Home Show. The company's founders and members of their staff will be on hand to discuss the merits of furniture made from old wood and answer any questions.
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