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Geoghagan Woodwork, LLC

Pensacola, Florida

850-479-8429

Pensacola News Journal Sept 2003

Emerald Coast Home Design Volume 5, Issue 6

Southern Living, Florida Living Section Nov. 2006

Pensacola News Journal Dec. 2006

Pensacola Business Journal Aug. 2007

PUBLISHED MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2003

Whittling away at history inspires unique furniture

Taris Savell
News Journal correspondent

When you`re the seventh generation of a cabinet/furniture making family, what profession do you choose?

While the obvious answer might be the family business, Bradley Geoghagan did not plan on following in his father`s footsteps.

Bradley Geoghagan with vineyard chair made from mohagony in his shop. Michael Spooneybarger @PensacolaNewsJournal.com

"I took business courses in college and was working in Minneapolis," Geoghagan said. But then: "After my son was born, I decided to return to Pensacola and build a family business for him."

The shop where Geoghagan is creating his furniture masterpieces originally was his father`s cabinet shop in Ensley.

"Ten years ago, Dad closed his Robert`s Woodworking, so when I came back I refurbished it, and that`s how it started," said the 27-year-old of his Geoghagan Woodwork.

The items he makes have included farm tables - one of which was made from heart pine recovered from the Yellow River - and two art deco chairs of red oak.

Sandy Ross had been searching for someone to make the chairs for her for four months. "I had quotes from Vermont to Sweden, but they were never quite what I wanted. When I found Bradley, we talked and designed exactly what I was looking for.

"I wanted chairs that were artistic but functional at a good price. The most important thing was that it was a quality product. I was amazed to find him right here."

"I use no metals like screws in what I make," Geoghagan said, "just the old, traditional way of joinery - dovetail joints. The furniture pieces I make are going to last several lifetimes."

The wood he particularly enjoys using comes from the Pensacola Bay Area, such as cherry, sometimes walnut, sycamore and even cedar.

Bob Ross Tree Service provides Geoghagan with a lot of wood, and according to Ross (no relation to Sandy Ross), cedar has been around this area forever.

"One of Bradley`s first jobs was making my three daughters three cedar chests. That has evolved into a good business for Brad. His cedar chests are works of art. He`s definitely an artist."

Part of the pleasure that Geoghagan gets from making unique items is the history behind the wood and he does a lot of research into the wood he`s using.

"The heart pine I used for the farm table was believed to have been about 120 years old. The lumberjack who floated it down the river to the mill was paid a nickel. Many of the logs sank, and this was one of them. I always tell my customers about the history of the wood that`s used in the item I made for them."

Information

WHAT: Geoghagan Woodwork.

WHERE: 8732 Doris Ave., Ensley.

PHONE: 479-8429.

Published - December, 15, 2006 

Woodworker's love shows through furniture creations

Taris Savell
News Journal correspondent

 

Woodworking is nothing new to Bradley Geoghagan of Pensacola. He's been doing it for 20 of his 30 years.

Geoghagan began making furniture out of scraps in his father's workshop when he was 10. Then five years ago, he began making fine custom furniture and opened his own shop.

"It has also been a lifetime experience coming from seven generations of furniture makers and woodworkers," Geoghagan said.

"I believe the love for what I do shows in my work. There is still nothing like the smell of fresh-sawn black cherry or the velvet touch of a finish on hickory."

The care and artistry with which he approaches each creation caught the attention of the editors of Southern Living magazine, and he was featured in the November issue in a special Florida section. Geoghagan is shown crafting a chair that features a musical clef as the back. He donated the chair as an auction item for last year's Mozart & Margaritas fundraiser for Alzheimer's Family Services.

The chair, which was purchased by Valerie Russenberger, took him more than seven months from his original design to the completion.

"Music is such a part of my and (husband) Ray's life, as are the arts, and it's an original," Russenberger said about her decision to bid on the chair. "I feel privileged to have it in my home."

Russenberger's mother, Ann Brett, also is impressed by the chair.

"The wood is so gorgeous," she said. "The carving is a masterpiece, and it's a real work of art."

Although he makes everything from bedroom suites to entertainment centers to accent pieces, his favorite pieces are dining room tables.

"You can see how well they are put together, and what other piece is made that everyone in the family gathers around and enjoys together every day, week, or special occasion," he said.

He likes the customer to be a part of the process from original thought to even naming the custom piece. One family named their dining room table "Our Daily Bread," Geoghagan said.

"This is where a true family heirloom begins," he said.

One example: He will soon be crafting a custom trestle-style dining table from heart pine that was recovered from the customer's grandparents' old farmhouse.

"This is as good as it gets when it comes to making a true family heirloom," he said.

 

 

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