Furniture maker takes pride in creating ‘works of art’

For businesswoman Tracy-Ann Tucker, August 28, 2004 will forever be etched in her mind.

She explained that it was the day she asserted her independence after a domestic dispute with her then spouse left her in a bind.

"He was working in his shop and we had some relationship problems. He gave me a month to come out of the house we shared. At the time, my son was two years old. I needed employment for me and the child. Me need fi make money fi provide for him. I used to build beds, just bed alone me do in the shop and I just decided to start my own thing," Tucker shared.

Determined to secure a stable income, the entrepreneur started seeking workers to assist in making household furniture. As friends shared the word, her profit margins grew.

Tucker heads the team of three workmen who complete state-of-the-art, polished items for interested customers from her shop on Church Street in downtown Kingston. The eye-catching pieces glimmer in the afternoon sun, turning the heads of motorists and pedestrians.

Tucker's smile broadened as she explained what a typical workday for her is like and the process that goes into completing the furniture. After getting an order for a chest of drawers, the Tarrant High School past student picks out the material from the various choices of wood; the preferred ones are mahoe and cedar.

Using her circular saw, the wood is divided into pieces that will be used in crafting the designs. They are then clamped and dressed. The pieces are then placed together and smoothed with a sander, after which final touches are done using the cedar thinner. This entire process takes at least three days and Tucker eagerly anticipates it every time.

"I love the job. The finished [product], the work [that goes into it], the money, me love di money too. Me love see the finished thing looking really good. Me look pon it and say 'a me do that'. Every day, from Sunday to Sunday, me make sure that I am here, because I have orders to get done. So I come and put in the work," Tucker said.

Chest of drawers go for $35,000 and dressers are priced at $40,000. With ease, the Cavaliers District, St Andrew native computes dimensions in her brain and envisions designs in seconds. Her busiest period being the Yuletide season, she admits that traditional designs are no longer being requested.

She gained on-the-job experience from dedicating hours to the shop, and cautioned that it requires one's undivided attention, mathematical skills and an appreciation for the art.

"It very hard, you have to dedicate yourself. You have to love it. If you don't love it, don't start it because you ago fed up. The dust ago badda yuh, everything ago badda yuh. Workman ago stress yuh. Yuh affi can manage yourself and, when anything comes, you can bounce it off," she urged.

Tucker shares that she has hopes of one day having a permanent location for her furniture workshop and to see her pieces promoted in local furniture stores.