My passion for woodworking started as a city dweller in Boston after college. Taking many classes in cabinetry and furniture construction at the local votech, I kept a table saw in the dining room of our small apartment and hauled it onto the back deck to work, sending sawdust throughout the neighborhood!

After many years in the business world working in consulting, marketing at Ben & Jerry's, and a brief time at 7th Generation, I left the desk behind and started a small construction business specializing in built-in cabinetry and decks. I enjoyed hanging around the maintenance rooms much more than the conference rooms! This business quickly grew, taking on larger renovation and addition work, but my greatest enjoyment remained with the finer aspects of projects, including finish work, custom cabinetry and furniture building.

I'm very excited about opening The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshop, allowing me to share my passion for woodworking and help enable the wonderful work of all the talented craftsmen and hobbyists in our area. Our goal is to be a destination for woodworkers throughout our region, providing a full range of quality lumber, and many unique items to inspire you, at fair prices, with knowledgeable and helpful staff that share in your love of the wood!

Being the eldest member of The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshop team has given me an eclectic background in retail management, sales and purchasing. I worked in store management right out of high school and progressed up the managerial ranks running stores throughout New England. After 21 years of retail management I went to work at Columbia Forest Products (CFP) in Newport VT, North America's largest veneer and plywood manufacturer. At CFP I started in the Veneer Division, working in the splicing department and then quickly moving into sales. I handled CFP's Cut to Size veneer sales selling to some of North America's largest cabinet and furniture manufacturers. I then coordinated CFP's veneer shipments to their intercompany plywood plants, working closely with material managers.

After 10 years at CFP I moved into a purchasing manager position for a local hardwood lumber/plywood and custom milling retailer where I learned and developed a deep understanding of Vermont's forest products industry. I am very proud of our state and the world class lumber it produces.

I am excited about bringing my passion for local lumber to The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshop and look forward to helping you pick the perfect hardwood lumber for your project!

I have been a professional woodworker for nearly 13 years involved in everything from timber framing to the very finest finish work. For the past 6 years I have worked mostly with hand tools repairing antiques and making reproduction mouldings for old houses. I have a passion for old tools and the wonderful things that were made with them by carpenters who had never seen a power cord. With the scarcity of these tools nowadays, I enjoy custom crafting reproductions. I bring the highest level of craftsmanship and pride to every job regardless of size or price. I am a self-taught wood savant and have a wealth of knowledge about the vast array of hardwood tree species that exist.

I'm happy to share that knowledge with you and open your eyes to the endless options that are available for your projects. I run the millshop at The Tree House and I look forward to providing the best service, products and advice to make all your projects perfect!

Tim is our resident CNC operator. Tim was raised in Vermont from a very young age with strong Vermont roots & values, and received his degree in Studio Art from UVM.

Retail Specialist John Handrik joined the team in 2018, bringing with him twenty years of experience in client relations and a curiosity about all things related to wood and woodworking.

Since moving to Vermont from New York City in 2016, John has developed his love for woodworking through group classes, private lessons and home projects. His current long term project is a set of nightstands made of Maple and Walnut that he "promised" to his wife will be completed soon.

Career and volunteer highlights include managerial roles at Patagonia and Breakaway Courier Systems (where he started as a bike messenger), and marshaling cycling races on Coney Island.

Come chat with John about your latest project -- he loves to find just the right wood for every special project, and takes great care to know and understand the origin, use, and potential for every plank of wood in the store.

John lives in Bolton with his wife and their dog.