Today we’d like to introduce you to Atlanta Wood Foundation.
Hello Atlanta Wood Foundation, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
It started with my husband, Ali, and I embarking on a woodworking business as a side hustle called Furnishings By Hand. We started it just a couple of months before Covid took over the world. It started off really great, and then as Covid lingered and the cost of wood sored, we started talking about getting a portable mill. With the intent of milling our own wood and doing portable milling for others. During the 8 months that it took for the mill to arrive after ordering it, we talked to a coworker of Ali’s, Chris Tappan, about going in on a portable milling business with us. During all of those talks and months of waiting, Chris had the idea that if we made it a nonprofit, tree companies could donate the logs to us. He started the lengthy paperwork process, and we were granted our 501c3 status in April 2021. That took less time than getting our mill! So, the Atlanta Wood Foundation was created. We are an Urban Forestry 501c3 for Public Charity. Our mission is to keep GA hardwoods out of the waste stream to reduce urban waste. Being able to save a natural resource and put it in the hands of local woodworkers is a very satisfying thing. The next hurdle was finding a location to fit all of our needs and most importantly, our out-of-pocket budget! We found a warehouse in Reynoldstown in November 2021 and had to spend a solid 2 months cleaning it to the point we could start moving into it. The entire driveway area had to be unearthed from years of illegal dumping and an insane amount of ivy and privet. There was so much greenery overgrown, we found a horse trailer under it that you couldn’t even see until the ivy was pulled away. It was a lot to get it to the point the guys could get inside and clear that out and start building the kiln. From November 2021, we had our first product ready for sale at the end of March 2022. We now have a couple of hundred slabs dry and ready for purchase.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, but it’s been a good road. We all decided we did not want to take out any small business loans to get started, we don’t want to work for the bank. We want to work for ourselves. The hardest part about that is having to keep our day jobs, so we can’t put in the kind of time needed to get it off the ground faster. It’s been a real blessing that we have sold enough wood to pay the warehouse rent and power bills, so we’re getting there. We need to apply for grants, seek out corporate donations, and hold more fundraisers so we can raise money to be able to purchase much needed equipment, and so we can hopefully start to pay ourselves some kind of salary.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are an Atlanta-based nonprofit sawmill. We mill locally donated trees from around the Metro-Atlanta area, kiln-dry them, and sell them to local woodworkers and DIYers. We have a great start on a selection of species, given we are limited to what we get via donation. We currently have 8 species dry and available, and 3 more new species in the kiln that will be available in the next few months. What sets us apart from other lumber yards is our location. We are in town, right in Reynoldstown off Memorial and Moreland. Most lumber yards are about an hour out.
What do you think about luck?
I don’t believe that good or bad luck has played any part in our journey. We are three driven individuals who set a goal and do everything we can to make it happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AtlantaWoodFoundation.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atlantawoodfoundation/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtlantaWoodFoundation
Image Credits
Kelly Syed
