From Law School to Live-Edge Tables – How David Stine & Stephanie Abbajay Built Stine Woodworking - The STL Bucket List Show

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_05 (00:00):
And Dave Stein was very smart.

(00:01):
He brought in never fewer than adozen people with him every time
he came in.
So, you know, he brought youbusiness too.

SPEAKER_02 (00:08):
Swell my collection.

SPEAKER_03 (00:10):
The way to a woman's heart is money.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (00:17):
If you wanna hear about St.
Louis, tune into the Bucket Listshow weekly.
Hear what Marissa and Luke say.
It drops every Wednesday.
Got a dope new guest everysingle week.
Buckle up for the ride.
Who's it gonna be?
Who's on the show today?
They rap St.
Louis.
What to do in the loo on a latenight?

(00:39):
I maybe what to do on a datenight.
Yeah.
Bucket list as you cover, theyknow what's going on.
What's going on?
They'll give you pay.
18 different things to do on 19.
If you need one more to choose,yeah.
This city, city, city is a placewe call home.
A place we call home.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (00:55):
St.
Louis, welcome back to anotherepisode of the STL Bucket List
Show, highlighting the people,places, and events that make St.
Louis special.
One of those people and people,multiple, are here in the studio
today that make St.
Louis special.
You guys have your fingerprintson so many places that people go
to, even if they didn't knowthey were there.
So I have Dave Stein andStephanie Abigail in the studio

(01:15):
today, married duo, parents,entrepreneurs, uh, community
business leaders, um, and reallyjust people that that help
elevate St.
Louis.
So I appreciate you guys bothfor coming in the studio today.
Thanks so much.
Yeah, thanks for having me.
Um, I have this cutting board atmy house, and I've been at a
bunch of different restaurantsthat you guys um, and I'm just
gonna name off a few of these.

(01:36):
I mean, you guys have workedwith some of the best in the
business from Forehands toBalkan Treat Box to Niche Food
Group and Girard, Bengelina, BenParemba, um, you know, Katie
Lee, absolutely, Boxhill Grocer,Louie.
I mean, all, I mean, I the list,I could literally do a 35-minute
podcast talking about each ofthese clients.
And I honestly think you guysshould do some sort of like a
wood table podcast with yourclients.

(01:57):
I think that would be goodcontent.

SPEAKER_05 (01:58):
It'd be a lot of content.

SPEAKER_02 (02:00):
Yeah, because you guys are you guys, one thing I
like about you guys is yoursocial media strategy, and
that's what you do, right?
Yeah, um, is really, you know,organic, but it works, you know,
and it's like it's notoverproduced.
It's just like, hey, what we'redoing today, like him getting
out of the truck with a piece ofwood and then going in a house,
like you don't need aprofessional film crew.
And I saw you guys did have onedown with Demetrius, though,

(02:20):
which I love.
I love that place.
Yeah, Nobleton's is incredibletoo.
I did a barrel with him.
Uh I partnered with Lit CigarLounge and we did a barrel and I
got to like siphon it out, andwe were trying.
I mean, by the end of that, Iwas like, dude, this is way too
far from home.
Can somebody drive me home?
Because I tried like 17 barrels,and it's but his whole place out
there, and then um in over inCaudleville, I went to a spot
over in Caudleville, CottleVillage.

(02:41):
With him and Steve Savage.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (02:43):
Yeah, we worked with Steve down at the Midwestern as
well.

SPEAKER_02 (02:45):
Yep, yeah.
Yep, yep.
No, that's amazing.
So I want to first take a stepback and you know, learn about
how this whole thing came about.
So, you know, nowadays you don'tsee people doing the what you
guys are doing as much anymore,especially in you know, on a
local scale.
So um, if one of you guys wantto jump in, first of all, tell
me how the this whole businessstarted and how long you've been
in business, and and then I wantto learn about your guys' love

(03:07):
story after.

unknown (03:07):
Oh boy, oh boy.

SPEAKER_03 (03:09):
Well, I I think I the condensed version is
probably the best.
So I grew up on a dairy farmright across the river over here
in Illinois.
Uh, we had about a thousandacres.
Uh we milked cows during thewhole year, but then in the
wintertime we would do a littlebit of forestry.
Yep.
And so I really enjoyed doingthat kind of work.
Yep.
Um, I I just grew up workingwith my hands and and we did

(03:31):
everything on the farm.
So from growing our own food tomaking our own furniture.
So I just kind of grew up inthat tradition.
And uh then I went off and Iwent to college and I went to
law school, and during thosetimes I was sort of keep a
little small wood shop on theside, just kind of making things
for myself and family membersand close friends.
And then uh once I graduatedfrom law school and we got

(03:52):
married, um, I worked, I passedthe bar and I worked for a year
as an attorney, and I was takingon bigger and bigger commissions
and just working my spare time.
And I really didn't enjoy theoffice life.
I I liked the intellectual rigorof it, but I was not a good
office person.
And so Stephanie always beensuper encouraging.
She's like, you know, why don'tyou just quit and just do the

(04:14):
woodworking full time?
And that was the sort of littleuh encouragement that I needed
to just go ahead and do it.
And so that's how we gotstarted.
And then I was in DC then, thatwas 1997.
So in 97 I graduated law school,got married, got married, bought
a house, started this business.
We opened a bar, we opened arestaurant, we've we've been in
those businesses before.

(04:34):
Um, and then you know, startedstarted Steinwoodworking and a
year later, you know, quit quituh we just took it on full time.

SPEAKER_02 (04:42):
I was in 1997.
So your kids kind of grew upwith that being what they knew
you guys for.
For sure, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (04:47):
Our son was born in uh the last baby born in 1999 in
DC.

SPEAKER_02 (04:52):
So they never knew you as a lawyer then.
No, that's funny.

SPEAKER_05 (04:55):
And then we moved back here in 2002 to a farm
adjacent to his family's farmand relocated the business.

SPEAKER_02 (05:02):
That's such a big switch up because like when you
when you become a lawyer in inthe movies and the TV shows, you
see the big high-rise buildings,Washington, DC, and then you
literally, you know.
So where did you guys meet atactually?
Did you guys meet in DC?

SPEAKER_05 (05:15):
We met in DC.
I used to own a bar and anightclub and a restaurant, and
Dave Stein was one of my one ofmy customers.
Um he sort of stalked me for sixmonths until I agreed to.

SPEAKER_03 (05:24):
But at the time it was that was not illegal.
This was back when you couldlike stalk in the same bar.
Yeah, stalking was how you metpeople.

SPEAKER_02 (05:31):
You didn't have Tinder in all these apps.

SPEAKER_05 (05:34):
Actually, our very first paying customer was this
lovely young woman, and she weput her dollar bill on the wall,
and she went home that night andsaid to her roommate, I just met
your future wife.
And her roommate was Dave Stein.
So she brought him in the nextday.
He had just started law school,and Dave Stein was very smart.
He brought in never fewer than adozen people with him every time
he came in.
So, you know, he brought youbusiness.

SPEAKER_03 (05:56):
Well, you know, the money the the the way to a
woman's heart is is money.

SPEAKER_02 (06:00):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, 12 customers and they allspent a lot.
Minimum, yeah, yeah.
Um, so you guys have always kindof been people, pe people, you
know, you surrounded yourself.
So I want to learn how thatdecision of you convincing him
to leave, because like when youthink of this perfect life, you
think of oh, lawyer, and we livein DC, we have this house in the
city, but then you guys madethis huge pivot, this huge shift

(06:20):
to move.
He convinced you convinced himto start the business, but then
how did he convince you to moveto this to this farm or back to
St.
Louis?
Because you you probably hadn'tonly visited during like just to
visit family, like duringChristmas and holidays.

SPEAKER_05 (06:31):
Um, and you know, I lived in DC for 15 years.
I grew up in Slate, Ohio.
I'm not a rural girl, not acountry girl.

SPEAKER_06 (06:36):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (06:37):
And one summer we were visiting Illinois.
It was the fourth of July, andit was 2001.
And it was one of these weekendswhere it was maybe 78 degrees,
no humidity, it was beautiful,and our son Oscar was a year and
a half old, and he's runningaround the cornfield with the
chickens and my mother-in-lawand the garden, and I was just
like all his cousins, and Ithought, DC is crazy.

(07:00):
We had a bar, a nightclub, and arestaurant, and Steinwood
working at the time.
We were just firing on allcylinders constantly, and I
thought, we should just selleverything and move to the
country.
So we did.
And then a few months later,September 11th happened.
Oh, and then we thought we needto get out of DC.

SPEAKER_03 (07:15):
Yeah, we made the right, we felt it just made us
really.
We were because you were stillkind of making it.
We were in DC, yeah.
Yeah, we were in DC, and youcould you actually um it was
really surreal that whole day.
You could see the Pentagonburning from our house.
I mean, it was nuts.

SPEAKER_05 (07:28):
So but then we moved, and then I realized I had
made a huge mistake.

SPEAKER_02 (07:32):
Oh, so then so then yeah, walk me through that
because like you're thisnightlife, this fast pace, you
had like the We didn't even havea car.

SPEAKER_05 (07:38):
We'd walk in.

SPEAKER_02 (07:38):
And you had the young family, you had two kids,
and you had no car and you'reyou've been to our farm, it's in
the middle of nowhere.

SPEAKER_05 (07:44):
It's only 35 miles from St.
Louis, but it was a huge cultureshock.
So that first year you can walkanywhere.

SPEAKER_03 (07:50):
Like, yeah, when we lived in DC, we would park the
car and not move it for a month.
We would walk everywhere.
Yeah, just do whatever.
Just do dinner by the evening.
Like you're just like, allright, I'm gonna go pick up.

SPEAKER_02 (07:58):
Take them together butcher show.

SPEAKER_04 (07:59):
You know, just do I took the metro to work when I
used to work and you know.

SPEAKER_02 (08:03):
First Community Credit Union is the official
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They've been serving St.
Louis families for 90 plus yearswith 40 plus local branches and
over 400,000 members frompersonal credit loans to
mortgages to kids and teenaccounts.
They also have a partnershipwith the STL Blues.
You see, Louie here if you'rewatching on YouTube.
Uh, we're proud to use FirstCommunity.
I use it for my own family andmy own business.

(08:25):
Um, we're excited for them to bethe official banking partner of
STL Bucket List.
And that's uh big change.
Then yeah, that was tough foryou guys.
And then I guess, you know, howdid how did how did that move
change the business trajectory?
I guess.

SPEAKER_05 (08:38):
Because you know, that that's probably a good
question to like that's a verygood question because all of our
clients were in DC and on theEast Coast and the West Coast,
and then we move here.
And the f the initial reactionto the company I don't want to
say they didn't get it, but itwas it was hard to tell our
story.
And we found that people reallypreferred to per purchase their
artisanal furniture from theEast Coast or the West Coast.

(09:01):
It wasn't a mistrust of thecompany, but they they hadn't
yet embraced the local,sustainable, green part of our
company.

SPEAKER_03 (09:10):
St.
Louis has come a long way, Ithink, in in embracing local
people.
Um you used to have to kind ofleave and then you could come
back.
Um we had a great friend and areally great client, Jack
Randall, who owned the RandallGallery at 13th and Martin
Luther King.
And he would say, Listen, youknow, I've been in St.
Louis my whole life, and peoplewill come to your art opening
and they'll eat your cheese anddrink your wine.

(09:31):
They won't spend a dime at home,but they'll go to Chicago for
the same opening and buyeverything and have it shipped
home.
So, you know, it it's come along way since then.
I think people like Kevin Ashin,Gerard Kraft, um, and a lot of
these other entrepreneurs havemade it cool to uh by local.
By local.
Yeah, yeah.
You know, support localarchitectures.

(09:52):
The national culture has changedtoo.
Yeah.
You know, it used to be if it'sfrom the Midwest, it's not good
enough.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast andon the East Coast, I'd shake
somebody's hand and they'd belike, I know you're gonna do
what you do because you're fromthe Midwest.
You know, it's grow up on afarm.

SPEAKER_02 (10:06):
I mean, it's a different energy that you can
feel it with the people that youmeet.

SPEAKER_03 (10:10):
And it was the greatest thing too.
When we moved back here, uh, Iwas closer to the forest and
everything where I did, youknow, most of my work.
And then you go to Brooklyn oryou go to LA, you sell stuff at
Brooklyn or LA prices, and thenyou come home and you live at
Midwest prices.
So you can do pretty well ifyou're willing to do it.
And it's it was it was a verydifficult uh yeah road to hoe

(10:31):
road hoe there to get going.

SPEAKER_05 (10:33):
But once it was also pre-social media, pre-internet,
pre-marketing.
So you really did you more?

SPEAKER_02 (10:38):
I mean, you you unless you could afford big
print ads or something.
Well, we we used to do shows.

SPEAKER_05 (10:42):
We would do 18 shows a year, architectural digest
show, dwell on design, yeah.
Um shows out well.

SPEAKER_03 (10:48):
From the marketing angle of it too, Stephanie came
up with a plan uh along with meat the very beginning.
You know, the first couple yearswe did shows, we would do like
10 shows on the East Coast oneyear.
Okay, three of these worked.
Now they're in the rotation.
Then we're gonna do 10 shows inthe south.
Okay, one of those worked.
We'll keep that in the rotation.
And then we worked our wayacross the country and literally
did hundreds of thousands ofmiles in the truck.

(11:10):
That's awesome.
And just went to shows and metpeople.
And back, you know, before biginternet and people were more
comfortable with the way they dothings now.
You people wanted to meet youand shake your hand and feel the
product and you know, see whatwas going on.
And you know, we we've takenthat aspect and that um part of
our business straight through tonow where we don't meet every

(11:31):
one of our clients, but we stillhave that relationship with them
when they're involved in everyaspect of the product from uh
the initial choice of the woodthrough the design through the
finish and then through deliverydetails.
So it it really was a good wayto lay the base.
But we since the pandemic, wehaven't done any shows, I don't
think.
That's great.

SPEAKER_02 (11:50):
Um, yeah, it is your social media website, like
that's your brand though, haschanged because now the the
sales are a little bit now.
I wouldn't I would never use theword easy, but it's like they're
coming to you now because youbuilt this brand.
That's exactly what it's like.
That took 20 plus 20.

SPEAKER_05 (12:04):
It did take a long time, yeah.
It's true.
That's true.
That's a very good point.

SPEAKER_03 (12:07):
Most people come to us now with a pretty good idea
of what we do.
And Stephanie, since she came onthe business full-time, what, 10
years ago, 12 years ago?

SPEAKER_05 (12:16):
Uh 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_03 (12:17):
Okay.
Well, anyway.

SPEAKER_05 (12:19):
2005.

SPEAKER_03 (12:20):
Was it really?
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (12:22):
Well, time flies, honey.
Time flies.

SPEAKER_03 (12:24):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, she um she does such agreat job of um not being a
gatekeeper so much, but justmaking sure Oh no, I'm a
gatekeeper.

SPEAKER_05 (12:34):
You can't talk to Dave Stein until you go through
me.
I make sure that any inquirythat comes in is A something we
want to do, yeah, yeah, Bsomething we can do, and C
something we want to, you know,partner with that client.
And then I won't involve DaveStein until he needs he's
involved in all the design,obviously.
But a lot of people want DaveStein's attention.
So I'm I am your aid keeper tomake sure that we maximize your

(12:57):
time.

SPEAKER_03 (12:57):
And it's worked out really well.
You know, I when when we startedbuilding this business, um, you
know, you wear a lot of hatswhen you're when you're building
your own business, you know thatas well as anybody.
And um, the more we could sortof take some of those things off
my plate, the better.
So I could actually concentrateon building more furniture and
making sure the the guys in theshop have what they need to

(13:17):
build furniture and make thingsrun smoothly.

SPEAKER_05 (13:19):
And we try to run it like back of the house, front of
the house.
Yeah, it's pretty simple.

SPEAKER_02 (13:23):
And I've noticed that even like booking this
podcast, like, you know, he'slike, email Stephanie.

SPEAKER_05 (13:27):
Yeah, and then I was like, Yeah, and that was
actually me telling you to emailon his Instagram page.

SPEAKER_02 (13:31):
Yeah, so that's where the thing is like, dude,
I'm sorry I missed this.
And I'm like, it's all good.
I'll email Stephanie and we werebooked in like five minutes.

SPEAKER_03 (13:36):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 (13:37):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (13:38):
Yeah, people see me um out at a restaurant or
something, go, how much for atable like this?
I'm like, I have no idea.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (13:44):
That's kind of how I've done my stuff too.
Like, I've really, when I was soinvolved, I was so emotional
about everything, and I was soemotional about the business
owner.
So we have a marketing company,and I'm like, I just want to
help them.

SPEAKER_06 (13:54):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (13:54):
So I'll just do it because I know my costs in my
mind, but like that's not whatthe business cost needs to run.
And that's when you get yourselfin trouble.
And you want to help everybodyout, yeah, but you want to run a
business.
So having a second person in themix that stands on business
helps everything run so that thecreative, it's like the creative
and the admin work together,like creatives that even
artists, it's like every artistneeds a good agent or a good

(14:17):
manager to help sell theirproduct, you know, because
artists will just give it to youbecause they want you to have it
in your house.

SPEAKER_03 (14:21):
Yeah, and I I got in that mind a number of times, you
know, somebody would call me upin in the middle of the day and
say, Oh, I need somethingtomorrow, and I'd be like, sure,
no problem, do it.
And then everything else wouldget pushed to the side, and then
that is no way to run abusiness.

SPEAKER_02 (14:33):
So, what are some of the challenges?
I guess working together, youknow, these husband and the
husband and wife team is sospecial, but it's so difficult
at the same time.
And, you know, when I started mybusiness, we work together, and
as we build our family, I'vebeen kind of locking into the
business, but hopefully we'llit'll come back, you know.
But yeah, what are some of thosechallenges?
Because I I think one of thebiggest things I love about my
my wife now having her own jobat a school is when we get home,

(14:56):
we talk about different thingsthat happen that day.
But you guys work and you knoweverything that not always, but
like you know everything thathappened.
You're like, oh, I met withthis, I met with them, and
you're like, Oh, yeah, I talkedto them, I talked to them, and
then you just like don't evenwant to talk anymore.
You're just like turn on some BSTV and like drink wine and just
like.

SPEAKER_05 (15:09):
Yeah, exactly.
It's funny you should say thatbecause we were just having this
conversation yesterday.
The most important thing is inworking with your partner, your
spouse, is you have to haveboundaries, you have to have a
delineation between work andhome life.
And that took us a long time tolearn because we would work,
Dave Sign will physically workuntil eight, nine, ten o'clock

(15:29):
at night.
Yeah, but I need to shut downand run the household and deal
with the kids.
So we had to really talk aboutno more work after five o'clock
or six o'clock, no pillow talk.
I cannot talk about you knowwhat Gerard Craft needs at his
next restaurant when I'm goingto bed at 9:30 at night, because
then that's all I'll thinkabout.
Or Dave can talk about it until9 30 and then fall asleep in two

(15:50):
seconds.
But then my mind is racing.
So setting boundaries and havingclear responsibilities has been
key.
And a lot of grace.
You have to have grace when youwork with your partner.

SPEAKER_03 (15:59):
Yeah.
And and in the other, yes, andthe other thing I would say is
um it's a constant negotiation.
Like we didn't come up with someconstitution at the beginning of
our marriage, and then now wejust refer back to that.
Our relationship, whether it'sbusiness and personal or family,
it changes day to day.
It literally changes day to day,you know.

SPEAKER_05 (16:21):
Constantly talking about things.

SPEAKER_03 (16:23):
Yeah, and it's just um, and I think that's a really
good way to do it.
It's a true partnership.
Yeah, um, we sometimes fall backinto sort of more traditional
gender roles, but we're stillall doing everything all the
time.

SPEAKER_02 (16:35):
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, that's special.
Yeah, it is it is hard, but likewhen you actually do do it
successfully, like you guys havedone everything, become
stronger, and then your businessis your life, your family is
your business, your clients areyour friends.

SPEAKER_05 (16:47):
That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_03 (16:48):
And and I grew up um, you know, on a dairy farm, a
family farm that's been in fourgenerations in the family.
So I understand what it's liketo work with your family and how
the difficulties that thatpresents, as well as the
positive uh things about that.

SPEAKER_05 (17:01):
It's not for everybody.

SPEAKER_03 (17:01):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (17:02):
I think you have to have the right personality and
you have to have your ego in acertain healthy framework
because if you need to be thecenter of attention, it might
not work in a partnership likethat.

SPEAKER_02 (17:13):
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(17:36):
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So I want to talk about thatmove to St.
Louis again.
So was there an aha moment inyour journey?
Because obviously you've soldthese pieces in the w on the
East Coast and you've doneincredible things, but like when
you got to St.
Louis, was there a certainproject that you were able to do
that opened your eyes up to thiscommunity?

(17:57):
Like when you're like, man, Ithink we can really build this
in St.
Louis.

SPEAKER_03 (18:00):
Well, I I think I'll take this.
Yeah, I mean, yeah, that was it.
We we weren't selling anythingin St.
Louis, we were still East Coast,West Coast, mountain states, uh
a little bit in Chicago.

SPEAKER_02 (18:09):
Like at homes and restaurants, or were you most
like a lot of both almost allresidential?

SPEAKER_03 (18:12):
Almost all residential at that point, but
some through architects anddesigners and stuff too.

SPEAKER_05 (18:17):
And we had done the St.
Louis uh Art Show, which is agreat show a few times and
gotten a lot of positiveattention.

SPEAKER_03 (18:24):
And then well, and then um Gerard decided to move
Niche over to uh Clayton, yeah,and he wanted to do everything.
I I think it was within ahundred miles.

SPEAKER_05 (18:32):
Something like that.

SPEAKER_03 (18:33):
So not only the food uh and you know the drinks and
that stuff, but also thefurniture, the artwork,
everything.
And so uh a great designer hadmet us at the St.
Louis Horror Fair, BlairQuestkin, right?
And she was Gerard's designer atthe time and introduced uh he
and uh he was with Adam at thetime, and they came out to the

(18:55):
farm, they picked out slabs, wehit it off, um, and we did all
the tables for the new nicheover in Clayton.
And then that led further to,you know, meeting other people
in the restaurant industry.
And Steph and I have such a bigplace in our heart for the
restaurant business.
She grew up in the most uhfamous bar in Toledo, Ohio, her

(19:18):
dad owned.
Oh, really?
And then my mom opened My JustDesserts in Alton when I was a
kid, and then we had opened barsand restaurants all around.
So we have a soft spot in ourheart for the stuff.
Yeah, so we understand what it'slike.

SPEAKER_02 (19:29):
Yeah, and we really admire not just a transaction
selling a table.
We don't want to be in thatindustry, but we love we love
being a part of it.
Yeah, exactly.
And now you guys have like beenso so what year was that 2008?

SPEAKER_05 (19:42):
Oh gosh, I'll have to look that up.

SPEAKER_02 (19:44):
Because he had it in Benton Park, right?
It was in Benton Park.
This is when he moved it intothe Centine building.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, I can't remember when itwas.
It was maybe 08, maybe 07.
And that was before likerestaurants in St.
Louis were going as hard as theydo now with this design.
So that was like, and I talkedto him on the podcast of when he
moved to St.
Louis, what that impact had oneverybody else.
And I think that people don'ttalk about that enough.

(20:05):
They don't.

SPEAKER_05 (20:06):
I mean, he really is the godfather of it all.

SPEAKER_03 (20:08):
It's really it's something well yeah, and I think
he would say too, Nashin.
You know, Nashin came uh fromout west, and then they happened
to be right down the street fromeach other.
Yeah, and a great St.
Louis thing that happened isthey were very supportive of
each other from day one.

SPEAKER_05 (20:24):
Which is unusual among restaurant communities.

SPEAKER_03 (20:26):
So many people are so competitive.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But in St.

SPEAKER_05 (20:29):
Louis, they really do embrace each other and a
rising tide lifts all boats.

SPEAKER_02 (20:33):
It's really a And they visit each other a lot.
I see people visiting, theypost, they share.
Absolutely.
I was talking to Quee and likerandomly.
Yeah, he's the godfather.
But he was like telling me hedrove to Chicago in a snowstorm
in his big truck, picked upmaterials for all these other
Asian restaurants because theyneeded like the certain
material, and he like deliveredit to all of them so they could
stay open.
Like, who does it?

SPEAKER_06 (20:52):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (20:52):
Who drives all the way to Chicago in a snowstorm
and comes back 10 hours aroundtrip?

SPEAKER_06 (20:55):
He's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 (20:56):
Just to help other people sell when he could have
been the only one that wouldsell.
Yeah, and that's the stuff thatpeople do.
And yeah, he's great.
You guys have been able to, youknow, and the cool thing, I was
talking one of my close friends,Elliot, over at Scouts.
Oh, we love Elliot.
Yeah, I grew up with him.
He was at my wedding.
So I grew up in uh Lake St.
Louis, Darden Prairie, and hisparents, Jeff and Mary, had a
house in Darden Prairie.
And we went to high schooltogether and went to the city.

(21:17):
That's great.
We love those guys.
So Brandon, too.
We all went to high schooltogether, Brandon, Elliot, me,
and my wife, and everything.

SPEAKER_05 (21:23):
They're such a great team.
And doing that project with themwas so meaningful to us because
we've known Elliot for ages.

SPEAKER_03 (21:28):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (21:28):
And Jeff and Mary.
And then they chose, tell themabout the wood they chose for
scouts.

SPEAKER_03 (21:34):
Well, the hickory, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (21:35):
Which is a super unusual wood.
Nobody else has it.
And those guys are so unique.
So it was really wonderful forus to work with them on
something that was reallyunique.

SPEAKER_03 (21:43):
Yeah, and you know what's funny is too is we we've
been around long enough now andwe've done a lot of different
projects.
And so we've known Elliot, ofcourse, and then Brandon.
We met through Elliot.
And then um Will, who's the GMover there.
Well, I mean, I guess they'reall together.
They're partners, yeah.
They're all partner on theproject.
Yep.
Will was at last hotel.
We met him through.
Ebbie, when she was workingthere, and they're just like,

(22:03):
No, we just we're using you.
So, like it's you're part of theteam.
So, which is you know, it's sogreat to be thought of that way,
and you know, then you doeverything you can to help the
folks that that that are likethat.

SPEAKER_05 (22:16):
And it sounds cheesy, but it's we're so
sincere.
It is so uh important to us towork with people we love and
respect and get to work withthem on helping them achieve
their vision.
I mean, it sounds corny, butit's really true.
We take it really seriously.

SPEAKER_03 (22:29):
That's what we really like to do.
Yeah, we put our hearts.

SPEAKER_02 (22:36):
And what's different about the restaurant, like yes,
you could sell it to somebody'shome, like the one you did with
Katie, which is unbelievable.
Um, and you can go eat there.
But a lot of people that yousell to, they're not inviting
you over.
Some of them will, but at therestaurant, you can actually go
sit at that table.
And I sat at that table for ourChristmas party.
We had 12, it was eight or 10times.
And we we had our Christmasparty at Scouts.
Yeah, so that table is acommunity table, and he's not

(22:58):
just reserving it for groups,he's letting two and two too sit
next to each other.

SPEAKER_06 (23:01):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (23:01):
Um, and you guys can go sit.
And and one of the things thathe told me, and I don't know if
you guys want to get into it,but the way you guys help
restaurant owners with differenttrades and different things that
you can do to then bringbusiness their way, and then you
guys can then go, you have anexcuse to keep going back there.
That's it.
Well, that's unique, veryunique.

SPEAKER_03 (23:16):
Yeah, it's that, and it's a rising tide lifts all
boats things too.
When we first did that deal withGerard to do the tables for
niche, uh, our pricing was toohigh for them.
Yeah.
And he said, I'm gonna take careof it.
And he basically went to hisinvestors and said, Listen,
we're gonna do some of this incredit and we're gonna do some
of it in payments, but I wantthis guy's stuff in our place

(23:40):
and just kind of bulldoze hisway through.
And so we try to be as flexibleas we can with our clients as
well.
Yeah, we're doing a lot of stuffwith good company right now.
And you know, those guys arejust starting out, but they are
like a tiger.
Yeah, they are doing a ton ofstuff.
Yeah, Jordan is the greatest.

SPEAKER_05 (23:56):
He's great.
Um, but we do, we'll take a bigchunk of our uh price and credit
at the establishment.
Yeah, we'll take a as chunk achunk as big as they're
comfortable giving us, whichusually is pretty big because it
lowers their price point.
Yeah.
And then we can come in andenjoy the competition.
And show your clients thatpiece.
And bring clients in the street.
Well, that's the whole thingtoo.

SPEAKER_03 (24:16):
You know, it's a log rolling in our time kind of
thing.
You know, we bring clients inand and then it helps the
restaurant.
Everybody is.

SPEAKER_05 (24:24):
Everybody shares on social media, it's really
symbiotic.

SPEAKER_03 (24:27):
Yeah, and we are um, you know, I've gotten a little
bit of pushback through theyears from some people who just
think it's um, I don't know whatit is.
Uh is it is it you mean tooclose to your vendor or whatever
if you're good friends with us.
But we are really sincere.
We're friends with our clients.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 (24:42):
You know, if you don't want to be friends, that's
okay.
Yeah, that's fine too.

SPEAKER_03 (24:44):
But you know, we you have our friendship if you want
it.

SPEAKER_00 (24:47):
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SPEAKER_02 (25:26):
Yeah, I'm like that too.
And we, you know, our marketingagency, we do the same thing.
Like, there's this butcher shop,um, a new one in Darden Prairie,
and she invited us out and she'slike, I can do this, and then
I'll give you this much inproduct.
And I was like, Well, I'm gonnause the product.
It's farm fresh beef.
It's out, it's called QuarterButcher over in uh over in
Darden Prairie.
And I we did the trade, and thenI started doing that more.
And I'm like, okay, well, I'mgonna go out to eat anyways.
And I'm like, you know, and it'slike, yeah, but it it's one of

(25:48):
those things where it's like,especially in the restaurant
industry, you guys actuallyunderstand how hard it is to get
open.
You know, it's not just like youguys are a big upfront expense
for the I mean, between thestone, the bar, yeah, all the
stuff, like you guys are one ofthose things.

SPEAKER_05 (26:01):
We're a big line on it, and we understand that it's
not in everybody's budget.

SPEAKER_02 (26:05):
Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 (26:06):
And we'll try to work with their budgets as much
as we can, and then sometimes itdoesn't work out and there's no
hard feelings.
Like we totally understand thatnumbers are numbers.

SPEAKER_02 (26:13):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
So the the niche job kind ofopened up these doors for you.
Was there another job in yourjourney that you stepped back
and said, like, this is badass,like this specific piece?
Like, probably that might be aquestion for for you, or you I
don't know.
If there was there like a pieceand where you guys kind of like
looked and you're like, this isthe craziest shit I've ever done
before in my life.

SPEAKER_05 (26:32):
Well, we've done a ton of stuff like that, but the
the the recent job that really Iwas very excited about was we
did um a lot of tables for thesoccer stadium.
Okay, uh Energy Energizer Park.
Yeah, yeah, Energizer Park.
And in the pitch club and acouple of the other private
clubs, and for Gerard and acouple of the other uh
restaurant tours.
And that is such a coolfacility.

(26:53):
That was such a cool project.
We were so thrilled to be partof that.
And the reason we uh got it isbecause we had done a when the
arch opened its new grounds, um,we put in a giant 22-foot long
the huge two huge tables in theuh for their gala opening.
Yeah, and Carolyn Kindle uh sawand she was like, Okay, when I

(27:18):
do something else, I'm gonnahire you guys.
Oh, it's fine.
We just we're thrilled just tobe here.

SPEAKER_02 (27:22):
And then sure enough, that was before she
opened the stadium.
You're like, oh yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_05 (27:26):
She ordered furniture for her house and for
her mother's house.
And then when the stadium came,she's like, we want these guys
in the stadium.
It's really that's incredible,and that was an elongate.

SPEAKER_03 (27:34):
And that was another Girard hookup too.
Girard invited us to put tablesin there for that big dinner.

SPEAKER_02 (27:41):
So all those things connect, and it's like, you
know, that moment in 2008, thatfirst big restaurant project
changed the trajectory of whatyou guys do.
And now we're eight, is it Ican't even do public math right
now.
A 16 years later, 18 yearslater, and it's like you guys
are, you know, you know, reallydoing all these projects, and I
see your guys' stamp everywhere,and and I see your guys' social
media going to visit.
And that's why I was like, man,you guys need to do a podcast

(28:03):
because I feel like you could doit at the restaurants on your
tables before you install it.
We're gonna leave the podcastingto you.
Yeah, but that's uh yeah, that'sa whole nother thing.
So um I guess um, you know, whatare you know what are some of
the future goals?
Because as you guys keepcontinue to to do this, you
know, it's becoming more andmore rare that this this craft,
you know.
I don't know if you haveyounger, you know, people
mentoring with you and stufflike that, but like what is the

(28:24):
future of the industry actuallylook like?

SPEAKER_03 (28:26):
And well, that's a really good question.
The future of the industry, Ithink there'll always still be a
place for the niche that we'vekind of created.
I mean, super high-end, supercustom, very uh responsive to
people's wants and needs.
Um, if you just need some placeto put a uh a plate so you can
eat dinner, I mean that that'savailable.
Yeah, you know, at Walmart orwherever.

(28:47):
But if you want to make acommitment and sort of get
something that's nicer, thatmaybe you'll have an heirloom
and you'll pass it down to yourkids.
Or, you know, maybe your stylehas reached a point where you
know you really want to designsomething, you know, with your
furniture maker.
I think there'll always be aplace for that type of business.
Um we do have younger guysworking with us.
Our guy, Eli, who runs the shopnow basically, you know, he's

(29:09):
been with us for 13 years.
Um great guy.
Um we have had a little bit ofdifficulty recruiting younger
guys um to sort of fill hisplace.
We we uh it's just difficult.
Not a lot of people want to workthat hard.
Um and I'm not putting myselfover as being the hardest
working guy in show business oranything, but we yeah, we put in

(29:31):
a lot of hours and well, youwon't see me at the ball game a
lot or at the at the blues gamea lot.
Um I do enjoy all that stuff,but we're working.
Yeah, you know, we're in thewoods, we're in the wood shop,
we're delivering furniture,we're meeting with clients.
Um there's a lot of verticallyintegrated.

SPEAKER_05 (29:46):
It's yeah, from harvesting the wood to
delivering it, wherevereverything's like.

SPEAKER_03 (29:51):
And I think that's pretty unusual.
I know a lot of woodworkersaround the country, and very few
of them are have the luxury ofhaving their own forest.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (29:58):
Um but I think people increasingly want
something that's either superhigh designed, which is not what
we do, or they want somethingorganic and natural, which is
what we do.

SPEAKER_02 (30:07):
Which is popular now.
Exactly.

SPEAKER_05 (30:09):
And I feel like with the advent of AI, we're kind of
kind of gonna go the route oflive theater versus AI
generated.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, of course.
When you're working with us,you're working with humans who
are working with actual woodthat they have touched and
harvested.
Not like 3D printed.
Exactly.
It's it's really natural.
So I think it's always gonnahave a place in people's hearts.

SPEAKER_04 (30:27):
Yeah, if you like cheap fake stuff, we're not for
you.
We're not, yeah, that's nice.

SPEAKER_02 (30:31):
I I get that 1000%.
And I mean, I think that thatyou it's interesting that you
mentioned AI because it's one ofthose industries that's like AI,
you know, you can't replicatewhat you guys are doing.
I mean, exactly.
Maybe a hundred, maybe it can'tone day, but like for right now,
you guys are pretty safe.

SPEAKER_03 (30:43):
Yeah, there's a great, there's a great uh
there's a great uh furnituremaking meme about it's like uh
AI will never take my job.
It could never cut this boardthis short every time.

SPEAKER_02 (30:54):
Yeah, it'll never, but in and same with even the
how you talk to clients, it'slike it's so simple to just put
an automation in to like havereplies, but it's like it's so
easy to just reply.

SPEAKER_05 (31:03):
It's so funny you said that somebody was nagging
me the other day why I'm notusing Chat GPT to reply to
clients.
I was like, why would I do that?
Like I talk to our clients.
That's not why.

SPEAKER_02 (31:13):
Well, the simple answer is because we reply to
clients, yeah.
And it would be disrespectful tohave a computer type for you,
and then they would know itwasn't you.

SPEAKER_05 (31:19):
I agree.

SPEAKER_02 (31:20):
You know, you ask about it.
I want to see a mistake in the Iwant to see you miss a period or
miss a thing or uncapitalizesomething.

SPEAKER_03 (31:26):
And you ask about like the future of our sort of
business too.
And for me, it's so simple.
It it's um young young people oror people who want to change
careers, they ask me all thetime, oh, how do you do how you
do it?

SPEAKER_04 (31:36):
Like, first of all, when somebody calls you, pick up
the phone.
Yeah, answer the answer thephone call.
Yeah, get back to themimmediately.
Stop what you're doing and getback to them.
If you want to have a job and dothis, that's what you have to
do.
And it's an AI is not that,yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (31:49):
An auto response is not that.
Yeah, when people fill out ourform on our website, I call them
and they're like, whoa.
And I was like, hey, I just sawall your info, you have all your
info here, and then they thinkit's weird.
And then I set up a meetingimmediately.
And it's like I used to be in uhsales, I was uh I was in roofing
sales, which is crazy.
But like I knocked on the doorsto get the deal.
So I'm like, now that we have alead coming in, like I cherish
that.
Yeah, yeah.

(32:09):
Oh yeah, that's weird.
Because I used to call hundredknocks.
Yeah, it's yeah, it's different.
And it's like, you know, ourindustry and marketing and
website building and ads andGoogle ads and Facebook ads,
like we're getting hit reallyhard.
Yeah, but my customers are stillchoosing to pay with us because
they're taught it's you'reworking with people.
Yeah, so I would rather paypeople than Silicon Valley and
Meta and Elon and MarkZuckerberg and like these people

(32:31):
that don't even care about you.
Yeah.
When it's like I just want aservice, widget they just want a
service.
So it's like they call me if ifone of, you know, we work with
Ben Perimba or any of thoseguys.
Hey, I need you out here for aphoto shoot.
We're doing a cool thing.
Boom, we're out there, boom,photo shoot post, you know,
done.
So it's like, you know, youcould do it yourself, but you
know better than anyone.
It's a grind.
It is a grind.
Yeah.
Um, because your guys' contentis is you know really good and

(32:51):
you guys post a lot, but there'ssome months where you're like, I
have no motivation to post.
Like you don't, it's not likeyou're it you post and that's
how you get like you get clientsthrough that, but it's like you
don't need to like run an ad andthat's your Facebook ad and do a
Google ad.
Because you guys have been therebefore when you are buying ads
and you're like, hey, I need anROI off this event that I go to
because you're paying a lot ofmoney.
That's right.
Costs a lot of money to gothere.
I need to get three clients outof this, you know, and and we've

(33:12):
been there before too.
But so 29 years in business, youguys are leaders in the
industry.
Um, coming up on 30.
What does it mean?
And Dave, I want to pass this toyou.
I mean, what does it mean to beable to build on your family
farm and be there and be inbusiness for 30 years and now be
a leader and really be the guy?
You know, it's cool to be thetitan of, and I'm not just
saying that to hype you up.

(33:33):
It's like there's somethingspecial, and we feel like that
with like our Instagram is likewe built the page that everybody
wants to go to to find things todo.
And it's like that's really Idon't take that for granted
though.
I think that it's there's aprivilege, but there's also a
pressure for the otherwoodworkers in town.
It's like you're setting thestandard for pricing, and you're
not even price, but you'resetting the standard for a lot
of younger companies that aredoing stuff.

SPEAKER_03 (33:52):
Well, I guess I really didn't, I I haven't
thought about it that way, to behonest with you.
Um we're just trying to do whatwe do, and well you're probably
gonna cry, so please raiseyourself.
I usually cry, but no.

SPEAKER_02 (34:02):
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(34:22):
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SPEAKER_03 (34:26):
No, it does mean a lot to me to help our clients
realize their visions, honestly.
That's what makes me reallyhappy.
That's what I like doing.
Um, one story that pops out tome, and it's it's a guy who
doesn't need any of my help, butduring the pandemic, Kevin
Nashin was everybody wasscrambling.
And he's like, Man, I I I thinkI need to get rid of tablecloths
because tablecloths are or uhthey're they're they're um

(34:49):
worried that it's gonna be haveCOVID in or whatever.
So he comes out and he's like, Idon't know how we're gonna do
this.
These tables are gonna be, and Ithink the number was$30,000.
It's gonna be$30,000 to redo allthe tables for our place.
And I just can't justify that.
Like, I don't know how I coulddo that.
And I'm like, oh, we're thinkingabout it.
Like, well, what do you payevery year for linens?
Turns out he was paying$30,000to have his linens laundered
every year.

SPEAKER_04 (35:10):
I'm like, well, dude, do this once.

SPEAKER_03 (35:12):
Yeah, and now that's off your and so working with
clients to come up withsolutions like that, same way
with scouts.
They wanted something different,they wanted something that
wasn't, you know, quite asexpensive if they they they had
their budget conscious.
We had this beautiful hickorythat's not a super popular wood.
The only reason why is just it'sjust not out there that much.
And so we did hickory with thoseguys, and we're able to allow

(35:34):
them to achieve their vision ontheir budget and on their
timeline with you know superhigh quality stuff.
And I think it happens again andagain.
We just did it with Katie's outin Crestwood, too.
She had a design team that had alot of wants, like the wants
were high, right?
But then there's still budgetaryconcerns, time constraints,
things like that.
And we ended up building a barout there that we've never built

(35:57):
anything like it.
We did it on site, it's like ahundred feet of bar, and we
hand-carved it and dideverything right on site.
And it's just unlike anythingelse you'll find I don't know,
maybe in the Midwest.
I mean, it's just really farout.
And working together with themuh, you know, made me so happy
to sort of see the visionthrough, like the vision that we

(36:20):
came up with together.

SPEAKER_06 (36:21):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (36:21):
And then to be able to work on the farm and like um
still use the the materials thatmy grandfather and I harvested.

SPEAKER_05 (36:30):
Never know.
It's okay.

SPEAKER_03 (36:32):
Every time.

SPEAKER_05 (36:33):
It's true though.

SPEAKER_03 (36:34):
But it is um I think it's sentimental about it.
It's great.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (36:36):
When you you you were saying that you uh just use
some cherry for Oh when we didwhen we did uh Box Hill.

SPEAKER_03 (36:43):
Box Hill, the cherry a lot of the cherry that we have
shelves is at the shelvy in thebig round where you come in and
pay.

SPEAKER_02 (36:51):
So a lot of desk, but it like curves all the way
around.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (36:55):
A lot of that cherry we harvested when I was like 12
years old.
Wow.

SPEAKER_05 (36:58):
Yeah, so so millions using that for somebody like
Matt is pretty special.

SPEAKER_02 (37:02):
So and that's why it's like getting to walk in
there, like you just are like,man, I just want to be in this
space.
And it's like that's so special.
And the family business elementof you know, in and I'm I I I
guess your grandfather haspassed, and oh yeah, yeah.
Was he able to see kind of thethe business at all?
Kind of growing up.
Uh he saw the beginnings of it.

SPEAKER_05 (37:20):
If you came to DC and visited our nightclub and
bar, what would he be sayingright now?

SPEAKER_02 (37:23):
I mean, that's that's just you know, it's to
see what you're operating on thefarm, the big parties you guys
have.

SPEAKER_03 (37:28):
He'd be very supportive of it, but he would
wonder why I was here and notworking.
Okay.
Oh, it's not doing a real job.
Yeah, no, he would wonder why Iwas here talking to you and not
what's going on.
Oh, he would make fun of you inthe woodship.

SPEAKER_02 (37:39):
He'd poke fun at him.

SPEAKER_03 (37:40):
Like, what are you doing on Instagram making video?
He'd be like, just go in theshop.
Oh, I think Instagram would blowhim away.

SPEAKER_05 (37:45):
But you know, it's funny, it's a family business,
but neither of our children isinterested.
He was gonna ask that.
Not at all.
They're gone.
Not at all.

SPEAKER_03 (37:52):
And they both had to work in the woodshop growing up.
We worked in the woods, youknow, the whole thing.

SPEAKER_05 (37:56):
But they worked shows with us.

SPEAKER_03 (37:58):
Yeah, but they're just not into it.
And I think that's great.
I think you need to do your ownthing.
Yeah, right.
Go and you never know.
Oscar's in an artistic endeavor.
He he works with Artemis Quibblemaking leather belts and all
kinds of amazing leather goodshere in Webster.
Yeah, and then our daughter isuh just finishing up uh school
at DePaul, and she's she's gonnabe a film person, yeah.
Yeah, she's so you know, get outthere and do it.

SPEAKER_02 (38:21):
Yeah, well, and and and the more you think about it,
it's like, you know, my dad is aunion bricklayer, and my all my
family is union contractors, andthey used to be like, you know,
my hand, like I'm doing digitalstuff, and my dad was like, I
used to be so worried about youbecause like I wasn't into going
to do bricks with them.
Sure.
But I was like, Dad, I'mbuilding these things online,
I'm building all these things,I'm making money, I'm showing
them.
He's like, No, no, no, no, he'slike, he didn't think it's real.

(38:42):
It wasn't real to him, it'sstill not real until he came
here and saw everybody working.
Yeah, yeah.
And he's like, Oh wow, you have12 people.
Yeah, everybody here's young,it's their first jobs out of
college, and then now he tellseverybody he's like, Do you
follow?
He's not on Instagram.
My mom and him have a jointInstagram, they have an egg
photo, not even a profilepicture for 67.
So it's like they have an eggprofile, which is just the

(39:02):
standard one, and then it saysKen and Barb, Ken and Barbie,
that's their names.
And then they just follow likeme and like two other people.

SPEAKER_05 (39:09):
So they can share it with you.

SPEAKER_02 (39:10):
But then all they see is my stuff.
They're like, You're doing allthis.
I'm like, you need to followmore people so that you don't
just see our stuff all the time.

SPEAKER_03 (39:16):
Um legal admit that your dad's your dad is Ken and
your mom is Barbie.
Yes, yeah.
That's a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 (39:22):
And they were born in 1959, which is when the
Barbie and Ken were invented.
It was that when Barbie wasinvented in 1959.
But I never talked because ourgrandparents have been gone for
so long.
I never asked them if, like, didyou name her Barbie because
Barbie came out?
Probably.

SPEAKER_05 (39:35):
I mean, probably you need to get them on the on the
podcast.

SPEAKER_02 (39:37):
I know.
Well, I want to do those likeepisodes with people like your
parents, and like you privatethough.
You can record an episode andthen you keep it and put it in a
lot of people.
That's a great idea.
And then you guys could have hadan episode with your
grandfather, and then you couldjust play it one time.
Or you have us interview them.
Like uh McKernan does it.
Uh Tim McKernan does thoseepisodes called Sound Story, and
he like interviews people'sparents and he asks the

(39:59):
question.
So you have like Tim McKernan,like a famous announcer guy
doing the interview, and it'slike you pay to have your dad go
on, or your mom, or something,or your kids interview you.

SPEAKER_05 (40:07):
That's great.

SPEAKER_02 (40:08):
Um, so that that's really fun.
This episode is sponsored byUpshot Coffee, three St.
Louis area locations inCottleville, Break Shop in St.
Charles, and their new Hi-Filocation in Clayton.
I personally use Upshot Coffeeevery day at my espresso machine
at home, and I try to visit oneof the shops at least once a
week.
They source the beansresponsibly from local farms all
across the world, um, and theytake care of their staff and

(40:30):
they take care of the community.
Let's get back to the show.
I was gonna ask you guys the STLbucket list question, but you
guys have so many bucket listspots, and I know it's so hard
to shout out all your clients.

SPEAKER_05 (40:39):
So we discussed this.

SPEAKER_02 (40:40):
Yeah, we've been thinking about it though.
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (40:41):
Okay, because I was gonna ask if I was like, I
wasn't gonna share my bucketlist with Dave.
I was like, I'll share with you,but you can't steal my bucket
list.
Because we have so many, I mean,as you know, hundreds of
clients, and we love them all.
Yeah, I can't say where who myfavorites are.
So my bucket list is if somebodywere coming to visit me in St.
Louis, and we have a littlehouse in St.
Louis that's behind uh Parker'stable, um it's a walking bucket

(41:05):
list.

SPEAKER_06 (41:05):
Okay.

SPEAKER_05 (41:06):
So mine is very it's very prescribed.
It's you stay at the Cheshire.
This is a no-car weekend.
You fly in, you stay at theCheshire, you walk down in the
morning for breakfast atCaldi's, you get a scone and a
cup of coffee, and you walk overto Forest Park, you do the
museums, the zoo.
Um I'd say lunch at theboathouse, but I don't know
what's happening at theboathouse, so I'm not sure.

(41:28):
So what you're gonna do isyou're gonna walk back to the
Cheshire and you're gonna get aSt.
Paul sandwich at ChineseExpress, which is great.
The first time I had it, I waslike, what is this horrible,
wonderful, delicious, amazingthing?
So that's your lunch.
Then you go to Cheshire, youhang out the pool for a little
bit, and then you go back downDe Mun, which is the greatest
street in St.
Louis.

SPEAKER_02 (41:47):
Yeah, it's so pretty.

SPEAKER_05 (41:48):
You go to Sasha's for a glass of wine, and then
you do dinner at Louis, and thenyou do dessert at Clementine's.
And then the next day you go toa movie at maybe the high point.
And maybe grab a burger at thehigh point.
So anyway, so my bucket list isjust walking in the De Mun
neighborhood.
So don't get mad at me if Ididn't mention it.

SPEAKER_03 (42:05):
I love that.
And I think mine is more of likeuh gastronomic food explosion.
Like I would like a great nightfor me would be cocktails at
Nota.

SPEAKER_05 (42:17):
Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (42:18):
And then I think I would maybe grab another
cocktail.
I would go down to Whiteownthen.
And I would grab a cocktail atBarmorrow sit at that beautiful
bar.
Uh or maybe one of our table.
And then I would go to uh dinnerat Louie again to be with you,

(42:40):
and then late night, like 11o'clock, 10 30, oysters, french
fries, and martini in the car atWright's Tavern.

SPEAKER_05 (42:52):
Then there's no Brass Free Burger, there's like
see, it's too hard.

SPEAKER_02 (42:55):
There's no bulk and there's no Telva.
It's like, yeah.
And I've been struggling withthat now when we have Littles,
is like I only get a couplenights a month now, where we
really lock in on date nightsand we try to get as much in the
movies as we can, but it's sohard.
It's so hard.
And then one of the bigchallenges is all these new
places that are opening, and I'mlike, I want to go visit them,
but like I only have two date,like I try not to abuse my
parents, and like I only havetwo date nights a month.

(43:16):
I gotta make these count.
Yeah, and that's when you'relike, I gotta make sure I hit up
all my friends that I see thepeople that I work with.

SPEAKER_05 (43:21):
You want to go with your favorites or what's new?

SPEAKER_02 (43:23):
It's challenging.
It is so hard.

SPEAKER_05 (43:25):
We feel your pain, it's hard.

SPEAKER_02 (43:26):
It's hard.
And then, yeah, so that andyeah, but that's really good.
Yeah, nota's cocktails areunbelievable.
It's such a cool space to do it.

SPEAKER_03 (43:32):
Yeah, it's a cool space.
I just think that's thegreatest.
We also get to hit up a lot ofplaces for lunch, like places we
do business stuff.
Like we'll go to uh five star.
Yeah, and we'll have five starout to clear cocktail when we're
out there.

SPEAKER_05 (43:43):
The gramophone, good company.
Yeah, Katie's pizza.

SPEAKER_02 (43:46):
And you guys get to get lunch as through deliveries
and meetings.

SPEAKER_05 (43:48):
Yeah, like we're here all day today on deliveries
and and meetings, so we're like,you know, yeah, we might hit
Peacemaker for lunch today.

SPEAKER_02 (43:54):
Yeah, that'll be awesome.
Or fine.

SPEAKER_03 (43:56):
But anyway, we're pretty we're pretty lucky.
And it's funny you brought thatup earlier about like What would
your grandfather say?
Um, I think he would get it.
My dad still doesn't get it.
He's like, Why are you guys outto eat all the time?
How are you spending all thismoney?
What how's that making youmoney?
Yeah, he's it's funny he justdoesn't understand.
I've been like, you know, firstof all, we like it.
Second of all, we know we dostuff in trade, and third of

(44:17):
all, it's great for business.
Yeah, we go out and we meetpeople, we see our clients, you
know, you can't just be in Dowsitting at your farm in the
corner, twiddling your thumbs,hoping somebody finds you.

SPEAKER_02 (44:26):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 (44:27):
Yeah, you gotta go out and get them.

SPEAKER_02 (44:28):
Yeah, it's network.
I mean, just like any industry,just like lawyers, you take
people out to lunch.
Right, it's networking.
You gotta do it.
Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 (44:35):
Yeah, and it helps that we like it too.

SPEAKER_02 (44:36):
It's not torture for us.
So, as you guys are in this nextphase of life, so your kids are
out of the house now and stuff.
So, you know, as you guyscontinue to build, I mean, is
this a business that that youknow continues to go?
I mean, like, I mean, is therecan you retire from it?
I mean, is it like what is thatlike?
Because you guys are I mean, youguys still have a long way to
go, it seems like.

SPEAKER_03 (44:53):
Yeah, we we we have sort of uh um inklings of
success succession plan.
I mean, we actually do have asuccession plan, but we haven't
really implemented it yet.
We still feel good, we still Istill like working um every day.
We have been um taking more timeoff now that Eli has really come
into his own as managing theshop and able to, you know, get
tons of work done when we're notthere along with our other um

(45:15):
employees.
So, you know, I I think the moveis we keep uh we stay in our
lane.
One thing I should have probablymentioned earlier that's been so
great since Stephanie has comeon, is is we just we do what we
do.
We do big flat surfaces.
If you need somebody to come inand make funny little shelving
or like uh hidden cabinets,that's just not and we don't do

(45:37):
that.
We stay on our lane, we make bigflat surfaces.
You do it, we celebratebeautiful Midwestern hardwoods,
and that's what we do.
And so Stephanie probably turnsaway way more business than we
take.
Um, and we're gonna keep doingthat, refining our role and
continue to just stay in thislane that has been so good for
us, and we know what we're doingin this lane.
Yeah, so uh I I think that's themove for the future.

(45:59):
We just keep keep doing that,and as long as my body holds
out, yeah, we'll keep working.

SPEAKER_05 (46:04):
You're probably 14 years away from even thinking
about retiring, I think.

SPEAKER_03 (46:07):
Yeah, I hope so.
And I don't do as muchphysicality as I used to do, but
I'm still in there every day.
I still see lifting stuff.

SPEAKER_02 (46:14):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Getting out of the band.
I see those videos when you andthe guys are you and the younger
guys are going to do with thething.
And but I think that that's coolthat you guys are able to curate
what you want because at onepoint you were taking what you
could get.
And that's feeling and I do thattoo, and we're trying to work on
that with our business.

SPEAKER_05 (46:30):
You kind of have to, because you have to build and
you need money to build.

SPEAKER_02 (46:33):
Not every dollar is a good dollar, though.
And it's like, and it is, and itstresses your team out when you
take on jobs like that.
It stresses you out because youdon't know what like I don't
know if I'm a professional atthis, or might be a better
person to build you a shelf.
Yeah, you know flats and you'relike, you could build them all
day long, but it's like, is thatgonna mess up your guys's, you
know, and then you're known forwhat you're known for?
Just like, you know, I wish morepeople would do that.

(46:53):
I'm I'm seeing more businessesand more contractors.
We only do this stonework or weonly do countertops.
Yeah.
And I was just talking to theStone Reserve and I was talking
to Metro Marble out in Illinois,and they've been working with us
a little bit, but they're like,we just fabricate stone and then
we give it to them to put it inand the contract.
We don't want to sell you acabinet.
We don't want to sell you, we'renot gonna install.
And I went to their warehouse,four football fields long of

(47:14):
stone.
It's like they're killing itwith just what they do.
Yeah, yeah.
It's smart and and that's thething.
But no, I I mean I appreciateyour guys' time and and and
really, you know, getting toshare your story.
And I I like that you know I getto see your guys' work in the
physical world.
So that's a cool thing that youknow, uh, me from the digital
world is like you guys areactually putting product into
the world, something physical,and and you're building
something with your hands.

(47:34):
And I think that both your kidsactually pick that up because
although they're not doing that,you have a maker and then a
photographer and a filmmaker,and they're gonna be putting
things out just in a differentway.
So I think that that's reallyspecial.
But I thank you guys for comingon today.
Thank you.
This was great.
We're big fans.
Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05 (47:49):
Thank you for all you do for St.
Louis.
It's really terrific.

SPEAKER_02 (47:52):
We're trying, we're trying.
So appreciate it, guys.
See you next week.

SPEAKER_05 (47:54):
Thank you.
Thank you.

unknown (47:56):
St.

SPEAKER_02 (47:56):
Louis, thanks for listening.
Everything we do here is abouttelling the story of this city,
and that doesn't stop with thisshow.
On the Bucketless PodcastNetwork, we're diving even
deeper into the people, places,and moments that make this city
what it is.
Meet Me in Music with NeilSalcett captures the sound of
the city, past and present,ending each episode with a live
performance.
For my Foodie Lovers, the saucewith Lauren Healy brings you

(48:17):
inside the restaurants thatdefine our culture every
Tuesday.
Gateway to Growth with JamalCornelius highlights the stories
behind the people that make St.
Louis work.
And every Thursday, Bryce breaksdown your weekend with This Week
in St.
Louis.
More stories, more voices.
Explore the full bucket listpodcast network wherever you
listen.

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From Law School to Live-Edge Tables – How David Stine & Stephanie Abbajay Built Stine Woodworking

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}From Law School to Live-Edge Tables – How David Stine & Stephanie Abbajay Built Stine Woodworking