John and Joan Schmit used to spend their weekends driving to Seattle for wood working supplies used in boat restoration.
That is, until one serendipitous drive down Sumner’s Cherry Avenue impelled John Schmit to suggest his wife open up a wood worker store of her own. There was a building up for sale on Cherry, and at the time the two were investing in real estate.
This time the Schmits made a different kind of investment. On their way back from Seattle, Joan Schmit suddenly made up her mind to start her own business.
“She said, ‘I think I will,’” John Schmit said. “That’s where it started.”
Joan Schmit had taken her husband’s playful comment to heart, and Sumner Wood Worker was born in May 1996.
“She wanted to be more than just a mom,” said John Schmit, now 70 and retired from Boeing as a senior vice president.
The Schmits are nearing their 50-year wedding anniversary. They’ve never taken a wage from their Sumner business, which is now 12 years old but still growing despite economic woes.
“We’ve grown steadily,” said Ken Nicholas, general manager and the Schmits’ son-in-law.
Growth in the double-digits has occurred every year except 2007, but it is expected again this year because of a new partnership with Rockler, the Sumner store’s main competitor.
Often customers would be looking for specific parts that the store didn’t sell, so employees would have to send them off to the Seattle or Tukwila Rockler stores, Nicholas said. Now 1,200 square feet are dedicated to Rockler accessories and parts, a move that occurred this winter and has already increased business.
Sumner Wood Worker also stocks table saws, cabinet makers, joiners, jigsaws, band saws, planers, sanders and lumber. “Wood working” can refer to building wooden furniture or creating art with wood, to name just a couple of options.
“Woodworking is building with wood,” Nicholas said.
Lumber in the store ranges from common Red Oak to the rare and expensive Burmese Teak, commonly used for decks because of its water-resistant properties. Black Heart Sassafras from Tasmania, Cocobolo from South America and Western Maple from Washington and Oregon are other types available.
Sumner Wood Worker also sells processed wood, which starts out as pine and can be turned into “Alowood” through a process that takes the air and moisture out of the wood and injects it with food-safe dye and hardener. The resulting imitation lumber is inexpensive but strikingly similar to the original wood.
Alowood can be an environmentally-friendly option, especially for many types of Rosewood that are endangered, Nicholas said. Its price is also attractive: A board foot of true Ebony wood is $60 while a board foot of Ebony Alowood is only $6.
Most customers at the store are hobbyists of retirement age, Nicholas said. Other customers include trim installers and cabinet makers.
But whatever the customer, most are there to browse, chat and have fun, he added.
“It’s nice to run a business where the folks are here for fun,” Nicholas said.
And another recent change in the store’s appearance has only added to its likeability, he said. After studying the Old Cannery and its success in becoming an outing rather than just a furniture store, John Schmit remodeled the interior of Sumner Wood Worker to add to its ambience and comfort.
Two comfy chairs and a faux fireplace can now be found near the entrance. One customer even made a point of stopping by the store one day just to cheer up.
“That’s where we want to be,” Nicholas said.
Not only is it comfortable for customers, the setup is also comforting for the Schmits, who are able to spend time with family. Joan’s brother, the Schmits’ two sons and son-in-law Nicholas all work at the store.
“It’s genuinely a family organization,” Nicholas said.
And though he doesn’t take a wage from Sumner Wood Worker, John Schmit still feels like a million bucks because his wife chose to take this route in life.
“I feel like a wealthy man,” he said. “It’s a wonderful path.”
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SUMNER WOOD WORKER
> Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday
> Address: 908 Cherry Ave., Sumner
> Phone: 253-891-9413
> Web site: www.sumnerwoodworker.com
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