Continued from Page 14
LEFT: Bowls,
plates and
kitchenware
at Ashriver
Woodworks.
BELOW:
Ashriver
Woodworks
features epoxy
resin furniture
and other
goods.
Heather Douglas
greet us daily. Elk and deer also fre-
quent the shop when it’s not too
loud,” Bjorkman said.
While the family’s decision to
relocate to Astoria was easy, their
original plan was not to open a shop.
When the space opened up, however,
it held great potential, but not with-
out some pitfalls. “The space was left
ravaged,” Bjorkman said. “We were
responsible to get it back to a present-
able space,” he added. After weeks of
diligent work, the showroom opened
last year.
Still, the family encountered chal-
lenges, working with a physical store-
front in a digital era. “It’s so easy
today to just jump on your phone and
snatch up whatever you want,” Bjork-
man said. “But for us, it’s more about
art, passion and quality. Our custom-
ers know that when they buy a piece
from us, it won’t need to be replaced
in a year or so,” he added.
The shop also operates Salty Siren
Books, a shop bookstore and a com-
munity space. They have hosted local
bands and authors, and plan for more
events. In addition to wooden goods,
the shop displays a handful of other
Astoria makers’ goods, from locally
made guitars to sustainable soy
candles.
Salty Siren Books, curated by
Naomi, offers new and used titles.
“We really just want to support the
community in any way that we can.
We decided collectively that we
would do everything we could to
work with the community and other
artists to support them through our
brick and mortar,” Bjorkman said.
Ashriver’s most popular items
lately are their epoxy furniture pieces,
some of which are reclaimed. Epoxy,
a wood and plant based resin, gives
new life to centuries old pieces.
Even though these makers have
been woodworking since they were
young, epoxy furniture was a new
frontier. “Trial and error,” Bjork-
man said of the process, “after many
attempts to work out a quality prod-
uct, we feel like we have finally got-
ten there.”
He believes the family skills espe-
cially shine when the shop is asked to
create anything custom.
“You aren’t just buying a thing.
You are buying a piece of ‘heart,’ part
of a soul, a moment of someone’s
life,” Bjorkman said. “Most impor-
tantly, you are buying the maker more
time to do something they love.”
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2022 // 15