Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Yojo Shaw and Michael Pendleton.
They are a two-person team who make furniture, art, and design elements from reclaimed wood.
Michael started the company building furniture and Yojo joined full time a few years later with her art works. Today, the two spend their time trying to delight customers with their hand-working skills and their dedication to letting often forgotten materials tell their stories a second or third time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road! Being a custom shop, we do not have the means nor an appetite for large-scale production. We vibe on a smaller stream of projects for customers who value time and dedication. This means we don’t have a lot of capital to expand, and that sometimes we make more sacrifices than profit, but it’s worth it because we are in control of the way we live and work.
We’d rather be traveling to art fairs, loading and unloading benches and tents in the sweltering sun, or in our basement shop knee-deep in sawdust than in a cubicle in some grey office.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about MP Custom Made – what should we know?
We are known for reclaimed wood furniture and glorious end-grain wood art. Much of our material for furniture are locally-sourced and we get great joy at ‘saving’ the history of buildings and neighborhoods whose stories deserve to go on. If a beautiful old-growth pine beam stood as a floor joist in a factory for 80 years, it can bring that history- warts and all to your home in its second life as your entry-way bench.
We are most proud of this aspect of our company- saving and reviving these materials. Not only for the story preservation, but it lessens our environmental impact considerably!
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our clients are everything to us! We are grateful for those clients who’ve taken a chance and had the patience to grow their business with us: from the counselor who filled her office with Yojo’s artworks to the local coffee chain who eventually covered every square inch of their flagship store with our furniture and wall treatments.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1048 W 37th St Chicago, IL 60609
- Website: www.mpcustommade.com
- Phone: 773 559 7886
- Email: info@mpcustommade.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpcustommade/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MPCustomMade/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
