Dawson Mitchell, small business owner, woodworker, and artist, wasn’t raised in Southwest Michigan, but he fell in love with the lake, and our area, all the same. Early this year, he settled his live-edge furniture company, Enhanced Timber, into the building at 6405 W. Main Street in Eau Claire, and his excitement for his work is unmatched.
“With custom pieces, the customer gets to be a part of the process,” Dawson says. “They aren’t just walking into a big box store and buying a table. Being involved in the decision making, like choosing which materials to use, is the best part. They look forward to their pieces I make. Live edge furniture is so unique and we can take their vision in any direction.”
Dawson hails from Southern Indiana, where he began woodworking with his father seven years ago. It started as just a hobby, crafting his own desk for his time at Purdue (pursuing a degree in Robotics Engineering), but woodworking is exciting and fulfilling, and Dawson realized a deep love for this work had been awakened.
“My furniture takes concentration and dedication, with the complexity and design always differing,” says Dawson. “I don’t sell cheap pieces, but they are beautiful.” Enhanced Timber is now Dawson’s full-time enterprise, devoting all waking hours to his work.
The wood slabs he uses are usually sourced in the Midwest, offering gorgeous coloration and texture from walnut, maple, cherry, and white oak, to name a few. Red oak and walnut burls make an appearance in his stock from time to time, and are highly sought after. Pricing is determined by the species of wood chosen, the size of your piece, the amount of character and uniqueness you are looking for, and whether or not you’ll include the addition of epoxy. Enhanced Timber is an authorized retailer of Ecopoxy, a bio-based, sustainable, and eco-friendly epoxy used in woodworking.
“I have room to expand the rustic theme of live edge furniture due to my background in technology,” Dawson says excitedly. “My aim is to incorporate Smart Home Technology into my pieces. Think USB ports in end tables, and LED lighting in tabletops. I want to take a piece that seems simple and elegant and surprise the viewer with embedded smart technology.”
Hand-crafted furniture lasts longer than store-bought: it is sturdy, dense, and can be renewed and refinished if necessary. Maintenance is simple, and Dawson can guide the customer through the process of caring for their new piece. The turnaround to finish a handcrafted piece varies, but generally Dawson can accomplish excellence in three to four weeks, depending on complexity.
“One aspect of furniture people don’t often think about is memory. Recently, customers brought in a slab from a tree on their property that they had to remove. The tree itself meant something to them, and we were able to create an eye-catching piece out of it,” says Dawson. “Live edge furniture is about variety. You are always discovering new parts of your piece, and with an heirloom quality, it will mean more to you.”
Enhanced Timber creates furniture for everyone: for homes, offices, restaurants, and more. The shop is currently open Monday-Friday by appointment only, with the goal of opening a showroom in the coming year. On his website, enhancedtimber.com, you’ll find contact information for scheduling a consultation appointment, and if you’re lucky, Dawson’s fluffy coworker, Timber, will be present. You’ll find photos of past creations and links to his social media pages, which further document and display his creative process. He can also be reached by phone, at 269-588-0570. Welcome to Eau Claire, and Congrats on your new business!
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
