Our youngest daughter graduates from high school in May and, if all goes as planned, Lucy and I will move house in July. From the leafy streets of Fort Mitchell, Ky., to the two floors above our storefront in Covington.
That’s not a lot of time. Not only do we have to fix up the living space in Covington, we have to get our house in Fort Mitchell ready to sell. As a result, I’m dedicating every Sunday possible to carpentry, painting and generally divesting us of accumulating stuff during 22 years in one place.
I won’t be blogging about this stuff much – I know you are here for woodworking, and I am, too. But as a result of this work, you might hear less from me on the blog and more from our other contributors (and a huge cheer went up in the land).
So here we go.
— Christopher Schwarz
The bar area when we bought the storefront four years ago. Just a reminder that we have come a long way.
Dec. 8 will be the last open day at Lost Art Press for the year, and we always like to do something a little special for all the people who travel to see us and the locals who support us.
This year, we’ll have a bunch of blemished books at 50 percent off (cash only on those). We hope to have a small quantity of Crucible Lump Hammers (no promises). We’ll be giving away free Chester Cornett buttons. We’ll have our entire stock of books, including the new Christian Becksvoort book “Shaker Inspiration.”
And we will have… a clock.
One of the local stores that our family has frequented for decades has a long-standing holiday tradition we love. Customers are asked if they “want to see the clock.” Those who agree are taken to the back room where there is a clock, of course, but also something else. (Let’s just say you need to be 21 to see the clock, and it’s not porn.)
The storefront is located at 837 Willard St., in Covington, Ky. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we’ll be happy to answer your woodworking questions or even demonstrate any techniques that are flummoxing you.
After you visit us, you might like to have brunch at one of our favorite spots in Covington: Main Street Tavern, Otto’s or Hotel Covington. We’d love to join you, but I’m afraid our bosses are making us work that day. Jerks.
I’m still in Germany, but Brendan Gaffney and Megan Fitzpatrick will open the Lost Art Press storefront to the public today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is located at 837 Willard St. in Covington, Ky.
We’ll have our complete line-up of books available for sale, plus some blemished books (cash only on blems). As always, Brendan and Megan are happy to discuss any woodworking topic you might need help with, or to demonstrate a technique at the bench.
And if you want to talk smack about me, I won’t be there. So go nuts.
I’ll be back home on Sunday night and will definitely be in the store for the Nov. 10 and Dec. 8 open days. I hope you can visit.
The Lost Art Press storefront will be open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. And then we’re having a book-release party for “Hands Employed Aright” with the author Joshua Klein – all the way from Maine. The party starts at 7 p.m. and all are invited.
Joshua has prepared a presentation on his research into the life of Jonathan Fisher, the subject of “Hands Employed Aright.” He’ll also be answering questions about the book (and Mortise & Tenon Magazine) and signing books.
The Jonathan Fisher story is a fascinating one, and “Hands Employed Aright” uses diaries, historical records and loads of physical evidence to paint a surprisingly complete and vibrant picture of what it was like to be a woodworker in 18th-century America. The book is a gripping read and is filled with inspiring photos of Fisher’s work and tools.
Other Stuff at the Storefront As always, Brendan Gaffney, Megan Fitzpatrick and I have been busy in the shop. I just finished a couple stools and a Welsh stick chair in maple with a soap finish. Megan is working on some sawbenches and Brendan is building a coopering handplane.
You can come check out the Crucible Lump Hammer (I have only my personal one, which is not for sale – sorry) and hit some things with it. Plus we have some blemished books to sell for 50 percent off list (cash only). Plus the whole line of Lost Art Press titles – and bandanas (cash, credit or checks). Plus free stickers and coffee.
The Lost Art Press storefront will be open this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with our usual mix of free woodworking instruction, discounted blemished books and tours of the building.
We also will host Nancy Hiller that same evening from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for a free book-release party for her fantastic new tome: “English Arts & Crafts Furniture.” There are some spots available for the evening event; you can register here.
Nancy will be signing books and egging on attendees to beat the snot out of a special pinata she has made for the occasion. To enhance the beatings, we will be providing free alcohol and snacks (as well as plain-old water).
We’ve all been busy in the shop since last month. Brendan has a new three-legged backstool to show off (I think it resembles a cockfighting chair). Megan is building some fancy sawbenches for a customer. And I have finished a new Welsh stick chair design that you are welcome to try. I think it’s quite comfortable and really easy to build.
In other storefront news, Brendan and I have just finished building some new fixtures for the store. We have a stockpile of old No. 2 black cherry that we have transformed into a book rack to show off our new Lost Art Press titles. We have also built two “tool walls” that now cover the bookshelves above the bar.
These tool walls hold a lot of the communal tools for the workshop. Don’t worry, I haven’t given up on tool chests. We’ll remove the tool walls while the storefront is open, but we’ll have them there for you to see.
As always, Covington is growing by crazy leaps and bounds. We’re barely able to keep up. Just down the street we have a new pizza place, Alto, that we haven’t gotten to try yet. And across the street from Alto is Peppe Cucina, a great deli with very friendly service. The City Goat is just down the alley. And Flying Axes opened up around the corner. A bar where you throw axes (at targets). We went. It’s fun!
