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ntiques for
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Old, new blended in furniture

Marcie Good
News Reporter

EVEN the nicks on the finish of the tables and
desks of Old Tyme Furniture are carefully placed
to give each piece an authentic antique look.

“We've got a jar of trained worms,” jokes Jim Coker,

_ pointing to the tiny holes on a cabinet.

But the quality of furniture made at his family’s business is
no laughing matter. Started by his father Bruce about [8 years
ago, the shop has thrived from a close attention to detail.

Each piece is
built by one
cabinet
maker, giv-
ing it a char-
acter all its
own.

“We don’t
cut any cor-
ners,” ° said
Bruce. “We
keep it as
authentic as
possibie, and
those are the
things that

°. BRUCE Coker’s white pine armoire features unique hardware like hand-forged fron
.\/ hinges from Santa Fe (detail photo) and cast iron drawer pulls from Europe.

NORTH SHORE NEWS HOME,

Wednesday, September 27, 2000 — North Shore News ~- 15

Food ........
Parenting .....
Shannon Nelson
Roy Jonnson ..
Table Hopping .

GARDEN AND LIFESTYLE

NEWS photos Mike Wakefield

NORTH Van's Old Tyme Builders is a family-run business. Bruce Coker (seated), a furniture designer and col-
lector of Canadian antiques, started the company in 1986. Wife Patricia, an interior designer, and sons Jim
(right), a cabinetmaker, and Jeff, who manages the finishing department, afso help out.

set us apart.”

Things like the handmade walnut door latches, or the indi-
vidual panes of glass in the cabinet door, fixed in place with a
special old-fashioned putty. That means they don’t ratile when
th ¢ opened. .

The surfaces of tables and desks are hand-planed, making
them slightly wavy rather than perfectly straight.

Using time-tested techniques, said Bruce, ensures that the
tables and chairs will hold
together.

And the way they are put
together is one of their
proudest trademarks.
Dovetail joints on the sides
of drawers and mortise and
tenon joints between table
legs and tops give a decora-
tive touch but also make the
construction more solid.

“We like to think that our
furniture will last for 200
years,” he said. “We like to
think. about them as the
antiques of the future.”

Bruce always enjoyed finish-

ing old furniture, and after a bypass operation he decided to
quit his construction work and turn to his hobby full-time.
His sons soon joined him, with Jim specializing in building
and Jeff doing finishing work.

Patricia Coker, Bruce’s wife, is an interior designer and also
contributes to the business.

“I've played with wood all my life,” said Jim. “We're lucky
because most people do it for a hobby. We do it for a living.”

Much of the work they do is custom-designed, with special
dimensions to fit. Customers often bring in pictures of «ld
chairs or beds they would like reproduced.

What results is sometimes an odd blend of old and modern
— an entertainment cabinet finished with white paint rubbed
off for a “cottage look,” but with drawers made to hold com-
pact discs. Real antique tables are often too low for comfort,
so theirs are made standard sizes.

They have been very successful in carving a niche in a mar-
ket flooded with assembly line furniture, and count customers
from California, Ontario, and even England.

While he spends most of his time designing, Bruce hasn’r
forgotten his roots in refinishing. He collects lk art, buying
old pieces and finishing them to his liking.

“When we want to have some fun on a Saturday,” he said,
pointing to the wooden birds perching on the cabinets, “we
paint chickens.”

Re-new, Re-use, Re-upholster

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