FYI: Finding A Hidden Gem At The Ashland Midweek Farmers Market
ASHLAND — Sometimes, the best stories are the ones you stumble across by accident.
This afternoon, while stopping by the Ashland Midweek Farmers Market, something caught my eye, a display of handmade woodwork that looked too unique to pass by without asking a few questions.
But first, there was one important stop to make: a lemonade from The Looney Lemon, which was also set up at the market.
The Looney Lemon had posted earlier on Facebook that they would be at Luray Lanes from noon to 6 p.m., with the Ashland Midweek Farmers Market taking place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the University Hospitals parking lot. They also gave a shoutout to Cardinal Creek Kettle Corn, which was set up and popping fresh kettle corn nearby.
After grabbing that lemonade, the real “hidden gem” of the day turned out to be the work of Brian Hall, a local woodworker who had several handcrafted pieces on display.
Hall said he first got into woodworking when he was around 23 years old. He spent about 16 years building kitchen cabinets before moving into commercial carpentry.
Now, he creates a variety of handmade wooden items, including small wheelbarrow-style planters, cow planters that can also be used as toy boxes, benches, wishing-well flower boxes, solar flower boxes and wooden crosses.
One of the pieces that stood out was his interlaid wooden crosses, which Hall said took some figuring out to get everything to line up just right.
“They’re interlaid,” Hall said, explaining that one piece is slightly longer than the other and ties into the design.
Hall said many of his pieces are made from ash, cedar or pine, depending on the style. He usually leaves the items unfinished so customers can paint or stain them the way they want.
“Every customer has a different design, different color,” Hall said. “So I build and let them decide what they want to put on it.”
Hall said he can also take special orders and is able to make a wide range of custom wooden items.
“I can pretty much do whatever,” Hall said.
He added that he gets much of his lumber from Hostetler Milling near McKay, a business known for log homes and timber-framing materials.
Anyone interested in Hall’s woodworking or placing a special order can contact him by phone or text at 419-651-1270.
It was one of those small-town finds that makes a farmers market worth visiting, a cold lemonade, fresh kettle corn nearby, and a craftsman turning simple lumber into something unique.
