Meet the Neighbors: Abiding Branches

At the Aurora Shoe Company, we passionately support small business and handmade and local goods. As a visitor of our blog, we thought that you might feel the same way. In our Meet the Neighbors series we're featuring businesses and people who reflect our own values and whom we feel lucky to call neighbors and friends.

Visiting the shop of local artisan and furniture maker, Anto Parseghian was a real treat.  Located about 5 miles south of our shop, Anto has been creating furniture using responsible and sustainable methods in the classic Adirondack twig style since 1996.  He started by making furniture for his home, and as his work became more refined, he began showing and selling it.  When I met with Anto he told me about how his son has been working with him to create hybrid pieces, seamlessly combining metal fabrication with natural wood details.  He also shared that his wife plays a large role in each design, carefully cutting and placing the intricate details which can include twigs, bark, and even seeds.  The artistry is easy to see here, but the quality, which is hard to share in photos, is really what impressed me the most.  Lots of rustic furniture is made primarily for aesthetics, but these pieces are very sturdy, with gorgeous finishing details - a true marriage of form and function.

 Abiding Branches now has an online shop, full of beautiful and impeccably made original designs.  They accept custom orders and their gallery speaks for itself.

Thank you, Anto, for sharing your art.  Your craftsmanship and attention to detail are inspiring.