The Woodworkers Shop Relocates in Estherville

ESTHERVILLE, March 19, 2012

Kevin Wegner has run his business, The Woodworkers Shop, out of his four car garage at home. Last fall, he purchased a building to move his business into, and for the first time, his wife can park in their garage.

Wegner saw the building while driving around town one day. He had been looking for a location for a long time. When he was working out of his home, he had to keep the lumber in a storage garage, and did lots of running around to get things he needed. With this new location, he can store his own lumber and spend more time working on projects. He even gets lumber deliveries twice a week. His new location is 623 S 8th Street in Estherville.

When asked what he makes, Wegner says, "Custom anything out of wood." Cabinets, doors, signs, and more have been made by his hands. "I can make anything someone can't get somewhere else," said Wegner.

The majority of his work is residential, but he has done some commercial work. He noted the interior of NorthStar Bank in Estherville and the glass cases at Iowa Lakes Community College Estherville campus as examples.

Originally from Armstrong, Wegner started working in a cabinet shop when he was 20 years old. He has now been in the business for nearly 30 years. "When you do something for 30 years, you learn a lot from trial and error," said Wegner.

"It's like an old millwork," said Wegner of his business. He has the equipment to match any baseboard and crown molding. His equipment measures the grooves and is able to replicate it. He can also match cabinets to the existing ones.

When it comes to custom work, it can sometimes be hard for the customer to imagine the finished product. In those cases, Wegner creates mock-ups to the customer can see what it will look like.

Wegner also has a large CNC machine that is currently still in his four-car garage, but will be moved to the new building. The CNC machine enables him to carve 3D images; he has used these images on doors and cabinets. Stock images can be found online, or Wegner can submit a photo to be turned into a graphic.

Wegner rarely mass produces anything. The closest he has come to mass production was creating 21 Adirondack chairs for the Iowa Lakes Corridor in 2008. The chairs were made for the Corridor Art Trail. They were distributed to area artists who were given complete control over the manipulation of the chairs. They were then placed at various locations throughout the Corridor region for public view. In September 2008, the chairs were auctioned off.

"I've had a lot of jobs I've really enjoyed," said Wegner. "I really enjoy what I do. Otherwise I wouldn't do it."

Entrepreneur Networking
The Iowa Lakes Corridor has an Entrepreneur Networking group called Club E. Business owners meet the first Monday of every month to share ideas, challenges, successes, and grow professional relationships. Those interested in attending should contact Brian Dalziel at the Corridor office at 712-264-3474 or bdalziel@lakescorridor.com. Entrepreneurs throughout the Corridor region are encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 2, at Milton Cycles in Fostoria.

Cutline
Kevin Wegner opened The Woodworker's Shop in Estherville in 2003, and relocated to 623 S 8th Street last fall. Here he sands a custom built vent cover.

The Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation is the regional economic development agency for Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet counties. Its mission is to foster, encourage, aid, promote or otherwise assist in the economic growth and development of the region. For more information about the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, call 712-264-3474 or visit http://www.lakescorridor.com.

Samantha Miller
Communications Coordinator
Iowa Lakes Corridor
520 2nd Avenue East Suite 2
Spencer, IA 51301
712-264-3474
800-765-1428
http://www.lakescorridor.com