Woodworker Goes From DIY Wine Racks To Capital Region Business

Before buying his first house, Brian Seitz had never made furniture. By the time her dog was a roommate, she had a steady career and was unimpressed with the selection and quality of parts she purchased from local wholesalers.

Instead of eating and sleeping on the floor, he bought chainsaws, collected lumber at a lumber mill, and began working in his one-car garage in 2016. With no woodworking experience and little inspiration in internet, he eventually founded what is now known as Urban Industrial Design, an Albany-based custom furniture company and lumber supplier.

"I researched what kind of furniture I was looking for and found other people who had made it and sold it on Etsy," Seitz said. "And I totally thought I could do it myself."

Seitz was right. He quickly honed his skills in building wine racks, entertainment booths and a coffee table for his new place. While showing off his work on social media, he received requests from friends and family to build something similar for them.

"I loved everything I was doing, but then I realized it could be something for me," Seitz said.

Shortly after realizing this, Seitz was laid off from his senior position at a solar energy company and decided it was time to pursue his newfound passion full-time. He spent another six months in his garage, selling one or two tables a month, then expanded from about 200 square feet to 1,200 feet in April 2018, allowing him to take on more projects and grow the business.

Since then, Seitz's custom furniture business has continued to thrive based on word of mouth. He has taken on many private clients - the basis of the business to this day - as well as commercial clients looking for bespoke wood for bars, restaurants or offices. Seitz built his resume with custom projects at Druthers Brewing in Schenectady and a winery in Saratoga Springs.

He also upgraded his workshop again—to a 5,000-square-foot professional workshop, its current location (but not for long)—a long way from his first garage.

"Even if friends and family are your biggest supporters in the beginning, you'll tire of the point eventually," says Seitz, who also attracts new clients to her Instagram page, which has amassed more than 15,000 followers. "What we offer is a truly personal collaboration where owners can work with us to realize their vision."

One of UID's main offerings is the production of custom dining tables for private homes as well as custom meeting tables for companies. Seitz says two pieces of furniture are conversation starters, and many of his customers are happy to get involved. Seitz is happy to ask in advance what level of involvement they'd like, from helping choose materials to getting updates about the project along the way.

"It's a surprisingly satisfying process to watch," Seitz said, attributing the visual part of the process to his loyal and growing social media following. "Some people enjoy seeing these boards being made flat and straight and run through machines and mounted on tables."

Dining room tables start at $1,950 and can go up to $10,000 depending on size and range, Seitz says. Average production time is six to eight weeks, with exceptional service for delivery of the finished product. Conference tables start around $3,500, and custom commercial projects can go up to $100,000 if the client's vision and budget allows.

When Bryan Gonyeau of Guilderland was looking for a custom dining table, he struggled to find a seat the size he needed. He connected with Seitz through a friend and soon began making what he calls "permanent furniture" for his home.

"The shop can do anything you want, and they were very open about the design process," said Gonyeau, who chose a black walnut table with a gray resin core. "We were looking for something different and haven't done anything big to our house yet. It's practical, but also a work of art."

With Seitz's projects, his team and commercial offerings are also growing. Nine people currently work full and part time. Also in the new year, UID will once again move into a 10,000-square-foot building that was individually designed to Seitz's wishes and houses many process functions, from milling and drying wood to serving tables and meeting with customers. in place. .

"I bought the property and built a new building to accommodate us as individual tenants," Seitz said. "It makes financial sense and would allow us to operate and grow under one roof."

Part of the space, which opens in Schenectady in early January, will include a showroom where customers can browse furniture for inspiration or purchase DIY items, including epoxy-coated wood veneers. Seitz's short-term plans also include launching a furniture line of coffee tables and side tables, as well as dining and conference tables.

"It takes a long time to adjust, and putting in a small set of furniture makes it easier to improve the construction process and attract new customers."

As his woodworking skills grew to perfection through years of practice and experience, Seitz developed an interest in sharing his self-taught knowledge with others. On the UID website, people can buy tickets for various courses where they can learn to make their own custom furniture.

"We plan to hold many of these courses in the new building," Seitz said. "Now that we have time, we want to get people involved and give them the opportunity to share what they've learned. I've found great joy in teaching others.

Seitz had no idea what he was building when he started working in his one-car garage in 2016. What started as a personal desire for unique, high-quality home furnishings has grown into not only a lifelong skill, but also in a fulfilling business. .

"I was tagging all my products and I started with 50 tags, marked with UID 01, 02, 03...and it took me a while to finish the first set of tags," Seitz said. "But today I still have the wine cellar in my cellar, called 001."