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Handcrafted Fits Just Right
 July
31, 2006
Tony O'Mally left publishing to custom-make quality storage pieces.
By Jeanne Bonner Of the Morning Call Classical music fills the airy,
sun-filled second floor of a former factory in Emmaus where custom-built
wooden furniture stands in various stages of construction. An industrial-size
sliding table saw sits in the middle of the room, not far from a
thick supply of wood panels.
Tony O'Malley moved his woodworking business to the building, on
Furnace Street, a year ago. He specializes in customized built-in
bookcases and other cabinetry.
At his 4,500-square-foot studio last week, O'Malley, 48, was completing
a white wooden window seat for a customer's sewing room. Lifting
the bench revealed a spacious storage area.
He also was finishing a desk that he built by special request for
a client who had purchased built-ins.
O'Malley built his first pieces in college because he needed furniture
for his apartment. He worked professionally as a furniture and cabinet-maker
in from mid-1980s to the early '90s. From 1994 to 1999, O'Malley
worked at Rodale in Emmaus as an editor in the publisher's woodworking
book division. When it was sold, O'Malley continued to write freelance
articles on woodworking.
He exhibited pieces at the Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings
Show in 2000, including a solid cherry and walnut desk.
But he found the field of custom furniture crowded and competitive.
Constructing built-ins for homes is a more specialized niche with
fewer practitioners. In 2001, he began dedicating himself to building
customized built-in bookcases.
O'Malley is expanding his business. Begun in 2001, it outgrew a
home shop last year. He has hired a part-time employee and may add
more staff. Sales have grown 15 percent to 20 percent per year over
the last five years.
Some of the common items he has built in the last few years include
floor-to-ceiling bookcases for home libraries and corner cupboards.
O'Malley's built-in pieces begin at about $5,000. His biggest project
was a solid wood fireplace surround with an over-mantle that consisted
of bookcases on either side of a hearth. He built it for $30,000
for a New Hope homeowner.
He uses a combination of solid and veneered wood for his projects.
He recently came upon wooden planks made of old-growth Douglas fir
trees that were salvaged from J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.
O'Malley made several pieces from the rare wood, including a desk.
The bulk of his customers have come from outside of the Valley
in areas such as northern New Jersey and Manhattan. Clients typically
find O'Malley on the Internet. Before he begins construction, the
Emmaus resident visits a customer's home, discusses the process
of making built-ins, and draws up detailed architectural drawings
of the final product.
''I make sure they know what we are doing together,'' said O'Malley,
who grew up in Philadelphia.
The visit to the home allows O'Malley to inspect the existing walls
and accents such as crown molding that will accommodate the built-in
piece. He must blend architectural styles.
''The key about built-ins is it takes certain skills to make it
look like [the piece] wants to be there,'' he said.
The careful and comprehensive planning process helps avert unsatisfied
customers.
He only completes 15 to 20 projects a year, largely because the
work is time-consuming. A typical project can take several weeks
to construct, and it's not uncommon for O'Malley to spend a week
or more installing a built-in.
''The most gratifying thing is being able to start with nothing
except an idea and a customer who wants it, and take it full-circle,''
O'Malley said.
http://www.mcall.com/business/local/all-woodworkingjul31,0,459120.story?coll=all-businesslocal-hed
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