In 2012, I started Good Wood Nashville in my garage. My dream was to take old, reclaimed wood and make new tongue and groove flooring, as well as use old wood to put on accent walls and ceilings.
I began selling lumber out of the garage on Craigslist, as a hobby.
Good Wood was named Good Wood because ‘they don’t make it like they used to’ which, to me, meant that new wood at the lumber yard or big box store is nothing like the old wood. I called it Good Wood Nashville because the old stuff was the ‘good stuff.’
Soon, people began asking me to build them furniture from the reclaimed lumber that I had in my little East Nashville garage. Between my day job, 3 kids and a busy schedule, I partnered with local artisan friends to build these tables and other pieces for me, for my clients.
Soon, Good Wood Nashville’s custom furniture division was born.
Since 2012, our lumber supply has slowly evolved to sell and supply all types of lumber: reclaimed, live edge, new lumber, even sheet goods. Our custom woodworking division has evolved to build one of a kind bespoke pieces: heirloom level dining tables, executive desks, conference tables, reception desks, wine rooms and more.
As our woodworking grew, it came to light that lumber supply and bespoke woodworking really are two different businesses. The beauty of the wood runs through the dna of both parts of Good Wood, but practically, it was time to let my baby leave the house and go off to college.
On January 1, 2025, we officially split the company and named the custom woodworking division E. W. Carpenter, LLC. Why? Who? Who is that? That’s a fair question. My mom, Christine McManus Puncochar, comes from a beautiful line of people. Her mom, my grandmother, Rita Haley McManus lived until she was 95. A child of the great depression, I saw more strength and dignity in ‘Mom Mom’ than in any other person.. Mom Mom had 14 children with Pop Pop, Jack McManus, aka ‘The Wizard.” Mom Mom’s lineage goes back to Switzerland, and has quite a line of craftsmen. Mom Mom’s great, great, great grandfather was Emmanuel Weidler Carpenter, born in the 1791. In 1821, he set up shop in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to make hand planes. He was a woodworker and has 3 patents on planes.
As we thought about who to name the company after, we decided to pay tribute to Mom Mom, her great (x3) Grandfather, and the legacy of strength, dignity and craftsmanship in my family line. I am proud to introduce you, our friends, clients and partners, to E. W. Carpenter, Nashville’s newest bespoke woodworking studio, building on our own13 years and my great (x4) grandfather, E. W’s craftsmanship long ago.
If you’d like to visit our new website, please see ewcarpenter.com and @ewcarpenter on Instagram.
E.W. Carpenter is being led by Jacob Bott, a skilled craftsman and an artist.
