18 | Q2 2022 Mar22244 Quality Hand-Crafted Woodwork in Glasgow JB Woodworks offers high-quality workmanship for gifts, bespoke furniture, home décor, custom bar and restaurant interiors, and all other carpentry bespoke services. Recognised as Best Hand-Crafted Woodworks Company, 2022 – Glasgow in this issue of SME News, we got in touch with company owner, Jonathan Burns, to find out how this is the case. One man band, Jonathan Burns started off in the custom gifts market, making bespoke watch boxes, jewellery boxes, butcher blocks, and more. His product range has since expanded in response to customer requests, with Jonathan doing everything himself, unless he is subcontracting work out to other trades or skilled workmen. Jonathan’s clients vary greatly as he offers so many services, whether it be a big commercial job requiring a full shop fit, someone looking for a bespoke piece of furniture for their home, or something smaller like a watch box for the keen watch collector. Jonathan said, “I’m happy with any job that I can accommodate and am always thankful for all the clients that have challenged me throughout the years with their requests, as some of these requests have become my bread and butter.” While Jonathan’s services are highly popular and he sees excellent success, that’s not to say that he hasn’t seen his challenges. Over the past few years, his business has faced some serious struggles with COVID-19, Brexit, and material shortages. This has resulted in a massive 80% increase in prices of materials in some cases, which the industry as a whole is slowly adjusting to, however Jonathan has noticed this becoming a lot easier to deal with due to fellow businesses singing from the same hymn sheet. On the bright side, the pandemic brought an unexpected surge in customers for the company. Jonathan shared, “Not all of us, but lots of people have had a lot of dispensable income that they have not been able to spend the same with all the restrictions in place, so I have seen a massive rise in people looking to make their house just as they want it and they have called in to have ideas brought into fruition. “I also noticed a massive increase in people ordering my bespoke gifts; possibly because people weren’t seeing as much of each other, so when the time came for a birthday or Christmas, they were wanting to get something extra special for their loved ones.” Having taken these struggles along with the influx of orders in his stride, it’s easy to see how JB Woodworks is highly deserving of this award. Jonathan responded to his awards success by saying, “We are proud to be winners of the Business Elite Awards: Best Woodworking Company 2021 – Glasgow award, as we continuously strive to wow our customers with our attention to detail and unique pieces. So, to be presented with another award from yourselves lets me know that I’ve not taken my foot off the gas, and I’m continuing to push myself in the correct direction.” Jonathan now has his sights set on the near future where he is planning to get a bigger premises to work from so he can add to his workforce and grow the business further. In the distant future, he has dreams of investing in a large workspace where local makers can come together and work for a reasonable rate, as finding an affordable space to work in can be very hard for a small business. He shares, “I’d love the space to provide somewhere that different makers like carpenters, steel workers, and upholsterers can all come and work as their own business but with the support of other local trades around them. Another idea I’m interested in is providing open workshops for the local community to help people get into something new or just to get them out of the house at the weekends. This is just a pipe dream at the moment, but I’m hopeful to get chatting to someone who can help me make this a reality.” Company: JB Woodworks Glasgow Contact: Jonathan Burns Email: [email protected] Website: www.jbwoodworks.co.uk
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