How did Southernlyon Designs get started?

Although Southernlyon Designs didn’t turn into a business until July 2007, I guess you could say I first got started doing woodworking when I was seven.  At least that was when my grandparents gave me the "Handy Dan" tool set that had real tools.  (Some of which I still use today.) 

In college I had a work study job doing scenic construction in the theater department, and I also did scenic construction for other theaters in and around Charleston.  I switched careers, and carpentry became a just a hobby until April 2007 when my grandfather passed away.  I inherited his Shopsmith, a five-in-one combination tool that included a lathe- which I had no idea how to use, so I took a class and learned how to turn pens.  From there, with the support of my family and friends I decided to start my own business creating small wooden objects.

 "Tides of March" at Folly Beach, 2008

A question I often get is “Why Southernlyon?”  It’s actually a combination of three things.  First is the “Southern” part.  I was born in Dallas, TX, raised in Charleston SC, and have had the opportunity to live in several southern states.  I will not wear white after Labor Day or before Memorial Day, and drink iced tea even in the dead of winter.  I also have an affinity for large cats, such as the Cougar, who is basically the southern version of the lion.  Then there are my own personal little “lyons” who keep me company in the shop while I’m working on the lathe.  If I go for anything much noisier though, like the miter saw, they make a very hasty exit.

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