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Woodworking in Hunter
Paul LaPierre's Mountain Sun Workshop
By Collin Miller
As
homeowners renovate old farmhouses and cottages in the Catskill Region,
restoration woodworkers are in demand. If you have ideas for remodeling
your kitchen cabinets or need a new entertainment center, Mountain Sun
Workshop – makers of fine cabinets, custom furniture, and architectural
woodworking – can provide you with a customized touch. Jewett local Paul
LaPierre, chief designer and master craftsman at Mountain Sun, is dedicated
to tailoring his woodworking style to enhance the unique character of
the spaces where he works. In fact, his portfolio displaying over 30 years
of custom woodworking –ranging from Arts and Crafts to contemporary styles
– drew leagues of attention at the Wood Products Fair during the Mountain
Culture Festival in Hunter. LaPierre receives many commissions to enhance
the region's homes and workspaces using locally harvested woods like maple,
cherry, oak, and ash.
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As
a woodworker, LaPierre has had the advantage of working beside his home
and family in the Catskill Mountains where he was raised. He became a
full-time craftsman following a degree in Geology and employment in various
fields including education, military service, and boatbuilding. After
establishing Mountain Sun Workshop at age 32, LaPierre soon attracted
attention among architects and homeowners from the Catskills to New York
City. Now over 30 years later, Mountain Sun is one of the premier custom
cabinet shops in the region.
Part
of that success, no doubt, is in Paul's genes. Woodworking is a tradition
in the LaPierre family. Paul's brother John has operated LaPierre Cabinetry
in Mount Dora, Florida for over 20 years; the two often rely on each other
to trouble-shoot equipment problems or share ideas on projects. LaPierre
has also collaborated with rustic designer, longtime friend, and Catskill
neighbor, Judd Weisberg.
To
remain on the cutting edge of wood design, LaPierre applied for and received
a development grant from the Watershed Agricultural Council's Forestry
Program in 2002. He used the award to upgrade his workshop in Hunter.
As he walked me through his recently completed "woodshed", LaPierre
spoke of the variety of ways that unique hardwood lumber wind up in his
collection. "The cherry boards in that rack had been lying in a barn
for 25 years before they found me…" says LaPierre," and that
curly red oak came from a nearby cabinet shop that was moving out of the
area."
Through
his educational and civic work on the Jewett Town Board, LaPierre sees
great potential for expanding woodworking education in local high schools,
vocational training institutions, and places like SUNY College at Delhi
to increase the local skilled workforce and develop better paying jobs
in the region's wood industry. That is why he has organized an apprenticeship
program with a local high school to allow interested students to spend
part of their school day learning at LaPierre's shop where some have earned
academic credit. 
On
October 20th at Belleayre Mountain, LaPierre will present the achievements
of Mountain Sun Workshop to policy-makers at the annual Local Government
Day. The focus of his talk will be on how he has taken advantage of economic
assistance and local resources to expand his company. LaPierre believes
that the path to watershed protection and strong rural communities is
to keep dollars and jobs local through value-added processing of wood
and farm products from the region. "Whether it's a dairy-farmer in
Bovina or a cabinetmaker in Gilboa, the sale of local products to local
people is what maintains the rural character of the Catskills and makes
the area a special place to live." says LaPierre.
If
you would like to discuss a woodworking project with Paul LaPierre please
call (518) 263-4442 or visit the Mountain Sun Workshop website www.mountainsun.ws
to view some of his recent work. Directories of local sawmills, woodworkers,
and wood products galleries in the Catskill Region are available online
at www.nycwatershed.org, or by contacting Collin Miller, Forestry Program
Specialist at the Watershed Agricultural Council at (607) 865-7790 x112
or collinmiller@nycwatershed.org. |
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