MISSION
Our mission is to convey pride, joy, and wonder to our customers through quality hand-crafted furniture and home décor accessories.
MY STORY
Founded in 2017, but shaped and molded for the last 37 years. Here is the story of how The Henry Leonard Company came to be.
I don’t know my exact age when I began to work on projects with my father, but I do know that I was tall enough to push a lawn mower! I grew up in rural Northern Ohio with a Dad that instilled, in my younger brother and I, a very strong work ethic. In the summer, lawn mowing, wood splitting, and outdoor sports were our lives. In the winter, bringing wood up to the house, shoveling snow, and playing in my Dad’s wood shop kept us from wasting away. Now, my Dad had a real passion for woodworking (still does!). Monday through Friday, he was a Ford Motor assembly man and in the evenings and weekends, he was a creator, builder, and installer of fine furniture. He made everything from grandfather clocks to kitchen cabinets. Everything was made in our home. This led me to believe that all dads were making furniture for their family. Boy, was I wrong.
My role in the shop began by sweeping the floor and fetching tools. Then, I got older and it turned into board layout and gluing, using most of the equipment (Dad still wasn’t completely comfortable with me using the table saw.), and understanding the fundamentals, techniques, and concepts. By the time I left for college, I had a solid foundation for furniture building. Little did I know, that nothing noteworthy would be built on that foundation for nearly 15 years!
As college ended and a degree in engineering was achieved, I still was unaware that my path would someday lead me back to woodworking. I was, however, fortunate that my engineering experiences gave me opportunities to explore the prototyping design side of manufacturing. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of starting with an idea and turning it into a working prototype.
In 2012, another engineer and I started our own design and manufacturing company. Our company’s primary focus was designing and manufacturing things out of metal. He had the passion for design and I the manufacturing, which made this a logical partnership. All the while, both sharing an interest in woodworking.
In late 2016, I was starting to get burned out with all of the monotony facing me at work. I needed a creative outlet, so I heavily considered picking back up my interest in woodworking. As luck would have it, an opportunity arose to which I was given the chance to flex my woodworking muscle. A friend of mine mentioned my name to someone she knew that was having a problem finding a company to make his product. His product, which wasn’t furniture, had a lot of wood and a few metal components hence her thinking I would be a good fit.
The fit was perfect. In 2017, I started to produce his product, while fully immersing myself into making custom furniture. And thus, The Henry Leonard Company was born.
Where did the name Henry Leonard come from?
Henry is the middle name of a very good friend of mine. Leonard is my middle name, after my grandfather. I thought both together sounded nice, plus I wanted to pay homage to my grandfather. Whom, I’ve heard, was a renaissance man when it came to building things. Undoubtedly, he’s the one that influenced my Dad and my Dad influenced me. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet my grandfather. He passed before I was born. So, Henry Leonard will always have a special meaning for me.
REVIEWS
“It was great working with HLC to make my vision into a real piece. I couldn't have asked to work with a better team!" - E.W.
We will do whatever it takes to make sure you get the piece that you want!
“The quality on these candle stands are amazing! Worth the money. Going to be great pieces for my industrial style wedding." - A.V.
Whether it is working with an individual to make sure their special day goes off without a hitch or making sure that a purchase gets delivered on time, customer service is our number #1 priority!