Meet Kellen Petersen of Treeline Woods in Capital Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellen Petersen.

Kellen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up with a hammer in my hand. Quite literally. My parents would often find a hammer in my crib that I would take from my father’s workshop. I guess you could say that was my version of a stuffed animal. My childhood was spent on job sites as a helping hand for my father’s construction business where I learned the fundamentals of building. Not to mention I was exposed to just about every tool you can imagine, which I’m grateful for today. While I haven’t worked construction in over 15 years, many of those lessons learned were a great foundation to build upon.

I began what I would call fine woodworking eight years ago. I had just a few tools to my name and no semblance of space to properly use them. I read every woodworking book on Japanese joinery I could get my hands on. I built small boxes and shelves on the balcony of my downtown apartment. When I needed to use power tools, I would drive on weekends to an empty parking garage and make my way to the roof. In a matter of minutes, I could have two saw horses set up and a sheet of plywood over top to use as a workbench. It was my first taste of having a workshop. Admittedly one works much faster-knowing garage security may stop by for a quick look. Thankfully, this never happened.

Today, I am fortunate enough to have my very own shop with adequate space to build custom tables for people all across the country.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. I don’t think the road is ever smooth for any small business owner but that does not mean it isn’t fun. It’s a learning process. Mistakes suck at the moment but without them, you won’t get better. The biggest barriers to entry for me to actually get off of the ground were initial cost and space.

I kept a list on my phone for over three years with every tool I needed to get started and a separate list of every tool I wanted. I would set money aside every week to buy one tool at the end of each month. This was a painstaking process but looking back was the only way to do it without taking out a small business loan.

Having enough space was tough. Fortunately, I married well, and my wife let me take over our spacious garage.

Treeline Woods – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Treeline Woods is a Denver based furniture company with a specialization in handcrafted custom furniture. I use the word company loosely as I’m a one-man operation. I founded Treeline Woods on the idea of creating Inspired Furniture. I was tired of seeing big box companies mass produce tables and selling them off as if they were high quality and handmade.

My focus is custom tables, ranging from smaller end tables to large 12’ dining tables.

Standing out from the crowd is important and I knew I could accomplish that with my craftsmanship. I wanted to go beyond that and shift the notion that we as consumers have become accustomed to – simply pressing the buy button. To treat each and every build as one of one to ensure my clients have an awesome experience as I bring their table to life.

The process is highly collaborative and goes way beyond just taking dimensions. I want to know specific desired characteristics, what it will be used for, and will even send pictures of select wood slabs for them to decide specifically which they would like me to use for their piece. This is important as every piece of wood is unique and I want my clients to fall in love with the wood they choose before the build even begins. Every piece that carriers the Treeline Woods’ brand has gone through this process.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Selling my first commissioned table. I’ll never forget how I felt when I received that email. Today, I try not to take it for granted and why I go above and beyond to ensure my clients have an equally great feeling when they receive what could be their first custom table.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.treelinewoods.com
• Phone: 7204902877
• Email: seektreeline@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/treelinewoods

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.