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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-04-29, Page 3Wednesday, April 29, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Arise Stairs opens in Lucknow Valerie Gillies Lucknow Sentinel Joel Toner, owner/opera- tor of Arise Stairs at 579 Campbell Street in Lucknow, started building stairs approximately two and a half years ago as a sideline while doing carpentry work for a local contractor he has worked with for four years in Whitechurch. His reputation spread by word of mouth and, even without advertis- ing, he became over- whelmed with the stair work and decided to go into the custom stair and railing business full time. Toner started building stairs while working for Alps Creek Woodworking while he was in highschool as a summer job and 25 hours per week during the school year. He worked with this company from the age of 12 to 19. Adding to his experience, Toner worked out west for 5 years with a project that built condos for high-end cus- tomers. This gave him the opportunity to develop his custom design skills and an eye for finishing touches. With his business training, Toner decided that to open his own business he would need a showroom and shop with good visibility that was easy to find. He worked closely with a realtor to find the right place. He spotted the former European Appli- ance store building in Luc - know and asked to see it. The two-story shop in the back doubles his square footage compared to a typical shop. The building was walk-in ready, unlike most he had seen that would have taken a lot of work such as insulating and wiring before setting up. Toner remarks, "It was sold as soon as I saw it." He pur- chased the Campbell Street location a year ago, working most of the year in White- church while prepping the building, acquiring tools, setting up his machines and installing dust collection systems. Arise Stairs specializes in wooden and metal stairs and railings. A current trend is toward metal spindles as well as installing glass panels for a cleaner look and an unobstructed view. Toner is a dealer for Prestige Metal spindles, as well as for Flour- ish Design Elements who will custom design newel posts with a CNC machine for carved designs to match elements of the space where the stairs will be installed. Having the showroom allows customers to visualize the stairs, especially in terms of steepness, which can be a factor for seniors who would like to have them with a low rise or for renovations where there is limited space requir- ing a steeper stairway. Meas- urements are taken before designing is begun, also tak- ing into account colours in the space, design of the stairs and the environment with moisture levels being key. Although Toner will con- struct stairs and railings on site, he is able to offer his cli- ents the option of having the parts designed, prefinished and assembled in his shop to be installed as one piece on site. This gives the advan- tages of being able to finish the pieces before assembly, building in a controlled envi- ronment with less construc- tion dust and having less noise and vapours present at the site. Toner likes woodworking and enjoys doing different things, not just cookie -cutter designs. He likes the chal- lenge and the opportunity to get creative to extend the possibilities of his designs. Often once Toner has designed and installed the stairs, clients will ask him to also do work on the rest of the space to complement the design. He is experienced at many jobs including cement, drywall, painting, flooring and cabinetry. Recently he has designed and installed several baby gates to compli- ment stairways with wooden gates meeting the clients' expectations of safety and appearance. Another new trend that Toner works with is live edge. This is where the exterior of the tree is used as a finished edge on such items tables, counters, shelves, vanity or bar tops. Toner's business philos- ophy is that the most important goal is to make the customer happy. It is not all about the money or showing off skills that brings in sales. He gets most of his business by lis- tening to his customers who are used to hearing, "can't do this': Toner would rather go with the clients' ideas, keep an open mind and figure out a way to give them what they want. Valerie Gillies/Lucknow Sentinel Lucknow's new business, Arise Stairs, has opened at 579 Campbell Street with owner Joel Toner specializing in custom stairs and railings. April 22, 2015. Joel Toner works on a custom baby gate in his upper shop at Arise Stairs in Lucknow. April 22, 2015. For now Toner works alone, but has plans to expand in the future to where he will require approximately six people on staff: one in the office, three in the shops and two to three doing the installations. If you are planning to build or renovate, you can contact Joel Toner at Arise Stairs at 519-357-6844 or AriseStairs@gmail.com or drop into the Lucknow showroom. Our Kids `Amazing Race' Bruce Grey Get ready for the ultimate Bruce Grey adventure in support of the Our Kids Bruce Grey Foundation Submitted The Our Kids Amazing Race is a full Weekend Fund- raising Event being held September 18 - 20, 2015. The Our Kids Amazing Race will be active, engaging, and will involve many different area communities. Both physical and mental challenges spon- sored by area businesses await twenty teams of two as they run, bike, climb, crawl, dive and swim the many amazing landscapes and communities of Bruce & Grey. Teams of two are invited to apply at www.ourkids- brucegrey.ca. Only twenty teams will be chosen to par- ticipate based on their enthusiasm & their fundrais- ing strategy. Teams are also encouraged to shoot a short fun video to introduce them- selves to the selection committee. Applications are due on or before June 12. Once the Committee has chosen, the twenty teams will be contacted. Spectators will be able to watch and cheer along their favorite racers through an online "Live" video stream. The first team to cross the finish line will receive a Grand Prize valued at $1,000. Prizes will also be awarded to the Second and Third place teams as well as the Top Fundraising team. All interested applicants are encouraged to visit our website www.ourkids- brucegrey.ca for more information. For specta- tors we'd love to encourage you to follow Our Kids Bruce Grey on Facebook for the latest news, to view application videos, sup- port your favorite team and watch this great event unfold. The funds raised through this epic event will be used to support children and fam- ilies in need right here in Bruce & Grey County.