Seven years and a team of 20 people. This was to provide local artist James Dixon with the woodworking workshop he needed to practice his art.
Babette Dixon, James' mother, never imagined her autistic son would ever start his own business, especially one with a growing market.
What started as a passion, developed in a high school art class, turned into a career. It all started with deer wood carving. When James came home from school in 2012, his mother couldn't believe it was my doing. He thought it was professionally done.
These days, James, 26, often works in a mobile, electronics and small furniture store, making birdhouses and puzzles with his teacher Han Erickson. If you want to order something, you may have to wait a bit, because there are currently 16 orders in front of you.
James sells at farmers markets and art events. Sometimes he sold up to 50 birdhouses in one day.
But it wasn't always like that. According to Babet, it took seven years and a small village to build the workshop.
The story of how James Workshop started began in 2015 with now retired shop teacher Johnny Walker. James is leaving the Steamboat World School District and will soon miss his regular art practice.
Impressed by James' craftsmanship, Walker approaches Babette and tells her that James should have his own woodworking shop. Babette and Walker immediately began exchanging ideas.
"I've always loved tiny houses on wheels," says Babette. "So I pitched Johnny to the idea of building a studio like a little electric house on wheels."
Soon after hearing the idea, Walker began creating floor plans. With support from the Yampa Valley Autism Program and Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Walker guided James' life outside of school. James worked in Walker's workshop while Babette and Walker planned the logistics of the workshop.
James began selling his artwork at Christmas in the Rockies events in 2018/19 and has consistently sold out. Babette also said Kim Keith of Steamboat Creates was a big supporter of James during this time, helping him sell his work at events like Art in the Park and the Main Street Steamboat Farmers Market.
As James began to make a name for himself in the local art scene, Babette, Walker and community members began setting up the workshop. Donations in kind began to arrive, and construction did not begin for a long time. Initial contributions were received from Christine Bantle and David Gibbs, who provided some of the materials needed for the workshop.
Paul Spopa, now a retired seminary teacher at Steamboat Springs High School, learned about the project and was impressed with the engineering class he taught at the time. By hosting a James workshop, fourth grade students will learn engineering knowledge and implications in a hands-on way.
Babbitt also began contacting roofers and builders to learn how to find the right material.
Babette says, “Unexpectedly, two strangers, Luke Berlett of Berlett Roofing and Scott Sheert of Scherer Building Corporation, set up an account with Alpine Lumber to help us find what we needed. - Because of all this, he did not take a penny out of my pocket.
Scherer and Burt partnered with Alpine Lumber's Jump Dierdorf and Robin Livingston to create an account with the company, and Scopa was able to approach them for the materials they needed.
By the end of 2019, the workshop is nearing completion and the goal is clear. Then came the plague and everything stopped.
"This is a very exciting and stressful time for people with autism," Babette said. "A time like this, when progress stops, can be harmful. I'm worried that James might be in trouble.
When operations were suspended due to Covid-19, Erickson and his father, Rick, offered to continue the project. In 2021, James' workshop is missing only a few details, but one of them is the core of the workshop engine.
Finally, Babette and Dixon were able to buy the car James wanted from the store. Babette reached out to the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation for support, and local DVR staff appointed Lisa Eck and Amy Treat Erickson to mentor James for the project, along with providing vocational training and skills training. By 2022, James' store was up and running.
Now James has his hands full with orders, and Babet thanks everyone who spent seven years making her son's dream come true. He was responsible for all business operations in the Yampa Valley, including branding for Wild West Balloon Adventures. .
For more information about the store, email BabetteDickson@yahoo.com .
"Living with autism after high school was a tough road," says Babette. "The story here is that we took advantage of this community and did everything they could. Now he can look forward to what he wants."
Correction: This article has been corrected to indicate that James' Dixon purchased the car for his business, not from the vocational rehabilitation department . The Vocational Rehabilitation Unit supported James in finding a counselor and provided vocational skills training and coaching.
Kit Geary is a county, public safety and education reporter. To contact him, call 970-871-4229 or email him at kgeary@SteamboatPilot.com.
