May 21 - Jonestown, Pennsylvania - John Grant laid out a new plan for his life in May 2021.
Looking for a hobby, Grant said he quit drinking and took up carpentry.
When he lost his job at a manufacturing company in Tyrone in December, it seemed like the right moment.
“I have always been interested in music. I wanted to do woodworking and music.”
He contacted artisans online and learned woodworking.
What started as a hobby has now turned into a business.
Grant owns Linward Woodworks, 132 Norton Road, Lower Yoder Township. The name of the company is a combination of his name and the name of his wife.
Donations come from old hi-fi cabinets, wooden cases for vinyl records and audio equipment, and turntable stands. He sells stuff online, making his way into the music market.
Vinyl records are becoming popular again, along with stereos and turntables.
“You have a very large vintage hi-fi community,” says Grant. "It goes hand in hand with everything I do."
Grant's story is one of ingenuity and vision.
During the pandemic, Grant said he collected his own free weights or dumbbells scattered around the house and sold them online along with other free weights he bought from local stores.
“Gyms were closed and people were buying free weights for their homes,” he said. “He helped us raise some money in eight months.
“I took some money from selling weights and other things and started buying woodworking tools, a table saw, a leveler, this and that,” he said.
Knowing little about the trade, Grant reached out to the woodworking community on Instagram and watched the video.
Grant began building what he called a recording cabinet.
“You can take a new turntable and put it in a box and make it vintage,” he said.
Grant said there has been an increase in requests for stands and cabinets for stereo receivers.
“It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t,” he said. "It was a lot of trial and error."
“I was busy leaving the basement.
“Based on the popularity of things, I decided it was time to go full-time,” Grant said.
Martin Grant moved the business from his home to the former EJ Weiss Co. building.
He works for Johnstown Area Regional Industries (JARI) and Intrignia Inc. Kay helps develop a business plan, get a $36,000 microloan, and find a building.
Blake Fleagle, business coach at JARI, thinks Grant will be successful.
"One of the highlights is that it's closed," Fleagle said. "He had clients and he decided to take the next step and open his business full-time."
Mike Artim, president of Intignia and then former president and chief executive officer of the Johnston/Cumbria County Chamber of Commerce, said Grant worked hard in his profession.
“He worked hard and was very passionate about his work,” said Artemy. “This is the type of entrepreneurship that we want to promote and work with.”
Grant said he has an online following as far away as Hawaii and Canada, and he also has 12,000 followers on Instagram. You can contact him at jgrant@lynwardwoodworks.com.
I hope for your success.
“My goal is to be one of the few companies in the United States that has these products in stock and ready to ship,” Grant said.
