William Huxley will walk by a piece of wood three or four times before knowing its ultimate purpose.

And when he puts it to use, the piece of handcrafted wooden furniture will be unique and a work of art.

Huxley, owner of Bear Creek Rustic Furnishings, is opening his new store in Sandy at 38590 Pioneer Blvd. next to Dolly’s Pet Shop. Revamping the interior in preparation for its October opening, the door is ajar and lots of folks are stopping by.

“I love Sandy, and the people here,” Huxley said. “I’ve just gotten a positive
attitude from everybody in town. This fits with what I do.”

Huxley’s route to Sandy began years ago with a road trip from Palm Springs
ending with a drive through Sandy. He knew he was here to stay.

Adjacent business owner Anna Judd of Dolly’s Pet Shoppe is excited that
Huxley is her new neighbor.

“He is bringing a family oriented, fresh look to his business with planter boxes
on display outside,” Judd said. “Our two businesses complement each other.
And I have handcrafted birdhouses in my pet shop now, it’s great.”

Visibly passionate about his hand carved wood work, Huxley explained that
“rustic” for him is a unique, comfortable art, built into furniture or heirlooms.
“Furniture should be built to last for generations,” he said. “All the furniture I
build comes with a lifetime guarantee.”

Huxley believes his creations have a natural place in the area.

“It’s inexpensive and creative rustic furniture, and plenty of traffic passing by
here is probably going to the Mountain where things I build fit right in with the
environment,” he said. “Everything made is a piece of art.”

Matt Colloton, co-owner of Steelhead Ranch Alpacas in White Salmon,
Washington, was very pleased with the furnishings Huxley made for their
guest units.

“He did great work for us, nice handcrafted beds and if anything needed to be
changed he did it right away. He outfitted the whole place with armoires,
desks, beds and coffee tables,” Colloton said. “And his prices are very fair.”

As a government landscaping contractor in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for almost
four years, Huxley is glad to be back doing what he loves best.

“It was really, really hot and a hostile environment,” he said. “We got bombed
twice in Kuwait. I worked on the King Khalid International Airport and some
military bases doing their landscaping. There is no such thing as a bad day for
me now. I’ve seen how horrible it is over there.”

As a child, Huxley learned the craft of woodworking from his father and
grandfather. It started as a hobby, with handcrafted Christmas presents for
his family members.

“I always got an ‘A’ in woodwork,” he said, laughing.

Huxley still has his first attempt at real woodworking, a bed which took six
weeks to build with a hand saw, a hole saw and a file. These days, he’s
hacked the time frame to two days for a bed. Profits made from his early
furnishings went into buying better tools.

His hobby became his business and, with his improved tools, Huxley has been
crafting wood into unique works of art for the past 50 years.

Wood used in Huxley’s furnishings all comes from Oregon, from recycled wood
and downed trees and no live trees are cut to make one of his masterpieces.
Juniper, an invasive species that draws excessive amounts of water, is being
eradicated by the Forest Service, and when they cut it, Huxley is allowed to
take the wood.

Huxley will make custom pieces to order.

“If you dream it, we’ll build it,” he said. “Bring a picture in and I’ll make it.”
For our feathered friends, Huxley also builds birdhouses and feeders.

“I want to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. “I don’t want to do
anything else. I’m living my dream. This is what makes me happy. There is a
part of me in everything I build.”