Building new from old: Settling into new digs on King Street, Sticks and Bricks owner follows her passion of making customized furniture

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

Staff Writer

Published: 01-27-2023 6:04 PM

NORTHAMPTON — The facade of Sticks and Bricks new King Street building, lined with long, dark, wooden planks, matches perfectly with the store’s theme of making customized furniture. But owner Liz Karney says the appearance is just a happy coincidence.

Inside, however, is a different story. Karney gave the location, a former Cricket Wireless store, a complete makeover, tearing down parts of the flooring and using it to line parts of the wall, while other parts of the wall are lined with brick.

Parts of the second floor are gone, converting the back into a large workshop where Karney builds new furniture out of old parts. Any indication that this building once sold cellular coverage is now gone.

“I make a joke all the time that this business is just to fulfill my own personal shopping,” she said. “I love to hunt, looking for weird old things.”

Karney has been in the business for 14 years, first opening Sticks and Bricks on Northampton’s Market Street. Relocating to its current location last July, it now has much more interior space, as well as greater parking, important for customers arriving to pick up furniture.

Comparing her process to “using every part of an animal,” Karney builds new products such as lamps, chairs and dining tables using old parts as a base inspiration. Upstairs, Karney sells individual wooden planks and other parts, for those who are interested in their own do-it-yourself projects or customizing existing orders.

She says her method of reusing old pieces is a more environmentally-friendly process that doesn’t rely on international shipping.

“It happens to work out that my aesthetics are attracted to old, rustic things,” she says. “I’m lucky that the things that I like also align with my personal beliefs.”

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Karney says her tastes and abilities have evolved over the time she’s been in business. At her Market Street location, she originally shared the storefront with Justin Brown, who now has his own store, Assemble, in Florence. Karney has since worked with other partners and interns in designing and building her craft.

“I really like that process of helping people make their home feel fresh and deliberate and personal,” she said. “I think old things lend themselves to that. It helps your space feel like just your space.”

The store, located on 90 King St., is open on Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is open on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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