Arthur Woody, who was the great-grandfather of present Chair Shop owner Jim Woody, was himself a grandson of Wyatt. Like his granddad, Arthur carried on the family tradition, making chairs in a shop pictured the top of the page. It was located just a stone's throw from the present location of Woody's Chair Shop. Arthur made chairs from the late 1800’s until his death in 1954 and was well known for the ladder back colonial chairs he made. Many of these chairs are still being used by local families in western North Carolina and are considered collectors’ items.

"Uncle Arter," as he was called by his friends and neighbors, built a grist mill beside a creek and used a water wheel to grind corn meal. When he wasn’t grinding corn, he used the water wheel to power a lathe on which he turned various parts for the chairs.

Arthur was one of the first instructors at the internationally acclaimed Penland School of Crafts (see Gift from the Hills, by LeGette Blythe, pages 139-141). His son Charlie, and daughter Decie, were also instructors at Penland. Their work began raising awareness of the quality of Woody's chairs and laid the groundwork for the expansion of the craft into an artform.

Wyatt Woody settled in the North Carolina mountains around 1800 and began a craft that his heirs carry on to this day. Using responsibly-harvested woods native to the region, our chairs are created to last, using no nails or glue in the load bearing structure. We invite you to learn more about our history and how our products are constructed.