About Bear's Boards
The mission of Bear's Boards, LLC is to provide the highest standard of quality in furniture restoration services at a competitive price for the Metropolitan Detroit area, through careful attention to detail and customer friendly business practices.
Bear's Boards is a family owned business. Starting in basements, garages and attics, Randy Wills has been an artisan in wood and furniture restoration for over three decades.
In the beginning, Bear's Boards was mainly a side business while Randy honed his managerial and woodworking skills at other shops. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Education with a Math and Science minor from Michigan State University in 1973. However, he opted to pursue woodworking instead of teaching.
The name "Bear's Boards" was born out of a nickname Randy had in college. His full head of hair not only resembled that of a bear, but was stylish for the time! He also had a dog named "Bear" from 1973 - 1990. That dog seemed to live forever! Indeed, his memory lives on in Bear's Boards, LLC.
Randy married Marsha McAlvey in 1983. They lived 5 years in Colorado where Randy built custom hardwood furniture before moving back to Michgan. Marsha retired from a career in radio broadcasting in 1999 and handles the office, bookkeeping and telephone duties at Bear's Boards. She and their daughters help out with general shop tasks when available.
Randy is the primary woodworker and finisher, with help from employee Pat Watson. We also have half a dozen skilled craftsmen who upholster and hand-cane for us.
Press
Below are several articles from the Macomb Daily that feature Bear's Boards:
"How one couple is preserving American stock in beautiful wood furniture."Macomb Daily. Sunday, November 23, 2008
"Bringing legacy pieces back to life."Macomb Daily. Sunday, August 10, 2008
Shortly after the opening of the Clinton Township shop, the Macomb Daily wrote an article about Randy Wills and Bear's Boards. A scanned copy of the article can be found here. The article is also online at the Macomb Daily's website.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please call 586.469.0536. You can also visit our Contact page for additional information.
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