By Emily Beckett
Owning a shop with handmade wooden furniture and household décor was never part of the original plan for Buddy and Frances Hayes of Thorsby.
But for more than a year now, they have embraced a new plan of running their business, the B & F Hobby Shop, featuring old furniture Buddy refurbishes as well as furniture he builds with salvaged wood.
According to his wife, Buddy, 71, has a knack for making beautiful and interesting items from wood.
“He’s always been interested in woodwork,” Frances, 70, said of her husband of 53 years. “It’s good that he has this to work with.”
Buddy’s job resume´ includes working at Alabama Power Company, construction work and ongoing involvement in the Christian ministry.
Buddy said he was saved in 1965 and answered a call to the ministry in 1966.
He served as pastor of Center Hill Baptist Church, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Victory Baptist Church and Bethel Baptist, which merged with Victory Baptist Temple in Calera.
He holds a bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degree from Gulf Coast Bible Institute.
His background in construction contributed to his skills in woodworking, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that Buddy devoted more time to crafting furniture and other pieces to sell.
“It’s supposed to be a hobby, but it’s turned out to be a big one,” Frances said. “Even when he still worked for the power company, he worked with odds and ends. He custom builds orders, and he repairs furniture for people that come.”
The first table Buddy built was with wood from Frances’ grandfather’s barn in Mineral Springs.
He even built the structure that houses the hobby shop, which is just a short walk from his workshop and the couple’s home on Franklin Street in Thorsby.
For people who want to build their own items, the shop buys and sells wood salvaged from old houses and barns being torn down in the county, sometimes other cities and states.
“I get wood anywhere I can find it,” Buddy said. “Most of this wood in here is better than 130 years old.”
Types of wood Buddy uses to build furniture include poplar, pine and oak.
When using salvaged wood, he first removes nails from the boards, strips them of any paint and sands the surfaces of the wood until they are smooth.
He then uses various tools—a planer, joiner, router and mitre saw, to name a few—to cut and shape the wood according to the dimensions of a particular piece he is assembling.
He applies stain and coats of lacquer on some pieces, but others he leaves untouched, allowing the raw, natural grain of the wood to stand on its own.
“We try to keep the rustic look on the old wood,” Buddy said. “We don’t stain and finish as much as we used to because people say they want it natural.”
Buddy said he makes some pieces based on items he and Frances see in magazines like Country Living, and other pieces are based on specifications people give him.
Over the years, he has also built pieces for his three children, Keith Hayes, Kristi Northcutt and Kevin Hayes, and their families.
“Give me a picture and measurements, and I could build it,” Buddy said. “I used to build larger items, but now I’ve started building smaller items. I think you can sell smaller items faster.”
The shop has an array of items, including but not limited to dining room tables, coffee tables, chairs, benches, chests, filing cabinets, entertainment centers and picture frames.
The character of the B & F Hobby Shop goes beyond the items for sale on the shop floor.
The walls of the Hayes’ shop are lined with family heirlooms—mostly farm implements Buddy’s father used—that contribute to the shop’s rustic atmosphere.
Paintings of Chilton County scenes by Georgia resident Marilyn Miller provide splashes of color and portrayals of the local landscape.
Buddy said he averages about three days per week in his woodworking shop, as long as the weather permits.
Although the B & F Hobby Shop doesn’t have set business hours each day, the couple tries to be available for customers as much as possible.
“The shop is open when the sign is out,” Buddy said. “It will be open when we’re here. Call the number on the sign, and see if we’re here.”
The couple can be reached at (205) 646-2354 or (205) 601-5022.
The shop is located at 7479 Franklin Street (County Road 50) in Thorsby.
“I enjoy just putting things together that turn out good and pretty, and have people brag on it,” Buddy said. “Makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something.”