Rising Stars: Meet Charles Bushere Sr. of Pomona, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charles Bushere Sr..

Hi Charles, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my journey as an artist blacksmith back in 1995. Bushere and Son was founded by James and Charles Bushere in 1996. Blacksmithing felt natural to me as soon as I picked up the hammer. My father would even tell me a story when I thru a tantrum at a hardware store at 4 years old because I wanted a hammer. My grandfather gave in and bought it for me. Gosh I wish I still had it. A big moment came in 1996 when I decided to take on the forging of a pair of iron frames for some rare vintage California made tile while my father was out looking for work and promoting us. I still remember my father coming back to the shop one day after I had forged and laid out the frames for these specific tile murals. He told me ‘Charlie, I knew you had arrived’. With this commission we were awarded honorable mention at the Santa Barbara Historic Museum. I instantly knew that this was going to be my path in life. We started having clients contact us for custom iron frames and tables for their own vintage tiles. (Like the ones that many saved during the fires of 2025.) Our resume grew over the years with loyal customers and we became well known in the antique/historical circles of the Los Angeles area. Promoting our work at local museums. After many years of making custom frames and tables I felt we peaked around 2012 with these type of art products. Feeling a sense of burnout of always having to be creative and urning for a different avenue of work. A work we didn’t have to depend on from a tile maker or antique dealer. We decided to start a product line of authentic rustic handmade iron hardware. After Incorporating our business in 2012 we launched our newly designed hardware in 2014. It was a very difficult time for me as my skills were growing at a dramatic rate. Tensions were high in the studio with my father James at this time, but at the end of the day we had the vision in mind of creating a product that will stand out from the pack. For years we kept making leaps of small innovations in production and design. Gaining huge momentum in 2020 with the Covid situation. People being at home all the time sparked a boom for our business. Charles Bushere Jr (my son) formally joined our family business in 2021. I’m not gonna lie. Family business is a challenging task, When your in a family business you have to be respectful of each others space and everyone has to know that their opinion is just as important. In May of 2023 I fell gravely ill with a serious infection. During the time I was in the hospital for two weeks and during that time my father who was battling mental health issues committed suicide. It was very challenging to overcome, but I did. With forgiveness and love. At the end of 2023 I was putting my life back together. In 2024 I felt a renewed hope. Business began to thrive and doors began to open up that I couldn’t open before. I learned that sometimes people or things have to leave your life to make room for the new. Even if its people or things we love. I love being able to work with my son everyday. I feel blessed that I love what I do and get to achieve success with my family.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been far from a smooth road, but anything rewarding doesn’t come easy or without a price. Some of my early career challenges had to do with learning communication and people skills at a professional/business level. My father was a Boys Republic Graduate and didn’t read or write very well. This put a heavy burden on me in the early years. Creating a beautiful product and being talented is one thing, but to be able to market it the correct audience is just as important. It was difficult to find places to promote our product. We ended up having to rent a retail booth at an antique store just to be able to be seen. We would go to art shows and it was wearing. Sometimes going to a show and not even covering expenses can be wearing. This was a time before the internet took over. As time went on we started winning over clients with our high quality work and customer service. We started getting clients that would pay us whatever we wanted. Freedom, but freedom doesn’t come without a price. An unusual challenge I once had was staying on a project too long with a client that gave us everything. The problem was I was so consumed with the project that I felt like I was losing my freedom. Too many eggs in one basket. That is why we developed our hardware. To create some balance. It was a difficult transaction of our business and did damage to my relationship with my father at the time. As time progressed into 2020 we were hit with Covid-19. Little did we know it would propel our hardware business as people were forced to stay in their homes. What we thought was going to be devastating became a blessing. Life began like a roller coaster in 2021. Our family business was facing turmoil from the inside. My father and I began to have very heated arguments. It became worse and I was becoming fatigued with my dads requests in the business. It didn’t help that my son was part of our team now. In May of 2023 I fell gravely ill with a serious infection. During the time I was in the hospital for two weeks I was so ill I couldn’t even walk and during that time my father who was battling mental health issues committed suicide. It was very challenging to overcome, but I did and I continue to do so. With forgiveness and love. At the end of 2023 I was putting my life back together. Thankfully by living under my means and great support of my family. In 2024 I felt a renewed hope. Business began to thrive and doors began to open up that I couldn’t open before. I learned that sometimes people or certain things have to leave your life to make room for the new. Even if its people or things we love.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always considered myself as an artist blacksmith first. Our company specializes in creating hand forged iron and products using old world and new world techniques. Old world being the blacksmith part. Getting iron hot and hitting it into your desires. New world being welding and computerized capabilities. In the world of today I feel you need to use both to get high quality results with modern efficiency. I have become known as making high quality iron hardware, art, furniture and custom framework for vintage 1920’s tile. I am most proud of the legacy I am leaving for others to be inspired by. To show people that you can be as a blacksmith or a craftsman in this modern world. I see so much opportunity! What sets me apart from others is my attention to detail and most of all the love I put into my work which people can see. I want people to see the love in it. I want people to see my work and think wow that’s special.

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
To anyone reading this that has any doubt about what they really want to do…. Just try…. You will be surprised at what you can do when you put some love into something. Be aware when you do so to see the opportunity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bushereandson.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bushereironstudio
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/bushereironstudio

Image Credits
Ryan Beck