Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Comins
Hi Justin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My name is Justin Comins and I’ve always had a knack for fixing things. I moved to Los Angeles 25 years ago to pursue an acting career, which also meant pursuing a side job that could allow me to live in LA while attempting to pursue said acting career. I worked three part-time jobs at the same time but the one I kept the longest was with an amazingly talented general contractor based in Pasadena. During the years I worked with him it felt like I stepped foot in every home in San Marino and Pasadena, doing everything from plumbing, electrical, demo, and basic carpentry. It was an incredible introduction into an industry that I was enamored by, however I kept my focus on entertainment and experienced a 20-year career in television, commercial, and film production. In those early years of production I took on a side project to restore a classic 1970 Honda motorcycle from the ground up. I knew nothing about how engines worked and I figured this would be the best way to learn. Following a 50 year old manual (reading it in reverse from back to front) I was able to completely rebuild the engine to factory settings and made that motorcycle my daily driver for quite some time. That is until I met my wife and the request came to retire the Honda. I shifted my passion for building to woodworking and leatherwork, and felt like I found my true purpose in life. My hobby grew to an obsession and as the part of the entertainment industry I worked in continued to get smaller and bleaker, I found myself eating up every bit of information I could on these ancient crafts, building a collection of hand tools and power tools, and making furniture for our home, for friends, and for family.
By this time, my wife and I had our second daughter and I was in the midst of assessing the order of priorities of my life; and the version of myself that was ‘showing up’ as a father and husband. I talked to my wife about ending decades of working for other people and simply being a number on a spreadsheet and choosing my own destiny by starting a woodworking and leather working business. She was (and continues to be) immensely supportive of this decision. The choice comes with a lot of unknowns and we all know that unknowns can be scary. But I’m choosing to embrace these unknowns with fervor and the biggest reason is because it makes me feel good and gives me what I need to be the best version of myself, to myself, my amazing wife, and remarkable girls.
In memory of my beloved dog Wylie, I began crafting products that tell the story of who I am as a person: down to earth, classic, and passionate. It’s about full-circle sustainability, building relationships, choosing self-reliance, and, most importantly, leaving a life-long impression.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would not say it has been a smooth road mainly because I’m carving my path in real time. It is a new journey into an industry where I’m starting at ground zero. I don’t know if I would call it a struggle (I see it more as an opportunity) but the major one for me is relationships. Like many sales industries it is about who you know almost as much as what you are offering. The fact is, people prefer to work with those they know and like. So for me, it’s about carving out time amidst custom furniture orders, markets, social media posts, creative brainstorming, and tool upkeep, to meet interior designers, other makers and clients, to show them what I’m capable of achieving with my work; while giving them the chance to see that I’m a pretty decent person to be around (or at least I’d like to think so).
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Everything I make is handcrafted and the vast majority of tools I use are hand tools. The main reason for this is because of my respect to the craft and to do my part to keep a very important set of skills alive. It also gives me the ability to connect to the materials in ways that power tools can’t. I’m far from a purest and I definitely incorporate machines into my process, but I do put a heavy focus on ‘handmade’.
When it comes to the materials I use, I only source sustainable materials or from sustainably conscious small businesses (many of which are multi-generational family businesses based in the United States). Also, I only use the highest grade materials because I believe in making fine, heritage pieces. I want people to know that if they buy a piece from Wylie’s, they are investing in themselves with a product that will last a lifetime.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The biggest thing I’ve learned is the importance of taking risks in order to follow your passions. I think we have all experienced some version of fatigue from the ongoing working from home vs working in offices debate, the endless search for a work life balance, and the pain of losing friends and family (too soon) from illness.
The last few years have been difficult for many people and so what I’ve learned is to listen to myself and do the thing that supports me being the best version of myself. There’s no denying that it feels really good to go from a life where I would wake up in the morning and immediately be counting down the hours until I could get back in bed to my life now where I never feeling like I have enough time in the day to accomplish everything I want to get done. Basically if having too much fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Wylieswoodandleather.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wylieswoodandleather?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Andy Comins Photography
AndyComins.com
