At Van's Refinishing

Before it was a business, Vans Refinishing started with my grandfather, Jack Van Eizenga. He worked in furniture factories in Grand Rapids, MI, after his role in WW1.  He honed his woodworking skills there and later learned the finer arts and old-world finishes.  He furthered his techniques but eventually traded some with modern wood finishing materials.  Later, after moving to  Spring Lake and having a family, Jack became the foreman of Story & Clark Piano Co. His son, Jerry, also worked there in the late 1950s when an idea was formed.  Jerry asked his dad, Jack, to start a cottage business in the old barn beside the house.  That’s when the father-and-son team of Vans Refinishing began.

They repaired, repainted, glazed, and refreshed furniture to meet the customer’s needs.  Jerry was a natural at wood repair and different material handling. They loved working with their hands, seeing the end product, and pleasing the customers.  Later, in the 1960s, a dedicated structure was built and added onto a few times to accommodate the inflow of projects.  Their building and ideals still stand. Jerry is retired but still comes in to complete wood repair or regluing jobs.

Enter me, the middle child. I started working in the shop (unofficially) in the late 1970s. My dad would give me a stripped chair to sand, which took about five days.  It wasn’t good enough until Dad inspected and reinspected it.  It was lengthy and seemed to take forever.  Patience was learned, as well as a good sense of quality artistry.  I would work there through high school, skill center, and college, taking almost every conceivable art course. Those right-brain art classes were far more valuable than just doing the art. Taking mental notes, written notes, deadlines, and listening to customers all help create that picture.  We try to recreate that picture as good or better in the chairs, tables, bedroom furniture, cabinetry, or whatever project may come into the shop.