The Art of Old-Growth Woodworking With Tacoma's Husband-and-Wife Team

Not many people get the chance to say they own and operate a successful business with their spouse, but that’s what was in the cards for Jeff Libby and Adrienne Wicks of Birdloft — they just didn’t know it at first. “I used to deliver meat, chicken and cheese to this deli," Jeff recalls. "And there was a married couple there and they made sandwiches all day long next to each other. I was in my 20s then, was on top of the world, and I just thought, ‘Oh, my God! That would be terrible!' But I didn’t know anything, I was just a kid.” Now, he works alongside his woodworking wife in their spacious Tacoma, Washington, studio.

In 2008, Jeff met Adrienne at architecture school and the two shared classes, teachers and side jokes about never making furniture. Little did they know, after a 9,000-mile, post-graduation road trip during the recession, the two would ultimately end up amassing loads of salvaged wood in a tiny Seattle apartment that would soon become the base for their custom furniture business. "We started really small with a chop saw and did glue-ups in the guest bedroom on the carpet," Jeff laughs. "It was great."

Soon enough, Jeff's side hustle quickly engulfed his Capitol Hill apartment, bursting at the seams with beautiful, salvaged wood and a growing punch list of client projects. "We just kept growing," Adrienne says. "So we moved to Tacoma for more space. And at the time, I was still looking for a job in architecture, but Jeff had set up an Etsy presence and it grew and grew to the point where he needed an extra hand — that’s when I started working with him. We started designing more furniture and it took off from there."

One of their most popular products is the open air bookcase, an industrial, rustic design dreamed up and handcrafted by the woodworking duo. “We do well together and it helps that we have somewhat specialized [roles]," Adrienne explains. "Jeff does all of our welding and I try to stay mostly in the woodshop.” Jeff adds, "Where it really is good for the furniture and for the customers is that we design together and have two minds coming at it. We can make a better piece of furniture in the end.”