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Gary Keener
Gary Keener is grateful for the lifestyle he has been
able to pursue, designing and building furniture with
‘quiet simplicity’ that reflects his life in southwest
Ohio. His three lines are influenced by Shaker,
mission and Asian designs.
Keener’s favorite is his Carlisle collection that
contains design elements of graceful curves, under-
beveled tops, and his trademark flared legs. Keener
crafts most pieces in cherry with a hand-rubbed finish.
Occasionally he used other domestic or imported
woods for custom orders.
Keener has won several awards, including:
Best in Show, Lexington Fine Craft Show, 2004
Award of Distinction, Columbus Spring Fair Craft Show, 2005
Apprenticeship Award, Philadelphia Furniture Show, 2004
Value and Versatility Award, Philadelphia Furniture Show,
2006
Keener started building with wood when he was a
toddler, gluing and nailing scraps of wood together to
make toys. His passion for woodworking developed
further in high school, when he was inspired by a
teacher who helped to direct his love for wood toward
furniture making.
After earning a BA in Technology Education from
Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Keener
enjoyed evoking the passion [for making things from
wood] in others, teaching woodworking, drafting and
construction at Perkins High School in Sandusky,
Ohio. Three years later, encouraged by his wife,
Andrea, Keener began an apprenticeship in Bedford,
Virginia with the well-known furniture maker M.T.
Maxwell. Keener and his wife left their teaching jobs to
move to Virginia; he attributes his wife and their faith in
God for his courage to step out of his comfort zone
and pursue his dream.
While at Maxwell’s, Keener refined his woodworking
skills, increased his knowledge of business and
marketing practices, and designed and built his first
line of furniture. Returning to Ohio, Keener set up a
shop in a garage, quickly outgrew it and built a 1,300-
square-foot shop, then added 1,600 square feet, and
current is adding another 2,000 square feet.
After supporting the fledgling business in its early
years by teach, Andrea Keener now stays home with
the couple’s two girls, Addison, age 4, and Aubree,
age 2.
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