Winston Salem native James Broyhill never planned on working in the furniture industry.  Although his family founded Broyhill Furniture Industries in Lenoir, North Carolina, in 1926, James landed in investment real estate.  But ultimately his entrepreneurial spirit plus his love of woodcraft (he learned the basics as a 5-year-old from his grandfather) found him ditching his corporate office for a sawdust - filled workshop.  

While Broyhill Furniture applied assembly-line construction methods of the Model T era.  James builds made-to-order chairs, coffee tables, chandeliers, and gifts from reclaimed barrel wood.  

Each piece takes from 2 to 12 hours to create and retains the unique quirks - the scratches and stains, nicks and aged lettering - of the barrels.

Prices range from $85 for cuff links to $2,800 for 5-foot chandeliers: www.heritagehandcrafted.com