Love West Virginia Wood Magnet

Our rustic roots were shaped in two places: West Virginia and New Mexico. My name is Matt Snyder and I started Bear Wood Company. I grew up in West Virginia and hadn't done much traveling when I was young so I left the state in 1996 to see the country. I was in my early twenties and had nothing but a sleeping bag, very little money, and a sense of adventure. It didn't take long until I found a home away from home in Taos, NM. I spent about two years there learning to build furniture from a fella who to this day runs a thriving handmade furniture business. If you ever find yourself in Taos, a tiny village that feels even tinier thanks to the giant Rocky Mountains jutting overhead, stop in and see the work by David Mapes at New Mexico Furniture Co. You won't be sorry you did. Anyhow, I came back to West Virginia in '98 and continued building furniture through the years and finally struck out on my own in 2015 to start Bear Wood Company.