When Larry Swanson retired from the City of Italy in 2003 due to health concerns, he really would have preferred to continue to work. In the ten years he was employed by the city, he had gotten to know most of the citizens and really liked his job. After all, he has never been the type of person that could just sit around doing nothing. The change in lifestyle of staying home every day has been quite an adjustment.

Larry is a deacon at Mt. Gilead Baptist Church here in Italy. He loves his church and the ministry there keeps him busy. But, last year Larry decided he needed a hobby that would not hurt him physically and allow him to be productive. He was outside one day and looked at an old, worn out wooden chair his uncle gave him and had an idea.

“I told my wife, Patsy, that I thought I could make a chair like that,” Swanson said. “I had never done anything like that before, but it did not look hard and I didn’t think it would hurt me physically so I decided to try it.”

Little did he know that an old worn out chair would be the beginning of a wonderful hobby. After building a chair, Swanson decided to try a bench. After he made the bench, he decided to make a picnic table.

“I like being outside so building picnic tables and benches allows me to do that while staying busy. I would get very bored if I had to stay inside and just sit. If I stopped doing something, I think I would die,” he said.

He has looked at the outdoor furniture at several stores and noticed that some pieces were not put together to last. He knows his furniture is hand crafted well. Larry uses screws instead of nails to hold the pieces together. He can customize the furniture to someone’s specifications. He can also burn and stain the pieces. He even has constructed children’s furniture.

He has some furniture ready for sale for $35 and up, but will do custom orders. For more information, contact Larry Swanson at (972) 483-6304.