My mother called me several weeks ago to tell me that dad had had a stroke, but it was mild and he was okay and doing well. She also said that he suggested I come for a visit very soon to talk. The stroke was bad enough, but dad wanting to talk sounded ominous. We had hardly spoken in years. When we did it always seemed to end badly. So, we didn’t talk much and visits were rare and short. My wife Jill and I scheduled a trip to Akron.
***
A few days later we landed in Cleveland and picked up our rental car. I called mom and she said that dad was at the shop. I was surprised to hear that he was already back at work, but that’s dad. It was still early in the afternoon, so we drove straight to his cabinet shop in Akron. Dad greeted us at the main entrance. We asked how he was doing and exchanged awkward hugs. He looked good but stooped a little more and moved more slowly and cautiously.
Dad had started his woodworking business shortly after graduating high school and grew it, moving to larger facilities and employing up to twenty-five workers at its peak, maybe twenty years ago. After that, the business had declined. Tastes shifted and people wanted the white, laminated California look instead of solid wood.
Jill and I entered the shop and the strong smell of oak and cherry sawdust and woodchips brought back memories from when I worked part-time for him during my high school years. Dad then gave us a tour around the place. I was surprised to see so many workers and all the high-tech equipment. Dad said that real wood was popular again and the business had a backlog of work.
“We’d hire more workers but it’s hard to find skilled people,” he said. “Nowadays we need people that can do 3D Computer Aided Design and program computer numerical control machines.”
I was surprised. I guess I hadn’t been in the shop for many years. Perhaps I avoided visiting assuming I’d be disheartened by further decline and obsolescence. Plus, there were the bad feelings between us. “I am very impressed, dad.”
He showed us a CAD room, finishing rooms, multiple sizes of numerically controlled cutting, boring, and routing machines, and all the standard woodworking equipment.
“Now we can quickly do very intricate, decorative engravings, carvings, and inlays. Repeatable too.” Dad said.
He then took us to his office and pointed to chairs and said, “Have a seat. Care for coffee, water, or anything?”
Jill and I both said no so he moved behind the desk and sat down.
“The business is going strong now and I’m expecting further growth. A number of furniture stores in this part of the state are selling our shelves, desks, and other furniture again. We’re still not doing much with kitchen cabinets, but that’s likely to pick up too,” dad said. “But the doctor says I need to slow down due to health issues.”
“Can’t you find someone to manage the place? I asked.
“Chris, the foreman, manages the work floor, but just running the business-end is too much for me. Especially with our growth.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“So, pretty soon I will need to sell the business – unless you change your mind about not wanting to take it over.”
“The kids are both in college now and Akron isn’t such a bad place,” Jill said. “It is an impressive operation.”
I was surprised by her comment. I didn’t think she’d consider moving back to Ohio. “It’s true that we are more risk tolerant now, but I just don’t know. How soon do you need to know?”
I recently received an offer for the business. It’s a nice offer that’s easily enough for your mom and me to live well. It’s quite tempting.”
“Well, Jill and I, and the kids, will have to discuss it. It’d be a huge change and big move,” I said.
“Okay, but I will need to let the other folks know within a couple of weeks.”
***
Jill and I watched the moving company’s workers haul our furniture and boxes into the house we recently closed on in the outskirts of Akron. We were excited to be moving out of the bedroom that I grew up in in my parents’ house. Spending a lot of time with the folks while house hunting was good, I guess, but we didn’t want to overdo it. I was already well into the process of learning the ropes for running the shop and dad was providing more than enough advice and guidance.