Writer / Jimmy Girot III
Photographer / Brian Brosmer
A weathered wooden pallet sat in my garage for nearly a year before I decided to do something with it. While I’m still unsure of this splintered wood’s origin, I knew that I was tired of looking at it, and I knew where this useless wood was headed — the fire pit.
Fast forward six months and a familiar-looking wooden pallet gently rests in my fire pit, still weathered and still unused. Why couldn’t I bring myself to burn this resilient eyesore?
One visit to Jason Miller’s “reNEW” in historic Fortville, and you’ll never look at an old piece of wood or furniture the same way. It happened to me with a simple wooden pallet, a piece that has been reborn into a beautiful coffee mug holder. What I saw as useless, Jason saw as a blank slate, an uncarved block ready for molding.
I met with Jason at his reNEW shop on Main Street to discuss his passion-turned-business.
What does reNEW do?
“reNEW designs and builds custom furniture, wall art and home accents from locally-reclaimed materials. We also repair and refinish furniture.”
How did you begin?
“I started reNEW in my Noblesville garage nearly four years ago. I was working as a trim carpenter and restoring historic homes. I started getting requests from my customers to do custom built-ins, furniture, refinishing, repairs, etc., and decided to make it a business.”
Why Fortville?
“I’ve always loved Fortville as I lived there eight years ago. I found a great space that would fit my needs, and I saw the potential of Main Street Fortville. I love the other artisan shops, and I’ve since bought a house and moved my residence to Fortville.”
What’s your favorite aspect of reNEW?
“The PEOPLE! I love meeting, talking and working with the customers and shoppers. It’s very satisfying when someone picks up their custom piece, and they just fall in love with it. Our motto is, ‘If you don’t love it, then you can’t have it.’”
Jason clearly cares about quality, but on a larger scale, he seems to care most about customer happiness. If you’re ready to reclaim or “reNEW” something, check out their creative hub at facebook.com/renewdesignandconstruct or visit their shop located on Main Street in Fortville.
Comments 1
I moved to the Geist area in February and couldn't find a china cabinet size or style I wanted for our new home. I've know Jason since he was five years old and we designed it together. Jason built a beautiful china cabinet for us, mirrored back, lights and a bit of personalized style as I wanted.