Long Bennington man's quirky stools are inspired by mod and soul
A music fan has taken the Northern Soul and British Mod scene by storm with his quirky stool and furniture designs.
John Adamson, a self-employed furniture maker from Long Bennington, started making bespoke stools and coffee tables 18 months ago from his workshop in Newark.
The 63-year-old has been making kitchens, bathrooms and made to measure furniture for the past 30 years with his business Stag P Furniture.
He started making the quirky stools for close friends and neighbours as a side hobby to start with.
He said: “I had a similar one at my house which was one of these cheap export types. It always attracted positive comments from visitors and so I decided to start making my own versions.”
John, who is a big fan of the Northern Soul and British Mod scene, made them in plain colours to begin with before making them to look like they were wearing jeans and Dr Martens boots.
But it was only when he received an order from a friend that he had met within the Mod scene, that he became inundated with new orders.
He said: “She put a photo of the stool online and within two hours I had sold six.
“I started getting orders from all over the country, mainly from the Northern Soul and British Mod scene. It was quite overwhelming.
“I now do more bespoke orders and have made an Elvis stool, a military one, a pirate and even one that was wearing a skirt.
“They normally take about three hours to make one and I am always open to new ideas.
“One guy bought one for his friend’s 60th birthday and his friend was reduced to tears.”
As well as making them in his workshop, John sells them at Northern Soul and British Mod shows across the country.
He said: “The first thing people do when they see my stall is smile.”
Despite making them on a part-time basis, John is keen to concentrate more on making the stools and is in the process of creating a new website — www.stoolpigeons.co.uk — which is currently under construction.
Contact John on Facebook for information.
