¶ >> BORN AND BRED IN BROOKLYN,
NEW YORK, JOSHUA AND KRISTEN KANTER TOOK A LEAP OF FAITH IN
2004, LEAVING THEIR CAREERS BEHIND AND MOVING TO THE
BERKSHIRES. JOSH HAD WORKED IN THE FILM AND
TELEVISION INDUSTRY AS A SET DESIGNER AND BUILDER AND KRISTEN
HAD FOCUSED HER CAREER ON CHILDHOOD ABUSE PREVENTION AND
INTERVENTION. TOGETHER, THEY BOTH HAD A LOVE
FOR THE ARTS AND DECIDED TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAM OF OWNING
THEIR OWN FURNITURE AND DESIGN BUSINESS.
PRODUCER DAVE FRASER SHARES THEIR STORY.
>> WE MOVED UP HERE FROM NEW YORK CITY IN 2004 BECAUSE WE
WERE KIND OF BOTH IN LIMBO IN JOBS AND MY MOTHER WAS OPENING A
THEATER AND SHE ASKED IF I COULD COME UP AND HELP HER BUILD OUT
THE THEATER, GET IT STARTED AND LONG STORY SHORT, WE NEVER LEFT.
>> GREAT BARRINGTON DOES HAVE A SIMILAR FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN
MY OPINION AND YOU DON'T THINK THAT BEING ENCASED IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE BROOKLYN AND THE PEOPLE WE WERE FRIENDS WITH
ARE PEOPLE WE WERE FRIENDS WITH WHEN WE WERE 5.
>> I WORKED IN TELEVISION IN NEW YORK CITY FOR SEVERAL YEARS
SO I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING AND WORKING WITH MY
HANDS AND WORKING WITH WOOD SO THE SHOP, WHEN WE GOT THE HOUSE
WAS THE MAIN REASON WE BOUGHT THE HOUSE BECAUSE IT WAS ALL SET
UP AS A SHOP WHEN WE MOVED IN OR WHOEVER WHO LIVED HERE BEFORE
HAD A BACK SECTION HAD A SHOP AS SOON AS I LOOKED AT THE HOUSE I
SAID CHRIS WE'LL NEVER PULL THE CARS IN THE GARAGE.
THIS IS THE SHOP AND WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF LAND AND
LANDSCAPING, CHRIS STARTED A GARDEN THAT'S BIGGER THAN THE
HOUSE NOW. IT'S JUST SOMETHING YOU DON'T
HAVE ACCESS TO IN THE CITY AND YOU REALLY LEARN TO APPRECIATE
IT. >> TRYING TO PUT OUR HEADS
TOGETHER, FIGURING OUT, LIKE, HOW DO WE GET THE WORD OUT?
WE'RE PRETTY ISOLATED UP HERE. WE DIDN'T KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE.
IT WAS A REAL STRUGGLE AT THAT POINT TO FIND WORK 1K30I6ING
THIS -- AND SO I SAW THIS ART FAIR FOR $20 AND I SAID WE'RE
GOING TO TRY THIS. AND HE SAID YOU'RE CRAZY.
I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS AND WE DID IT AND IT GAVE US AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF WEAVE INTO THIS COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS
AND IT REALLY OPENED THE DOOR. IT SHIFTED THE BUSINESS.
>> A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL JUST COME TO US WITH AN IDEA BUT
I TEND TO GO TOWARDS CRAFTSMAN STYLE FURNITURE, VERY CLEAN
STRAIGHT LINES. I ALSO LIKE JAPANESE-TYPE
FURNITURE. IT'S VERY SATISFYING AND I STILL
TO THIS DAY GET INCREDIBLE NERVOUS RIGHT BEFORE I'M GOING
TO DROP A PIECE OFF BECAUSE YOU JUST WANT THE PERSON TO -- YOU
KNOW, YOU TAKE OFF THE MOVING BLANKET AND THEY GO OH!
AND IT TAKES THEIR BREATH AWAY AND YOU SPENT ALL THIS TIME
CONSTRUCTING THIS PIECE THAT YOU'RE HOPING IT WILL BE WITH
THEM FOREVER AND THAT THEY WON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH.
BEING A SMALL BUSINESS MOST OF THE WORK WORKERS HERE YOU ARE
THE PEOPLE, YOU ARE THE FACE OF THE BUSINESS SO CRITIQUES OR
ACCOLADES ARE TAKEN PERSONALLY. >> BUT THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
SOMETHING THAT'S HANDMADE, RIGHT?
AND HANDMADE BY SOMEBODY THAT'S IN THIS COMMUNITY AND WORKING
HARD TO JUST MAKE A LIVING AND THEY TAKE SUCH INCREDIBLE PRIDE
IN DOING IT, WHETHER IT'S A SUPER ELABORATE PIECE OR JUST A
SIMPLE PIECE. LIKE A SIMPLE THING LIKE A
CHEESE BOARD. PEOPLE COME BACK ALL THE TIME
OH, I LOVE YOUR BOARDS. I GET THEM ALL THE TIME AND I
GIVE THEM AS GIFTS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD FEELING.
OUR FRIENDS SAY WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER.
WHEN WE FIRST MOVED UP HERE -- YOU KNOW, WE GREW UP IN THE SAME
NEIGHBORHOOD AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T LEAVE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD
SOME DO, SOME DON'T. JOSH DID BUT I NEVER LEFT TILL
WE MOVED HERE. WE CAME UP AND DIDN'T KNOW
ANYBODY EXCEPT HIS MOM SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER
EVEN THOUGH I WENT TO WORK EVERY DAY AND WHEN I LEFT MY JOB TO
SAY I WAS GOING TO DO THIS WITH HIM YOU GUYS ARE REALLY GOING TO
SPEND A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER BUT FROM A RELATIONSHIP STANDPOINT
WE LIKE EACH OTHER. >> SO FAR.
STILL GOING STRONG.