By MELVILLE COOKE, Freelance WriterWestern Bureau:
THE CORNER OF West and Pechon Streets in downtown Kingston is relatively quiet, as far as being quiet in the heart of the business district can go. It is far enough out of the wholesale shopping area to not be flooded with pedestrians or parked cars, although there is a constant traffic flow past the area.
Those passing by will most likely notice a few young men with furniture on the sidewalk, or maybe a pick-up with a piece or two in the back.
And those who stop to enquire about the furniture will be directed to a door where all the furnishings come from, step into a room packed with fine items and meet a man named Abraham Ferguson.
The location of the furniture maker is actually 7 - 11 West Street, with the entrance on Pechon Street MR. FERGUSON SAID that he has been fully into the business of making furniture for some four to five years, but it has been a long time coming. The interest came from his father, who worked for some people who retailed furniture. The theory came from Richmond Secondary School, which he graduated from in 1979 and he "got the practical in the field".
"I didn't go straight in, it was gradual," Mr. Ferguson said. "You start from a hammer and a nail and you move on."
'Moving on' meant acquiring machinery, eventually ending up at the present location, which is actually a temporary situation.
Temporary or not, the space is packed with furniture, finished or in the making, all of high quality - even though it is not to the standard that Mr. Ferguson is aiming for. Not yet. "We are aiming for perfection, but we want more equipment," he said. This desire, though, will not se him heading off to seek a loan. The interest rate is not a pleasant thought.
"When you are on a firm footing you can look to the long-term," he said.
Mr. Ferguson certainly believes in buying local, as 90 per cent of the lumber he uses is Jamaican, bought from persons who come in from the country. It is for this reason that he hardly bothers to compare the furniture he makes to those in stores with big promotions.
"It is not apples and apples. Their product is probably made from another kind of material," he said.
He makes "all kinds of furniture" and does not wait until an order comes in to start the process. "To satisfy the customer you have to preempt the market," Mr. Ferguson said. "You can't wait on the actual order, because of the slow process in getting them ready."
By 'slow process' he means say two weeks for a dresser, even though it can be two days, depending on what it is being made from.
"With the all wood it takes a little longer," Mr. Ferguson said.
Although some young men are working from there, there are many more who come to learn and leave. "It is hard work, very hard work, and it is not glamorous, for it is dirty work. Young people come, but when the hardship buck some withdraw. Most enter for the reward and that is long in coming most times," Mr. Ferguson said.
