Will Rothelle's Biographical Sketch

I have been working for Gary Weeks & Co. since 2003.  My co-worker and childhood friend Aaron Jones came to me in October of that year and told me that Gary was looking for someone to help with the hand sanding of the chairs for the busy holiday season.  At that time I was employed by a start-up custom furniture shop as a saw mill operator, but the company was having trouble and could only provide me with a couple of days work per week at best.  So it seemed like a good idea for me to give it a try.

After my first interview, I knew it was.  Gary asked me questions I had never been asked in an interview before.  "What did I like to read?"  "Did I draw when I was growing up?"  And on my final interview, "Would I be willing to stay at least a year?"  When he called and said, "We’re hoping you can come to work with us on Friday," I was really pleased.  I started the day before Gary and Leslie’s 35th anniversary and 1,000th rocker party, and now in my second year of employment, I have helped make over 350 Weeks Rockers.

This job requires that one be willing to learn quickly, but demands a patience I found hard to achieve at first.  I am a student of music and I soon realized that, like playing an instrument, talent can only come from practice and mistakes.  My hands are beginning to do what they are told.

Before I got into woodworking, I owned an antique store in Bastrop, Texas.  I enjoy furniture: the feel, the smell, the wood, and the design.  Now my wife, Candace, and I have opened another antique shop in Wimberley, and my job here is giving me more appreciation for the things we sell than ever before.  The things I build here make people happy.  The things I build here will outlive me by generations.  Few can say that, and that makes me happy.  I hope to turn a one-year commitment into a considerable tenure.