Jacob Wener From Modern Industry Prepares for Haymaker's Debut

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Grid View

Expand

The anticipation and frustration of wanting to know what will become of the The Haymaker Shopis no longer! The 1,500 square-foot space, which was previously Sargon Real Estate and then a clothing consignment store, will be opening its doors to the public June 1, 2011 in Andersonville. Every now and then we’ll stroll by the store and catch a glimpse of its developments; usually we find plastic covering the windows of a barren space. Last Saturday, just so happened to be our lucky day when we spotted Arrin Williams, owner of The Haymaker Shop, outside of the store moving furniture into the space with the help of furniture designer, Jacob Wener.
Wener, owner and designer/fabricator of Modern Industry, a Chicago based furniture manufacturer brings beauty, honesty, and perfection to The Haymaker Shop through his contemporary home furnishings. Some of Wener’s most prominent pieces are the Alonso and the Hamilton. The Alonso is an elegant console table that features a hand scraped silver maple top that was reclaimed from Washington Park, Chicago after a windstorm swept through the area in 2006. The Hamilton is an identifiable piece which is made from hand scraped silver maple and Steel, also reclaimed wood from Washington Park, Chicago. The depth and subtle variations of both pieces exemplifies one of a kind craftsmanship and is impossible to achieve using modern machinery. Modern Industry only uses solid hardwoods that have been sustainably resourced. The wood is processed by hand and finishes are applied by hand, using traditional techniques.

Wener, a Minnesota native developed his expertise in wood/metal work at a very young age. He has spent most of his spare-time during his formal training years, at the University of Kansas, constructing furniture for his dorm room, rather than for school projects. After moving to Chicago, Wener decided to network with individuals within the furniture industry and polish his craftsmanship.

Only a little over a year ago, Wener founded Modern Industry and has acquired utmost respect from fellow colleagues and clients. It’s not often you come across an emerging furniture designer with a passion for converting demolished home debris into beautiful coffee tables or metal stools. Modern Industry is an expressive name for Wener’s overall aesthetic, it is contemporary furniture with honest finishing’s that emphasize the wood’s true texture. Rather than trying to hide or work around the imperfections of wood Wener makes the cracks and dents appear purposeful and interesting through complex finishing’s and a sharp eye to detail. Though many of us cherish sleek wood, Wener lets us recognize that wood has more depth, more luster, and more beauty in any condition it is in. -Braylen Barr
· Modern Industry [Official Site]
· The Haymaker Shop [Official Site]