Success Story…Pa Pa Jim’s Outdoor Furniture

In July of 2009 Jim Collins decided that he should turn his hobby of building outdoor lawn furniture into a business. Jim has refined his woodworking skills over the years and is now a true craftsman in his profession building Adirondack chairs and other pieces of outdoor lawn furniture. Early in the morning you will find Jim in his woodworking shop planing the rough sawn cypress lumber as he prepares to build the next set of chairs.

Jim and Donna Collins discovered the OKSBDC while attending the Oklahoma Tax Commission new business workshop. After the workshop they had many questions ranging from “How do we structure and register the business?” to “How do we market the business?”. Melinda Craige of the Southeastern Small Business Development Center worked with the Collins to obtain their manufacturing permit and set up their merchant services to accept debit and credit cards.

Jim manufactures Adirondack chairs with a separate foot piece which together make a lounge chair. A small table compliments the Adirondack chairs. In addition to the traditional Adirondack chair, Jim builds another chair with a bottle shaped back. Jim uses cypress wood purchased in Northeast Texas to build his furniture. Jim chose the cypress wood for the outdoor furniture because of its water resistance, durability, and strength knowing the final product would bring many hours of comfort and pleasure to his customer.