The business’ motto is “Always Home.”
Bear Wood Co. tells stories of West Virginia by reclaiming wood and turning it into art.
The business specializes in making furniture, including dining tables, benches, desks, coffee and end tables, wall decor and mirrors, mantels and rustic state signs. It also offers custom orders and engraving.
The shop sells bourbon barrels and small gifts like ornaments, shirts, hats, mugs, stickers, too.
Bear Wood Co. has recycled and restored wood from barns, homes, gymnasiums, decks, bleachers, siding, trim and even bowling alleys. The shop aims to preserve the past and tell local stories through the reclaimed wood.
The business’ motto is “Always Home.”
looks after the store location
in Morgantown and runs
its daily operations.
“We’re woodworkers but at the same time, we’re storytellers,” owner Matt Snyder said.
Bear Wood Co. also takes time to write on the back of each piece so people know about the wood’s history.
The business opened in Morgantown Nov. 26.
“Morgantown is so vibrant and the energy is just so good. You can really get a sense that the people like to support local businesses,” Snyder said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better start here.”
Last year was a big year for Bear Wood as it received an in-state NCAA license.
“We have a great relationship with West Virginia University, and we work with the university on officially licensed wood products,” said Snyder. “To be able to work with the state’s namesake university is a big deal for us.”
Workers look for native West Virginians to keep a piece of the state with them if they move, through a Bear Wood project.
“Our focus is making something that people from West Virginia can take and remind them of home,” Noah Miller, store manager, said.
Miller has been working with Bear Wood for about eight months. He lived in Hurricane and worked at the woodshop and gallery there before recently moving to Morgantown.
“I love working with them, it’s super relaxed and comfortable to work here,” said Miller.
Snyder is from Hurricane and has been doing woodwork for 27 years. He started out doing it professionally but left it for a different career and continued doing woodwork on the side.
Snyder has always had a love of furniture making, and when he started making more products that resonated with more people that’s where Bear Wood Co. was born.
The business started out as an online store in 2014, but in 2015 Snyder decided to open a storefront in Hurricane and later opened another store in Charleston. His dream was to someday open a store in Morgantown.
“Our business is definitely based on love of home. Every piece we make has a local story to it,” said Snyder. “I don’t know of any other state where the people take as much pride in where they’re from.”
Bear Wood Co.’s Morgantown Gallery, 333 High St, is open from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon-5 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information about Bear Wood Co., check out its website bearwoodcompany.com and on Facebook and Instagram @bearwoodcompany.
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