Singer makes furniture out of tornado-damaged buildings
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WSMV) — While last year’s tornado outbreak left damage and disrepair, some Nashvillians want a piece of furniture in their home to honor the event.
One Ashland City man is turning tornado trash into a timeless treasure.
Drive down Jefferson Street in Germantown and you’ll see in the historic neighborhood that some buildings may be gone, but they aren’t forgotten.
In fact, some pieces of historic buildings sit at J. Hartley’s house, which he now makes into furniture.
“It’s all made from buildings that got hit by the tornado,” said Hartley.
In his backyard sites piles of imperfect pieces of wood. Some belonged to a building when sat at Seventh Avenue and Jefferson Street in Germantown.
“I loaded my whole Jeep up and it was funny, the whole Jeep was like this driving down the road,” Hartley said, describing the wood load in his car. “I enjoy it, it was a good way to stay creative during the quarantine, not being able to play.”
Hartley is a singer and songwriter. He tours across the country and performs at bars on Broadway.
Since the pandemic took its toll, he’s used his furniture business as income. From entryway tables, shelves, even a prayer bench, he’s crafted many items out of the wood.
In total, he’s had 200 orders from people on Facebook Marketplace who want a piece of Nashville history in their home.
“I like to look at it as a way to remember how we did rebuild and how Nashville came together,” said Hartley.
Hartley said it’s about a six-week turnaround for orders. To order a table you can message him on Instagram or email him.
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