Dear Friends,
As the world begins to come out of ‘lock down’, some things will feel different and some things will never be the same again….nothing lasts forever, but some things will endure… I hope you are surviving these ‘strange’ times and are keeping safe and well.
I am delighted to announce :
Our showrooms opened again on Friday June 19th, by appointment only
‘By appointment’ gives me the opportunity to ‘stagger’ visits and is aimed at giving you the confidence and knowledge that only you and members of your household will be in the showrooms at any one time, besides myself, maintaining a safe social distance. Hand sanitiser and white cotton or latex gloves will be available. Scrumpie-pup will be on hand to welcome you and tea or coffee will be on offer as usual.
To arrange an appointment, preferably on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, please call our regular showroom number 01608 642741 or my mobile 07971 629703.
More News – time for change…
I have decided that The Real Wood Furniture Company will close its doors early next year.
I am alerting you well in advance of the date of our closing, as a courtesy and out of respect for your support and the long standing relationship, developed over the years, that I have enjoyed with many of you. It feels ‘right’ to be ‘upfront’ with my plans, so that you can avail yourselves of our unique services for just a little longer, until the end of the year. I like to think we have conducted our business in an ‘old fashioned’ kind of way, providing solid advice, inspiration and guidance, allowing you to make the best decisions in acquiring beautiful and practical furniture for your home.
I have come to the decision to close the business with a huge conflict of emotions but with complete clarity of conscience and a firm resolve! I am incredibly proud, that over the past 30 years I have been involved in the design and making of furniture and chairs that have brought joy to clients from far and wide, and that as a company we have produced some 5,000 + tables and cabinets and some 20,000 chairs, ranging in style from the traditional to the contemporary….but now it’s time for a new chapter and to do something different!
The reasons behind my decision
-
Turning 65 in July last year prompted, way more than any other anniversary, a real examination of ‘what I want to do with the rest of my life’…
- My good friend and colleague, of 30 years, Tony Smith, died completely without warning late last year. Tony was the ‘driving force’ and ‘lynch pin’ at the workshop and things have just not been the same since his untimely passing. RIP Tony.
- Many of you will know that ‘music’ has been a major part of my life and I now want to create the time and space to concentrate on that, more fully again. See more under ‘Music’ at the end of this post.
When is the end not the end?
We are still processing and completing customer orders made before the Coronavirus outbreak. which has inevitably slowed us down. If you have an outstanding order, I will be in touch with you shortly, to update you on progress.
We will still be taking orders from existing and potential customers until the end of this year, so if you have been thinking of placing an order, now is the time to act!
If I can help with anything, I look forward to hearing from you and, further to this, I will still be available after the showrooms close to consult on projects and commissions and to help with any matters relating to furniture that we have made for you.
Pre-owned furniture
We will be holding our last sale of ‘pre-owned’ pieces that we have made, in October/November this year, so if you have pieces that you have been thinking of part exchanging or selling, please contact me soon. After the closure of the showrooms, I will be making available an ‘internet forum’ for the sale and purchase of pieces exclusively made by The Real Wood Furniture Company.
Premises
Our showrooms have always been such an important part of ‘The Real Wood Experience’. We have so often received compliments on the style and ambience that we have created both in Woodstock and especially here, at Chipping Norton. Now, as I enter this ‘new chapter’ in my life, it may be, that the beautiful space created at ‘Mo Tighe’ will become available for rent or sale, either as a commercial premises with ancillary accommodation or as a residential dwelling. Should you be interested in any way, please let me know.
30 Years Celebration Party
It was my intention, before Coronavirus, to celebrate 30 wonderful years of The Real Wood Furniture Company with a ‘party weekend’ over July 4th and 5th. This has now been postponed until sometime next year. It will a pleasure to have your company at our celebration, so watch out for your invitation!
With gratitude and my very best wishes
Chris
Chris Baylis
Let the music play… (please visit www.realwood.co.uk/music/)
I am delighted to announce that I have set up a new, aptly named entity, ‘The Real Wood Recording Company’. The first releases, on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and all download and streaming services, are two critically acclaimed albums that I have previously recorded, under the name ‘The Guitar Orchestra’ (streaming as ‘Chris Baylis & The Guitar Orchestra’). Beyond this, I have set up a Youtube channel, ‘The Real Wood Recording Company’, which I will be populating soon with various video clips from recent and more distant times. I am in the latter stages of recording a new album with my good friend TP (Tony Poole, who enjoyed success with ‘ Starry Eyed & Laughing, back in the day, and currently with Americana award winners ‘Bennett Wilson Poole’). The new album is titled ‘Farewell to Venice’ and will be released, later this year, under my own name, in all formats, including vinyl.
