LAS VEGAS may be renowned for its extravagant casinos, hotels and entertainment, but to furniture maker Clint Clarke of Port Jarrah, it is simply a new export market.
“A man came into the gallery last Christmas Eve… he was on holidays and he loved our furniture. He ended up calling me and asking if he could fly me out to Las Vegas to measure up his condo.”
Clarke accepted and on Monday a large cabinet and two bedside tables custom-made from recycled jarrah were shipped to the happy customer. He will soon follow them there to ensure their safe installation.
This story is one that now plays out regularly for the business. Over the past year several commissions have been ordered from Houston, a container-load of furniture has made its way to Alabama, and a table sent to Sweden (take that, Ikea).
• Clint Clarke and Harley with the special delivery. Photo by Steve Grant
“We get more business from America than we do locally,” Clarke says. “People seek us out, or see our pieces in the homes of their friends and spread publicity by word-of-mouth.”
He believes customers find the appeal of his furniture in the unique tones and textures of Western Australian timbers such as jarrah and marri, as well as in the workmanship of finished products.
Having worked in the Fremantle area for more than 20 years, involving time at the Fremantle Furniture Factory before opening his own business, he hires two apprentices to keep this tradition alive.
“There aren’t many furniture makers left,” he sighs. “It’s a dying art.”
Clarke’s not buying into the CBD retail gloom and doom either. His ultimate message to artisans and craftspeople is positive: “Freo isn’t that bad… we are getting international business.” He encourages businesses to look beyond their street frontages and innovate to remain viable in an ever-changing world.
by NICK WYCHE