Wooden Wonders

Bob Tate always expected that his college industrial arts degrees, along with his specialty in woodworking, would serve him well while teaching at Eastern Carolina University and in his construction career. What he never expected was to be using those same skills to craft wooden bangles for the Charlotte trendsetter set during his so-called "retirement."

Tate created the bangles last year for his son Jim, a stylist and the co-owner of Escape Salon, to pass along to his clients for holiday gifts. One of those clients happened to be the mother of Ruth Caldwell, head buyer for Capitol and poole shop. After spotting her mother's bracelet, Caldwell immediately contacted Tate to ask about selling the bangles at poole shop. Tate agreed and now carves the bracelets, which retail for $35, completely freehand for the store. Each bangle takes about an hour to make, and he uses a variety of woods including walnut, cherry, mahogany, red cedar, and maple, crafting the thicker woods like maple and cherry to show their natural grain.

poole shop, 6815-C Phillips Place Ct., 704-553-8868