Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

Miters Touch Woodworking—Custom Designing and Building High-End Hardwood Furniture and Cabinetry for 25 Years

Story by Sam Calhoun

For 25 years, Denise Grohs, president and owner of Miters Touch Woodworking, has designed and built heirloom-quality hardwood furniture and custom cabinetry.

On the quarter-century anniversary of her business, Grohs is expanding the scope of her furniture and cabinet products to include green options. The new line of products incorporates reclaimed woods purchased locally, woods harvested using low-impact methods, formaldehyde-free plywood and bamboo, hardware made from recycled materials and countertop options such as concrete, recycled glass or paper composites.

In addition to green options for lumber, cabinetry and countertops, Miters Touch is also offering the option of water-based finishes that have ultra-low VOC, volatile organic compounds, and zero HAP, hazardous air pollutants.

“We realize the importance of environmental and health issues,” said Grohs. “That is why we want to offer alternatives to our customers who are just as concerned as we are.”

“Green options are important to us and important to the local community,” said Laura Miller, Miters Touch office and showroom manager. “We do realize that people are really starting to pay attention to that.”

Understanding what customers want is a tradition at Miters Touch Woodworking. Customers often come to the shop—a 160-year-old log cabin off Highway 105 in Boone with a 3,000 square foot woodworking shop nestled behind it—looking for a piece of furniture that needs to fit a specific space and sometimes needs to serve a specific purpose as well. Such a piece of furniture generally can’t be found in the general furniture market and that’s where Grohs’s expertise comes in.

Grohs—who honed her woodworking and design skills through an apprenticeship in New York and gained more knowledge with a master’s degree from ASU in industrial education and technology—works with each customer one on one, custom designing the piece. Having owned the business for 25 years, Grohs also has cataloged 25 year’s worth of photographs of completed work that customers can peruse.

After taking about two weeks to finalize the design, Grohs and her staff meticulously build the piece to the highest standards. Prices of pieces vary, but they fall into the high-end furniture price range.

Four employees comprise Miters Touch Woodworking: Grohs, senior woodworker Wyeth Morgan, woodworker Noah Swaty and Miller.

The Miters Touch team has completed work for people all over the country.

For furniture, “We will build a piece for anyone and ship it anywhere,” said Miller. For cabinetry, “We will do work for people in a six- to eight-hour drive,” said Miller.

There’s a reason Miters Touch won’t ship cabinetry. Grohs insists that her employees install it.

“We’re very particular about how we build our cabinets and install them,” said Miller. “We like to stay involved in the process all the way through.”

All Miters Touch products are guaranteed for life and Grohs makes it a point to stay in touch with her clients.

“We want our clients to be completely 100 percent satisfied,” said Miller. “We go out of our way to do that.”

In addition to custom-designed furniture and cabinets, Miters Touch is also a licensed dealer for Plain and Fancy Cabinetry and has many samples of the Pennsylvania-based company’s work in the showroom. Also in the showroom, Miters Touch carries local consignments, such as pottery by Eric Reichard, quilts by Linda Smith and woodturnings from Todd Davidson.

Grohs and Miller will be showing off their product offerings—including their new green options—at the 13th annual High Country Home and Remodeling Exposition this Friday and Saturday at the ASU Convocation Center. Miters Touch Woodworking will be set up in booth 55. The show is free and open to the public from 1:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Miters Touch Woodworking is located at 6858 Highway 105 South in Boone. The custom design center, showroom and woodworking shop is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturday, other times by appointment. For more information, call 828-963-4445 or click to www.miterstouchinc.com.