Tom and
Kathi Young established T & K
Young in 1975.Since
its inception, T & K
Young has produced a large variety of quality functional
products in hardwoods. These include items for home and
office, as well as architectural woodworking projects both
for
private
and public buildings.
The sound
chambers for the electronic organ in Divine Providence Church
in Westchester, IL built
and installed
in 1986 by T & K Young required 360 linear feet
of walnut just to make the face frames for the cabinets.
This is an
example
of the many
permanent installations built and installed under
the direction of Tom Young by T & K Young in both
public buildings and private residences.
Tom
Young designed timepieces and other functional wood products
made by T & K
Young that were sold at retail craft shows in the Midwest
and East as far as Cape Cod from the summer of
1975 until
the close of the
July 1998 Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair. This marked the
end of 23 years of participation in retail shows.
In
February of 1988 Tom and Kathi Young made a move to the wholesale
marketplace by displaying T & K
Young
products at the Buyers' Market of American Crafts. The quality of the products offered was well received
by many
of the finest American Craft Galleries and gift stores across
the
United States.
Since that time, the T & K Young customer list has grown to include not only
Fine American Craft Galleries and gift stores, but clock and jewelry stores,
catalogs, and corporate accounts as well as private collectors around the world.
Most recently Tom Young made a replica hourglass using an illustration of a
16th century glass found off the coast of Canada. This replica is part of
the Whaling Exhibit at the Basque Museum & Cultural Center in Boise, Idaho.
The Whaling Exhibit opened to public on July 27, 2007.
Tom - Made his first wood project as a junior in high school in 1963 after
moving during the second semester and finding himself in a woodshop class
rather than general shop. It has just evolved from there. T & K Young was
started when Tom Young was laid off from a production machine shop job in
1975. In July of 1984, Tom Young began to devote all of his time to the
business. Also included in Tom’s life’s experience are 5 ½ years of working
in the credit reporting and consumer finance industries as well as more than
11 years of employment in the production area of a large manufacturing
company. He has shared his commitment to continuing education by presenting
small business workshops since 1992.
Kathi - Has
provided support from the start when not occupied
as a full time
nurse, returning to school and earning 2 different
degrees and today in her position as the healthcare
administrator for a continuing care retirement
home. About the only job at T & K Young that
Kathi has not done at least once has been to
operate the
saws. She says that she
has
to leave
something for Tom and Jonathan to do.
Jonathan - Started
working in the company as soon as he could walk. The only job
that Jon has not done is to
sign the checks. He is our webmaster and launched this site 4 hours
before getting on a plane to Europe in May of 2000 after graduating
from NIU. Yes, it worked flawlessly during the 4 weeks that he
was away. He helps in the shop as time permts.
