Business

Couple brings their own brand of ‘upcycling’ to Greenport

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If you’re going to use one word to describe the work done at Island’s End Woodcraft, Greenport’s new custom-made home furnishing, repair and vintage furniture store, it’s best to avoid “repurposing.”

Rachel Mysliborski, who recently opened the Sterlington Commons shop with her husband, Mark, prefers the term “upcycling.”

“It’s finding a piece like the bottom of a table and adding a butcher block to it,” Ms. Mysliborski said. “It’s a term we’ve been using for a couple of years, kind of like bringing it up to its potential.”

The Mysliborskis began upcycling in Connecticut. Originally from Long Island — Mark is a Greenport native and Rachel is from Manhasset — the two met when they were just 14 years old. After they married, they moved to Connecticut, where Mr. Mysliborski ran a successful plumbing business for 20 years. After Ms. Mysliborski’s mother passed away, they decided to return to Long Island and set up their furniture shop in Greenport.

Island’s End Woodcraft is a combination of vintage finds brought back from New England, upcycled pieces and original furniture pieces built by Mr. Mysliborski. His wife runs the store and handles clients’ orders, which are brought to life in the couple’s East Marion barn.

“I bring the ideas, we work on the vision and he makes it a reality,” she said. “Mark’s in the middle of making a walnut-top dining room table, he does farm tables, anything and everything you can think of.”

A lot of their original pieces are made from local wood, old pallets and antique items.

“We try to sell everything 100 percent USA made, but that’s almost impossible,” Ms. Mysliborski said. “I’d say we’re about 80 to 90 percent; for example, the candles are all American poured, but sometimes they have accessories that come with them that aren’t American.”

Island’s End Woodcraft also supports local artisans and craftspeople by selling their handmade gifts and jewelry in the store. Mr. Mysliborski also plans to offer woodworking classes in the near future.

A wooden pallet, upcycled as a wall wine and glass holder.
A wooden pallet, upcycled as a wall wine and glass holder. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)

Another important aspect of the business is Island’s End Woodcraft’s ability to repair and restore one-of-a-kind furniture, as well as create custom orders. The shop is currently working with a Shelter Island restaurant to create original wooden serving platters made from local materials.

“Bring in a picture and we will replicate it,” Ms. Mysliborski said. “A lot of people will bring something in not realizing it’s made out of an exotic wood, which is expensive. We’ll give you options, like a less expensive wood, but you still get the look you want.”

To the Mysliborskis, the sky’s the limit when it comes to what they can build or create — and they can’t wait to work with clients on building furniture.

“We want people to understand that you don’t have to go to a department or furniture store and spend $8,000 on a dining room table that was factory-made or came from China,” Ms. Mysliborski said. “Why not pay a little less and have it exactly the way you want it?”

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Photo caption: Mark and Rachel Mysliborski, owners of Island’s End Woodcraft in Greenport. (Credit: Monique Singh-Roy)