After a visit to Dover, Lorain County native James Corley, owner of Mended, moved his family to the area in 2003. He worked as a trim carpenter and then owned and managed a professional archery media company, which he sold in 2015.

It wasn’t long after that Corley became bored and built a shelf for his wife using a five dollar wood pallet. She shared it on Facebook, and “it took off from there.”

People from all over the country hire Corley to build custom home furniture pieces. “My clients are in Texas, Salt Lake City, the Carolinas. Cleveland is huge for me,” Corley said. “Very few locals know about us. That’s something we’d like to change.”

All of Corley’s projects are customized, so prices vary based upon style, type of wood, size, and the style of the base. A recent project completed for a family moving from Cleveland to Salt Lake City featured steel from the old I-90 bridge. “They wanted to take a piece of Cleveland with them,” Corley said. “I specialize in live-edge furniture, and I’d love to eventually have a store-front with the workshop in the back so people can see my process.”

So why does he live and work in Dover when most of his business is out of state? “Home is where the shop is. We’ve had opportunities to move our shop, but why would I put my money anywhere else?,” Corley said. “I’m happy to pay for the luxuries we all look past every day, like the schools and our park. I can’t tell you how many people take this place for granted. I’m happy to support Dover because Dover supports us.”

Corley is father to daughter, Jaiden, 14, a student at Dover Middle School. He and his wife, Lindsay, have two sons–Hudson, 4, and Brooks, 1. You can follow Corley’s latest projects on Mended’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

To inquire about a custom project or to learn more about Corley, visit his website: mendedhomedecor.com.

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