Not only does fifth-generation Floridian Andrew Patterson have home-state pride running through his veins, but he also has carpentry in his blood. “Every man in my family was something and a carpenter, whether it was a farmer and a carpenter or a factory worker and a carpenter,” he explains. On his part, Patterson became a lawyer and took up carpentry as a hobby.

This hobby became known to his co-workers when his office desk began to fall apart. After asking for approval to build a new one, he got the green light for his venture under one condition: that he build a desk for his manager as well. “From there, everyone else in the office began to want one, which propelled me to take a jump and think I could do this full time,” explains Patterson. “I never even got around to building my own since I quit.”

His custom furniture business steadily grew. However, there was one thing he still didn’t have: a name for his endeavor. As a tribute to his father, Patterson revived the name of the Pensacola-based furniture company his dad ran for two decades until his retirement in 1988. At Pensacraft, Patterson builds bespoke dining room tables, cabinets, chairs, loungers and more using woods like walnut, maple, birch and the African Kosso variety. “The more unique they are, the better, because I really love a challenge,” he says of his designs. pensacraft.com