Custom carpenter nails his niche

By Farnoosh Torabi, Special to amNewYork | AMPersonalFinance@yahoo.com

June 4, 2007

Alon Moshe and Rohan Heron installing a set of shelves in Marianna's apartment. (amNewYork Photo/ Lane Johnson / June 3, 2007)

In 2005 Alan Moshe left the technology industry for a career that offered more hands-on satisfaction -- literally.

The 31-year-old founded AlanCraft, a small-scale carpentry business with a workshop on Long Island and projects in New York City. Moshe, who arrived 10 years ago from Isreal, said he's been busy beyond his expectations. "I did not think I would do this full time," he said.

But in two short years, Moshe has contracted more than 200 projects primarily in Manhattan, from basic to complex, building bookcases to designing restaurants like the upscale Mediterranean eatery Ma Befana on Houston Street.

A majority of his clients, Moshe said, are homeowners looking to tailor-fit the small space in their apartments with custom-made storage pieces. Interestingly, the most common project this season is making covers to hide radiators, said Moshe, which he charges anywhere from $400 to $5,000.

"Some are elaborate and made out of fancy types of wood. Some people like leather."

Compared to his previous job at a tech start-up, Moshe's annual revenues, he estimates, are up a healthy 50 percent. I've been working nonstop," he said "At any given time I work on six to eight projects."

What is also fueling the demand is the frustration of living in limited quarters in New York. "Especially in Manhattan, people have very small apartments and weird spaces you definitely have to have something custom made to fit [their] needs."

He says what mostly helps book projects are word-of-mouth marketing, relationships with architects and designers, as well as growing traffic at his Web site alancraft.com.

Moshe also credits his fast adoption to the current supply/demand economics that finds carpenters, like him, in short supply. He says despite the seemingly high request for carpentry services here, carpenters are sometimes reluctant to work in New York, particularly Manhattan, due to the grief of parking, permits and insurance.

In the future he hopes to shift his focus away from radiator covers and onto bigger, more elaborate projects with commercial clients like Ma Befana.

"It's more creative," said Moshe. Not to mention, "it's also bigger pay day."

Contact Farnoosh at amSmallBusiness@gmail.com.

A growing marketplace
Carpentry is part of a $275 billion U.S. remodeling market, according to National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

-There are more than 500,000 carpenters belonging to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

-In New York, the General Building Contractors recorded about 65,500 carpenters in 2002. The organization projects that number will jump by 10,000 by 2012.