Southern Indiana Business September-October 2020 | Page 34

“Every slab is 100-percent unique.”
To meet the consumer demand
for M&M Tabletops, the company
has taken to social media but relies
mostly on craftsmanship and word of
mouth. “Once it gets out there, it just
starts to evolve,” Teives said.
Although M&M Tabletops is relatively
new, it’s seen steady growth. “I
see this as continually evolving and
growing as customers get to know
more about it and see more of it out
there,” Teives said of the live-edge
wood pieces. Conversely, the veneer
industry has been shrinking, he said,
partly because of the number of companies
that didn’t survive the ‘08 crisis
and partly because of the growing
use of reconstituted and plastic materials
that are all the exact same color
and grain, like wallpaper.
But the customer base isn’t going
away any time soon. Gilland said
he works with a lot of instrument
makers, particularly drummers, who
always want something “fascinating
or unusual.” “Often the call is, ‘What
do you have that would be spectacular?’”
Gilland said.
He’s also had customers who order
slightly thicker veneer so that they
can beat it with greasy chains, burn
it, scrap into it, wire brush it, or otherwise
distress it. “From (Mitchell’s)
point to our point to where the customer
gets it, you think wow, that’s
just something phenomenal.’
Top / Teives measures a very large walnut slab at the
company’s warehouse in New Albany.
Photo by Bill Hanson
Bottom / Spencer Mitchell poses by a downed tree circa
2003. Spencer, Shawn Mitchell’s son, now works at the
family business.
34 September / October 2020