Woodworker and furniture maker Jorge Martinez took a leap of faith last February when he signed a lease for an empty storefront along Highway 12 on the eastern edge of Santa Rosa. The artisan, who grew up in a family of makers in Mexico (his father was a carpenter, and his mother was a painter), previously sold his designs at a furniture store in Napa, but had always longed for a space of his own. “My life is working hard,” Martinez says. “This is my passion.”
Now, in between helping customers at his new Santa Rosa store, Wine Country Decor, Martinez can be found at work on the patio outside, where he cuts wood and shapes new pieces. Martinez works primarily with recycled timbers, and nearly all of his designs can be customized, allowing clients to choose the size, type of wood, hardware, and finish.
Wide tables of rustic pine or wavy-grained parota wood (common in Mexican furniture designs) can be finished in shellac or in wax for outdoor use. In addition to his own furniture pieces, Martinez also imports oversized terra- cotta pots, metal-framed mirrors, paintings, sculptures, and other decor from Mexico.
Martinez enjoys seeing the momentum for his designs build in the community. “It makes me so happy,” he says. “It’s opening my eyes. It makes me feel stable, like a rock.”
6001 Sonoma Highway, Santa Rosa, 707-8437619, winecountry-decor.com