Creative Designs in Wood & Iron

There are plenty of craftsmen who work with wood, and just as many who specialize in forging iron. However, very few do both. The Heirloom Companies are the exception. For the past two decades they have been designing, creating, and producing masterful wood and iron works – decorative pieces, furniture, stairs, tables, you name it.
“To be honest, we kind of got into the iron works by accident,” says Ben Moseley. “Many years ago our focus was on building custom wooden stairwells. But we noticed some of our customers were asking us if we did iron railings, as well. Eventually, if enough people ask you, you figure out a way to do it.”
It was in the early 2000s when Ben’s father, Allyn, reached out to sons Ben and James about getting into the iron welding business. Up until that point they had been outsourcing all of their iron work but, as demand increased, they took a closer look at bringing it in-house. “Dad approached me back then,” James said, “and asked me: ‘if I buy you a welder can you promise to make money back on it?’”
Next thing you know James and Ben have a “new” welder on the back of a pickup truck and started taking on their first projects. “Those were interesting times,” says Ben, “I remember standing out in the rain with James as he was welding rails for staircases. Suffice it to say, we were committed to making it work no matter what.”
That was almost 10 years ago. Today James, Ben, and Allyn have added an entire new Iron Works wing to their shop in Campobello, SC. “The new iron division was a necessity for us,” says James. “We were doing so much welding with our hand-forged designs that we needed a space dedicated to iron for our artisans to work. From a logistical standpoint, having the iron wing side-by-side to the wood crafting shop gives us the integrated resources we need to create virtually any type of custom piece in wood and iron.”
Therein lies the key—the differentiator that sets The Heirloom Companies apart from all the other wood or iron craftsmen. “Lots of people specialize in wood,” says Ben. “Lots of people work with iron. But very few do both, or have the capability to bring it all in house. For us, it gives us the freedom and the ability to create custom pieces that you wouldn’t be able to have commissioned elsewhere. We are fortunate enough to be able to do it all, right here.”