Maker's Market

Our showroom sells reclaimed exotic wood from San Diego, including raw material, straight line, organic cuts, sanded, and waxed. All sizes, from charcuterie to slabs. Ready for all the crafty goodness.

Get to know your local species!

​Local exotic wood!? Sounds a little far-fetched because exotic wood only comes from rain forests or far-away lands, right? San Diego is a desert after all. Yet, we have huge beautiful trees covering parks, freeways, canyons, and backyards in our wonderful city. The trees have come from around the world. They have thrived and adapted to this Mediterranean climate, some of them through shallow root systems, making the most of surface irrigation and small amounts of rain. Though these transplants been successful in adapting and surviving thus far, the recent severe drought in Southern California makes our trees vulnerable. As many of these local exotics now succumb to a changing climate, it becomes important to utilize them as a resource.

Alder. Relatively soft for a hardwood, very stable, easy to work with, orange color knotty grain, contrasting bark clings to live edge. Good for interior.

Avocado. Relatively soft for a hardwood, very stable, easy to work with, variable, streaky color and knotty grain. Oily texture great for carving and sculpting. Good for interior and culinary applications.

Black Acacia. Very hard, durable, chocolatey grain. Similar to walnut. Good for interior or exterior.

Blue Gum. Very hard, almost always highly figured. Beeswing figure is common. Easily stained to mimic exotic woods. Used for interior furniture.

Blue Gum. Very hard, almost always highly figured. Beeswing figure is common. Easily stained to mimic exotic woods. Used for interior furniture.

Coastal Live Oak. Very hard, dramatic figure, streaking color and occasional spalting. Good for interior, and above ground exterior.

Cottonwood. Relatively soft for a hardwood, high chatoyance, honey color, easy to work with.

Italian Stone aka, Pinion. very hard for a soft wood, high sap content, straight grain with dramatic knots. Good for interior, and above ground exterior.

Liquid Ambar (Sweet Gum). Soft for a hardwood, stable, easy to work with, reddish brown color with frequent white spalting. Good for interior.

Olive. Very hard, spectatcular grain and dramatic figure, great for culinary applications, highly aromatic. Interior and above ground applications.

Sugar Gum. Good all around interior and exterior wood. Very hard and durable, rot-resistant, sometimes figured. Easily stained to mimic exotic woods. Used for anything, landscaping to veneers.

River Red Gum. Very hard and durable, rot resistant, highly figured, Deep red color. Used for exterior and interior, great for butcher block.

White Ash. Medium hard, very stable, simple straight grain. Can be stained or ebonized. Good for interior.

Torrey. Relatively hard for a softwood, stable, easy to work with, straight grain with dramatic knots and occasional streaky blue stain. Good for interior, and above ground exterior.

Mixed bag. Small batches of other species, such as sycamore, pepper, walnut, and redwood. Come see what's fresh in our showroom!