Island Park husband and wife duo create lasting pieces

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In a small workshop off of Austin Blvd in Island Park Isabel and David Doerbecker give trees a second life in their husband-and-wife woodworking shop called 1ofAKindLiveEdge. Upcycling local trees, the couple brings them back to life by transforming them into memorable pieces of furniture such as tables, kitchen islands, charcuterie boards and more. In the new year they’re continuing their tradition of giveaways with a blue resin river maple coffee table.

Seven years ago, Isabel and David bought a house for their family that had cedar siding. But when they turned to designing the inside, everything on the market seemed too simple, too plain. So, using David’s carpentry background and Isabel’s design prowess they created a 10-by-4-foot maple kitchen island to complement the space. Soon complements were trickling in.

“We had people who saw it and they wanted it, so we started an Etsy shop, and it just took off,” Isabel said. They created 1ofAKindLiveEdge on Etsy. Now they’re in 46 states and have been featured in various celebrities’ homes and magazines. Some names include Food Network chef Jet Tila, jewelry Stephanie Gottlieb and Mets owners Steven and Alex Cohen. To name a few.

Moreover, the partnerships have brought countless pieces through giveaways into the homes of others. Isabel, a philanthropist by nature, does three to four giveaways a year and works with different charities. After every product they sell, they donate to One Tree Planted, a foundation that helps areas that have been affected by forest fires that’re replanting. They also work with the Mets Foundation Charity.

“It’s good to give back, her natural instincts are to give back,” said David of Isabel. Using locally sourced materials, David is also all about reusing and giving back. He “knows all the local tree guys,” he said and has taken trees out of landfills to put into their greenhouse in Oceanside, where they go to dry. David follows the trees through the process “every step of the way.”

Working together as husband and wife has been a dream for the duo. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, we’ve grown as a family and as a business, we’ve grown together,” David said, “We hold each other accountable to have a really high-quality product.”

Their goal is for people to use the unique pieces to create new memories. “People raise their families around the dinner table, you have your fights, your get along, you do your homework, holidays. When you think of memories typically, they’re happening around a table, it’s the same thing,” David said, “When you’re raising your family or when you’re in your home a lot happens around a table. Whatever it may be.”

One customer who enjoys their pieces with their family is Tila, who spoke to the Herald from their 1ofAKindLiveEdge table in California. Starting as a cold email from Isabel, a relationship formed years ago during the beginning stages of the company. Soon Tila was in New York shooting the Today Show, when he decided to drive out to the Island Park facility to check out the family-owned business, starting their personal and professional relationship.

“This has become a personal friendship over the years, they’re real people and we’ve done a lot of giveaways. It’s the way life should be, non-dramatic, meeting good people, and providing a good service,” he said. Saying he owns five or six pieces.

“It’s interesting how I think they were ahead of their time in terms of what people are kind of looking for,” said Tila, “I’m not like a hippie, granola sustainable guy but knowing a tree didn’t get chopped down. It makes me sleep a little better at night. You know, utilizing pieces they’re already existing, and making art is just beautiful. So, it’s functional art. To me, that’s how I feel about their pieces. And there’s a real true sense of like legacy and history here.”