Woodworker: Robert EricksonSam Maloof developed a chairmaking style based on hand shaping, an approach that the big furniture companies couldn’t follow, and that created a niche for me and for many other chairmakers. When people had seen Maloof’s work, a handmade rocker made sense to them. They saw that a rocker could be a very personal piece—both for the maker and the customer—and they saw it as a chair they would spend a lot of time in. Those two things made them willing to spend more for it. And with Maloof’s prices establishing the high end of the range, there was room for other makers to charge enough to make a profit but still give their customers the feeling they were getting a good deal. He showed me it was possible to be a chairmaker in a world of furniture makers. Photo: Robert Erickson From Fine Woodworking #207