Editor’s note: Gene Wengert received the following question about whiskey barrels from a client. His answer actually has several ideas that will apply to various furniture operations. So, read on. Q.

Merrimack + Stranahan’s Blue Peak Canoe is custom-built from barrel staves, metal hoops, and lids into a 14 foot, six inch, Tennessean Tandem/Solo canoe, one of the company’s signature designs.

A couple who started making furniture out of bourbon barrels as a hobby during the pandemic is opening their first retail store. The store, called The Stave and Barrel, will be located in Holland Town ...