I'm afraid to say how great Leon is because I don't want him to be too busy to do jobs for me. But he's the real thing. I've brought him a Danish midcentury light for rewiring and two tables for serious repair, and the first time I talked to him, I thought, man, this guy's going to do it right, when I come back he's going to tell me what's not satisfactory about the job he did (which will be invisible or near-invisible), and then he's going to undercharge me. And that's exactly how it went. Leon gets art, not just craft, though he takes craft very seriously. Knows better than you do what he's working with, when you bring him stuff. And he's very tactful about all of that.
His apprentice is also right on. He's really interested in furniture and if you hang out a little watching him work, you know that he won't consider himself to have mastered anything until long, long after everyone else thinks he's wonderful.
We're very lucky to have Leon here. read more