A lot of the CW tradeshops are located on sidestreets or in slightly out of the way places where if…read moreyou don't look close enough you can miss that they are even there. The Wheelwright shop is one of those places. The shop is located on Prince George Street about a half block off of the Palace Green. It's not too far off the beaten path but there is nothing else immediately around it either. The official name of the building is the Elkanah Deane Shop. The shop the same as the Elkanah Deane House next to it are not original buildings. Deane was an Irish coachmaker from New York who bought the land to build the shop from Dr. William Carter in 1772. Dr. Carter was a surgeon and along with his brother James ran an apothecary in the city. Their father John was the keeper of the Public Goal from 1731-1740. research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/view/index.cfm?doc=ResearchReports%5CRR0370.xml&highlight= The current guys at the shop are using woods like Elm, Ash and Oak for things such as wheels, carriages, carts, wagons and wheelbarrows. I asked them where they source their wood from and they said that they try as much as possible to get things from CW property. Events like Hurricane Michael provide the unintended benefit of trees falling on CW property which they are able to harvest and keep around until needed. What they can't get via CW they have a supplier from NJ that supplies whatever else they need. During my most recent visit they were working on a wheelbarrow which they said would be needed at some point next year so there was not a huge rush on the job and they were also working on a set of wheels for one of the carriages. The carriage wheels should be finished at some point early in 2019 when it could be easily pulled from service for a little while. No huge rush on them either but they know that date is coming and one was done with the second about half way there. With how CW uses their carriages a set of wheels lasts fifteen to twenty years versus the 18th century where wheels would have lasted considerably longer due to less use and not being on paved roads. If you go, the shop is open from 9-5 Sunday-Thursday (closed Friday & Saturday) and it should be a must visit stop as the guys there are awesome with explaining anything about what they do and you will learn a lot if you engage them. (The grey cat that for a long time hung out around the shop was since been adopted by a CW employee. Apparently CW now frowns upon the shops having mascots or shop animals.)

Like most of the trades they are of the side road. If you only have one day in Colonial…read moreWilliamsburg it can be a challenge to see everything. There are no demonstrations done at any of the shops, they are all doing real work with real orders from around the country in some cases. Located on Prince George Street across the street from the Wythe home sets the shop of the Wheelwright. It does not look like much, but they move a lot of product out and ship around the country. There are three sections to the shop. Two are inteior and the other is for outside work. As in all the CW trades you have supervisors, journeyman and possibly apprentices. The Men in this shop have over 10, some over 20 years experience which is common among the CW trades. On the day I was there the gentlemen was working on an axle for a wagon that would be shipped to Michigan. Everything is made in shop except for the iron work which is sent to another shop in CW. In the day a Blacksmith would have done both and kept everything in house. An interesting fact is that the wagons made in the shop are completely traditional to the 18th Century, no detail is spared and the same tools are used as well. However, the carriages and wagons that you will see around town are production models...why you might ask. It has to do with the stress on the animal and getting more use out of them. New methods make it much easier for the horses to pull than the old methods. Prolonging the life of the animals is more important to CW than using an 18th century method. Like most of the trades in CW they are closed on Sunday and this shop is also closed Monday too! So plan accordingly if this is a shop on your must see list. The skill that these Men have to do what they do is noteworthy. There are so few shops left in the world that do what the folks here at CW do every week. I think you will find it very educational and they welcome questions as they work. They are closed on Monday.

I cannot say enough good things about this business, it's owner and his employees. They came to my…read morehome handled everything on my list with precision and professionalism and charged the prices they agreed to which were in my estimation fair. They cleaned up after themselves attending to every detail and were so kind to my animals. Even if you have to wait a while for an appointment with this crew I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

The crew working under Josh are all good folks. They came in, did a handful of jobs for me, cleaned…read moreup, and left in just a few hours. What they couldn't do in the day of the appointment (due to weather), they came back in a couple days and knocked out. They are so polite and kind that it's ridiculous. I will be calling them first for any issues I have from this point forward.

I have used Jason for two small size jobs. He was the only one to come by and quote us for the…read morefirst job, which was to repair walls and paint after pulling wall mirrors off in 3 bathrooms. He gave a quote, came promptly and did a great job. A year later he did exterior painting on my wrought iron bannister and front porch. Jason is meticulous and leaves areas clean. He is now my go to guy for painting.

From the owner: Serving the Williamsburg, VA area, with nearly 20 years of experience, I specialize in residential…read morepainting. While other companies may beat my prices, they will not beat the quality. All estimates are free and I will never ask for money upfront.

I implore anyone that is considering this "business" to seriously reconsider. Every day I look…read morearound our home and still see the remnants of the damage done and it makes me enraged. Luckily YELP paid me for their destructive and deceptive ways. But it covered only 1/3 of having our floors professionally redone. Bottom line: this business is just a pickup game and employees may or may not have any skills at all. I keep looking at the photos of the other projects and I just wish people wouldn't fall into the trap. Not sure why this is still "yelp backed." Message me if you need details.

Let me tell you...this is the company you want. I was in need of a last minute paint job, of my…read moreentire house. This company managed to go out of their way, get me a quote and within the week do the job; and do it well. They worked tirelessly and, in one single day, managed to accomplish the entire job. The rates were fair, they were open and honest about what was possible. More than once I found myself thinking, "this is too good to be real." And man if they didn't prove me wrong. Put your trust in this company, they've got a lot of heart and an incredible devotion to their craft. Five stars isn't enough. I'm so grateful.

Great product. I use my cutting board everyday! Smooth finish and great quality. Definitely will be…read morebuying more!

From the owner: Custom high furniture . I focus on quality over quantity. So each piece is crafted with dedicated…read moreapproach to the customers design.