by Brent Watters
Combine a love for fishing with some creativity, ingenuity and some good handyman skills and what do you get? Beautiful handmade custom made furniture that would be the pride and joy of any angler or outdoor enthusiast. The furnishings created by Donald Erickson of dderickson.com furniture. EZ Angler had a chance to catch up with Donald to learn to learn more about this unique furniture design.
How did you come up with the idea for this cool idea living furniture?
Well, it came from a boring weekend afternoon home alone. With my wife out of town and kids busy with work, I found myself with 
nothing to do just sitting in my basement one day. I noticed a large wooden boat (similar to the ones my tables are made of) leaned up against the wall, which I had received the previous Christmas, and got an idea. One of the rooms in my house was built like a cabin (wall to wall windows and cedar woodwork) which I have been decorating with my antique fishing collection that I’ve been growing over the years. Between my love of fishing and the lack of outdoors related furniture I thought that these items could make a very cool table. Over the next few weeks, I’d go down to the basement after work and on slow weekends and try to build myself a little bit of the lake front in my living room.
How did the first table come out?
The first table, a larger coffee table, looks similar to the smaller ones, but with the addition of some of my antiques I have collected over the years built into the design. After that turned out better than hoped, I realized I had other smaller boats and no small end tables on my porch, so I went to work making smaller, more detailed boats from what I learned before.
So when did you realize that you had created a business opportunity for yourself?
After I finished with those first pieces, I sent some pictures to friends and family, who seemed impressed and interested. I then began making tables for them as well. They helped grow my idea, with ideas of their own, like putting fish in scenes below the tables, and adding docks to the smaller tables. The docks not only added to the scenery (which I could now put more on the docks like benches and the such), but also made them more conventional, as they could be used as more table space. After a while and noting what else I had and could not use in my tables, I came up with other furniture perfect for my living room, such as lamps using old ice augers and minnow buckets, and fishing pole racks. From there an idea turned into a business.
The pieces have evolved since then?
I’ve gotten to the point where the tables can be quite customized with fitted glass that is either clear or smoked, and blue LED lights 
installed with a remote control fob. Most are made of red oak with a wide variety of fiberglass fish to position within the piece. Most pieces take three to four weeks to create.
The furniture is perfect for the fisherman, outdoorsman, and anyone with a general love of the outdoors. Many ideas come from many fishing trips I have had to Lake Pepin, Lake Mille Lacs and many lakes in Perham, MN.
PRICING:
End tables – $250.00 – $350.00 Depending on size and content.
Coffee Tables – $550.00 – $900.00 Depending on size and content.
Desk pen set – $65.00
*Pricing does not include shipping charge.
For more information contact visit: http://dderickson.com or email ddericksonllc@gmail.com or call
