ATHOL — Getting around the house isn’t as easy as it used to be for Norman J. “JB” Bouchard. Arthritis in the knuckles, sore knees and an old foot injury regularly nag the 78-year-old. That’s where his trusty canes and walking sticks come in.
“This is the first one I made, right here,” he says of a dark-colored cane he made in his basement with ironwood he got from his son’s property in Buckland. “And I’ve been making more since then.
“It’s sturdy, very sturdy. Ironwood is tough,” he adds. “If you take this thing here and hit the top of a kitchen counter, you won’t damage this at all but you might damage the counter. Ironwood is very tough stuff.”
Bouchard says that cane is a unique piece because he hasn’t been able to get any more ironwood, though he uses other types of wood to craft canes and walking sticks for sale.
There’s no billboard at 416 Exchange St. in Athol — just a red sign with white lettering, baring two words and 10 numbers: “Handcrafted Canes 978-249-2522.” But the sign serves its purpose, alerting passersby to the fact that easier mobility is only a knock away. Bouchard also sells his products to a shop in Greenfield and to Not Just Produced, owned by Beth Hunt at 290 Central St. in Winchendon.
Hunt said she started carrying the canes and walking sticks shortly before Christmas and she buys them outright to sell in her store.
“I think it’s going to do well,” she said. “A lot of people don’t like the manufactured canes. They have more confidence in old, sturdy canes.”
Hunt said the products might prove popular with people who utilize the walking/cycling path near her shop.
Bouchard said he made his first cane three years ago out of necessity. Decades before, he badly hurt his right foot when a boulder rolled over it, and the injury continues to act up. He realized he enjoyed making the cane — which took two to three days to craft — and thought he could start selling them. Bouchard often carves dog or horse faces into his products to make them more artistic.
Bouchard is otherwise retired, having once owned the White Cloud Restaurant on East River Street for about 12 years. Having grown up in Fitchburg, he spent years working for his family furniture-moving business. He remembers frequently moving a piano for one distinctive celebrity — legendary showman Liberace, who Bouchard said tipped him and his brothers $100 apiece each time.
On his current endeavor, Bouchard said canes have a curve to serve as a handle and come in many different lengths to support a person’s weight, while a walking stick is exactly what it sounds like — a large stick to use while walking.
He said to make a cane, he uses power tools to drill a hole into a quality piece of wood and inserts a separate piece kept firmly in place by Elmer’s glue.
“I’ll tell them, ‘Look, it’s a strong, sturdy cane, but don’t ever put all your weight on it. It’s not a crutch,’” he said.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 258.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli