About 15 years ago, I was having a conversation with my daughters. They asked we could get a picnic table for our backyard. Always wanting to make them happy, I said yes. So, like a good dad, I started searching for a quality picnic table that would be suitable—what I found was that most were too small, unstable, made of cheap materials, and seemed destined to fall apart. You know the ones that end up in the backyard, used for a summer, then sit there rotting. When I told my girls I couldn't find one worth buying, they looked at me like I was nuts and insisted, "Nooo, Daddy, can’t you build us one?" They were right; I didn’t need a kit—I’ll create my own design.

I knew I didn't want a flimsy A-frame style picnic table. I wanted one that was wider and longer than normal, easy to get in and out of, and one that wouldn't tip over when you were getting in or out. One with no unnecessary cross supports so you didn't hit your legs or shins. One that you could walk in from the side and sit down, so older people and ladies in skirts didn't have to climb into it. I wanted a strong and durable table made of quality materials—not the low-grade materials used for A-frame tables. I envisioned a ten-foot table so we could fit all our family around it during family events.

At the time, I was working in West Vancouver, building a retaining wall using PT 4x4s. I knew how strong they were, so I decided to craft it from those sturdy 4x4s with tight dado cuts for stability. I would need an extra set of legs in the middle to prevent sagging. I put pencil to paper, and ten minutes later, my design was done. But would it work? Three weeks later, my daughters gave me gift cards for Father's Day, and I built my first non-tipping picnic table.

Around the same time, we had a worldwide banking crisis, although it didn’t really affect Canadian banks. However Canadians were still hanging on to their money, and I found myself with less and less work. I was sitting in the backyard with a friend of mine, telling him how tough it was to find work He said, “Why don’t you sell your picnic tables? Id buy one” Well, why not? What did I have to lose? So, I listed my first table on Craigslist. Ten minutes later, I sold my first picnic table. Then I sold 20 more. From then on, every spring, I offered my tables for extra family cash.

What I didn’t expect was that it would take over my life. Every year, my orders doubled. Every year, my table-building season got longer and longer. To the point Both of my two beautiful little girls, who started this journey with me, began building alongside me—a true family business.

What started with that simple design turned into requests for other styles. So, I came up with The Farm Table, The Summerland, The Naramata, Sea to Sky, Pedestal Table, Bars, Kids Tables, and the Harvest Table. I transitioned from building backyard tables for families to building for pubs restaurants, campgrounds, and staff tables, for city, provincial, and federal parks.

It was time to put all my energy into my picnic table business and start them full-time. With the support and understanding of my wife, I created the Monkey brand, specializing in picnic tables, deck tables, and custom designs. It was hard, there were many times I wanted to give up. After all It was a seasonal business, and I only had six months a year to make enough money to pay my bills for the year. We survived the hard times. In my off-season, I improved my designs and started building my own websites, including wwwwoodmonkeytables.ca and www.thegreatcanadianpicnictable.ca.

Then my business took another turn—a request to rent tables for a backyard wedding. Being someone who has a hard time saying no, I said yes. That first rental was so well-received that I started renting and built www.picnictablerentalsvancouver.ca. Again, every year, my rental sales doubled, growing from small backyard weddings to massive city events: the PNE, The Cup, TED Talks, Canada Day, Cloverdale Rodeo, and corporate events—everything you can imagine. Now my rentals are fully booked from May to September.

 

So what’s next? Unfortunately, some health issues and outrageous warehousing costs have made me take a step back. My warehouse rent in 2019 was $1,500, then $3,200, then $4,400, and the final straw was $6,200. So I had to pivot, concentrating on the commercial and rental side with very limited residential sales. I’m in a small shop and can’t store a lot materials. So everything is made to order. Not ideal.

I receive many requests for my products throughout Canada and the US. I have shipped my tables from Vancouver to Ontario, down into the US Washington, Oregon, California, and as far away as Maine.

Now It’s time to expand back into residential sales. I am looking at selling franchises in BC, Alberta, and Ontario. I’d like to move into the US; however, with the current political climate, that may be on hold.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to serving you in the future.