Local brothers nail their passion for carpentry with their very own custom woodworking business

Tony and Joe Murphy, from Lisburn, launched Alderwood Studios in 2021, having spotted a gap in the market for custom uniquely designed epoxy resin tables when they were furnishing their own home.

Tony explained: “Deciding to finally take that leap of faith and launch Alderwood Studios was a long conversation between myself and my brother. It was a real combination of wanting to fulfil a childhood dream of using our hands, creating unique pieces of art, running a business together and getting back home to Northern Ireland.”

Joe continued: “We had been hobbyist, weekend woodworkers for about a year until we realised that we could really make a statement and fill a gap in the market with epoxy resin tables, which there was, and continues to be real demand for in Northern Ireland.”

The brothers launched Alderwood Studios after taking part in the Go For It programme through Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council. The Go For It programme is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business mentors through Northern Ireland’s wide network of enterprise agencies.

Joe continued: “The Go For It program helped us in various ways. First of all, it gave us confidence that there was a market for what we were doing. We were able to network with a lot of similar minded businesspeople while helping us with the creation of a business plan to give us direction on the aspect of business that we weren't so familiar with.”

Tony added: “We had lots of creative ideas but hadn’t thought about the numbers just enough, and for us that was one of the most important elements of the business plan.”Lisburn Mayor Councillor Scott Carson said: “The woodwork both Tony and Joe are creating is truly unique and it’s great to see two brothers turn their hobby for furniture and making it into a successful business and I wish them all the very best for the future!”