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Maker Monday: An ASPIRE Exclusive Interview With Alex Geriner

By Andrew Joseph

Each piece of furniture that comes from Doorman is carefully conceptualized and handcrafted by founder, owner, and creative director, Alex Geriner and his talented team of woodworkers. Located in New Orleans, the team at Doorman use salvage from Hurricane Katrina and other materials found throughout the Gulf South, making each piece extremely special and sustainable. Starting by making his own headboard, Alex has now created furniture for homes that can be found all over the world including China, Australia, and New York City. Introducing this week’s Maker Monday, Alex Geriner.

Andrew Joseph: What’s the best thing that happened to you this month?
Alex Geriner: Well….a lot of bad stuff happened to me and millions of others this month, so I’ll focus on the positive. My team and I are still working and building at the Doorman shop. No one’s been laid off and we’re incredibly lucky to have amazing designers and customers who are still willing to purchase our work given such uncertainty.

Andrew: First job you ever had?
Alex: Growing up I spent my summers in Pensacola, FL and I started my own boat washing business at age 13! Get this, wait for it…Reel Man Boat Washing. I’d wash charter boats after they came in from fishing and passed out flyers to advertise. My phone number was 723-REEL. There were lots of other kids vying to wash boats, and my dad would drive me to the marina hours before the boats would arrive back to the docks so I was the first one there when they pulled up. On a good day, I’d wash 5-6 boats and work until 2am getting everyone prepped for the next day’s trip.

Andrew: If you weren’t a designer/maker, you’d be a….?
Alex: A meteorologist! I love weather, the science behind it, and how weather shapes cultures around the globe. It’s all so fascinating. I’d love to be on TV explaining it to the masses. Make Weather Fun Again!

Andrew: What are you most proud of.
Alex: I’m a pretty modest person, but I’ll brag for a second. I’m proud of myself for trusting my crazy ideas. I started building furniture out of old doors that I salvaged from Hurricane Katrina flooded homes in New Orleans. Everyone thought I was silly and that I’d eventually move on to something else. Ten years later, my amazing team and I have built an online furniture company that spans the globe, with work on every continent, and furniture in 49 US states. I’m glad I stayed the course.

Andrew: What’s your favorite cocktail?
Alex: I call it a Britney Spears martini. Let me explain. It’s a dirty gin martini, on the rocks. Sometimes it’s hard to convey to bartenders how “dirty” you want it. So I use layers of Britney Spears to convey. Circa 2006, Toxic just came out, and we can all tell that something’s up with our Louisiana darling. It’s before she shaved her head, and attacked that poor car with an umbrella, but she’s been spotted barefoot in truck stops, slurping down bright blue slushies.