TA S T E M A K E R S Davi d Fra s er of Fra s er Wood Elements
The Fine Art of Wood
BY KURT RABIN
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avid Fraser, 33-year-old owner-operator of the wood-centric retail shop that bears his name, has got his hands full. He’s busy juggling things at Fraser Wood Elements in downtown Fredericksburg, which recently celebrated its 1-year anniversary. The shop isn’t scheduled to open until 10, and here it is, barely past 9 a.m., and a customer from Alaska who wandered in is laying a bottle opener shaped like a monkey wrench he’d like to buy on the counter. That’s just for starters. Fraser fields a couple of personal phone calls; 8 | IMPECCABLE VIRGINIA
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contacts a pair of vendors in search of old beer crates; acknowledges an artisanal bowl maker named Joe; and attempts to give thoughtful responses to a writer who is there to interview him for a magazine piece. Talk about multitasking. Fraser doesn’t seem fazed by any of it. In fact, he
August/September 2015
PHOTOS: SUZANNE CARR ROSSI
(Top) David Fraser’s Caroline Street shop is a treasure trove of woodcraft, including curved staves from wine barrels that become wineglass holders, even stools. (Above) No ordinary watch, this model, from a Canadian watchmaker, features a bezel and bracelet crafted from rosewood and green sandalwood.