A lot of pros start making money before they are even old enough to drive, and spend their early years traveling the world with their friends without a set schedule and with minimal responsibilities. When the curtains close, pros often lack the “real-world” experience to pivot back into “normal” society.
Rob Pluhowski was one of the few ex-pros out there that got ahead of the curve and was able to flesh out a plan for “retirement” early on. He discovered his love for woodworking and started making furniture with the help of a friend right as he was deciding to back out of the industry. Through his dedication to craftsmanship and meticulous attention to detail, he has attracted a strong clientele of designers who custom order his stunning (and expensive) work for the elite. We’re talking four to five-figure pieces of furniture here, not your regular old IKEA dressers or dining tables.
Rob can be pretty blunt, and maybe even a bit harsh at times, but seeing the level of success he’s reached and hearing some life advice from him should be an inspiration to all of us. We took the drive over to Jersey City to check out his studio, see how he works, and hear a little more about why he decided to honorably bow out from skating in pursuit of another passion.
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May 23, 2022 5:47 pm
Former Almost pro Willow is pursuing a similar path: https://www.willows.world/
Perhaps interview him too?
May 25, 2022 9:47 am
Willow, now that’s a name I haven’t heard in years
May 25, 2022 10:26 pm
Rob! Congrats man! What a shop, what a great work you doing there, what a progress from being “that pro you’ve described”… So glad / proud to see that. Specially being almost in same path as yours. First of all I’m Brazilian, pardon my english. I’ve moved from São Paulo / Brazil to NY in 2015. I started to work in a wood shop just like yours, I was making furniture and cabinets, most the time doing furniture for Designers and Architects always different stuff, lot of times replicas from Europe as you described showing that coffee table… anyway… I’ve worked in the shop for almost 5y, tha. I made a transition to the office making the drawings and blue prints because of my background as a Graphic Designer… then I moved to Florida where I do the product development and drawings I also manage the guys in the shop to build those products accordingly… anyway, I was so happy to watch this interview, and amazed with the work you do… I have some of my stuff posted on this profile http://www.instagram.com/edprocess my personal for skateboard which I’m still riding (never turn in a professional because I always worked full time since I was 14y old)… anyway http://www.instagram/dubeluco_ you can see some of my silly tricks… and (sorry about that) http://www.dubeluco.com I have some of what I do showed on this link (which isn’t updated about 2/3 years)…. Cool, just felt like connected with you history and in needed to share mine… my regards
May 26, 2022 3:17 am
So fucking stoked on this! Rob ripped so hard and then he was just gone. Happy to see him making shit happen and appreciate his “harsh” perspective on things.