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The homeowner who watched me work for an hour before saying a word
Last spring I was doing a full kitchen reno out in Silver Spring, Maryland. Custom maple shaker cabinets, soft close everything. Around day three I'm cutting dovetails for the drawers when this older guy, the homeowner, just stands in the doorway. Doesn't say anything. Watches me for a solid hour. I figured he was checking my pace or maybe waiting for me to screw up. Finally he walks over, points at the dovetails and says "my grandfather used to cut those by hand in his shop in Pittsburgh." That was it. He walked away. Later that week he left a six pack of local amber ale on my workbench with a note that just said "for the dovetails." Never had a client do that before or since. Has anyone else had a client who just watched silently like that? What did they finally say?
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val9746d ago
Bet on that silence being respect, not judgment. Real craftsmen know the work itself talks, so that hour was him paying attention to the details, not doubting your skill. The beer and note prove he saw the quality and wanted to say thanks in his own way.
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