The story of Micheal Foster’s dive into his life-long passion began in the McGuckin Hardware store.
In 1997 Foster, known to friends as Shaggy, taught himself to construct various drums from scratch using recycled materials. He owned a shop called Pearl where he sold his drums and various hippy clothing articles. His partner bought him a gift card to expand his tools and deepen his carving skills through better materials.
Standing in an aisle at McGuckin’s, Foster overheard fellow customers deep in conversation with a clerk on the best tools and their uses, displaying an obviously extensive knowledge of the products. When the clerk stepped away Foster asked for advice from the stranger for advice on which tools to invest in for his drum carvings. The stranger was in fact Peter Cree of Cree Studios (a furniture and art restoration company). The conversation flowed easily between the two and Cree invited Foster in for a job interview. Foster, who was working as a sales manager at In the Spotlight in addition to his Pearl business, didn’t need the job but decided to try the position out anyway. After roughly an hour of carving, Foster was hired on the spot.
Foster’s mother cried when he told her he was giving up his $4,000 a week salary as a sales manager at In the Spotlight to pursue something as obscure as art and furniture restoration, although she ultimately supported Foster’s following his passions. It was the right move because 27 years later Foster has expanded his work beyond just carving and painting restoration. His business has grown to include instrument, radio, and clock restoration as well as an unrelated and newly minted hot sauce business.
The first business, Hands of Time, is the product of Foster’s passion for craftsmanship that he discovered while creating drums and a love of the restoration skill gained working for Cree Studios and other companies over the years. Foster has led a winding path to owning his small restoration business in Rollinsville. He spent decades learning the craft at Cree Studios as well Furniture Medic which allows him opportunities to work on not only restoring art and furniture but important structures in Denver like the Brown Palace and Tattered Cover’s furniture and upholstery.
Foster described his work as the process of turning back time (hence the name of his company) to make dilapidated into something beautifully functional.
“It’s powerful. It makes me feel I did something,” Foster said. Not only is the work a price of time travel, it’s also a way to save furniture and art from going into the landfill to be lost forever to ‘waste culture’. While many are quick to point out restoration often uses harmful chemicals Foster has a quick rebuttal.
“You can use some chemicals and use a lot of hard labor and salvage something that’s gorgeous. That doesn’t exist. You’re saving someone’s work. You’re saving a piece of history, and you’re keeping the world from being disseminated,” Foster said.
His work is also about saving what otherwise would be lost as beautiful. “I like things that are really f***ed up but have mad potential.” Foster said.
Foster’s passion for his craft is unmistakable, his conversation weaving easily back to furniture restoration without much prompting. The Covid pandemic also helped further establish his business of eight years, allowing him to explore new passions within his craft as months at home forced people to finally face the restoration projects sitting at home they’d otherwise be allowed to ignore.
It was wonderful for business, but it also meant that Foster spent more time working on furniture and another project. Mixed with the extra time we all had on our hands during the height of Covid, is what perhaps inspired Foster’s latest venture: Burning Bridges, a hot sauce company.
Initially, it was a passion project for himself and maybe a few friends but when friends came back with overwhelmingly positive reviews, Foster began considering selling the hot sauce at the local farmers market. Once that idea was planted, the potential for the product began to expand. “I dive head first into most things,” Foster said.
Foster now has a weekly stand at the farmers market that he runs with his girlfriend. He is attending night school to learn more about safely mass producing foods and are already well into the process of registering his sauce with the Food and Drug administration, and happily expanding his business into mustard and pepper jelly.
Like with his visit to McGuckin Hardware that launched a lifelong career in antique work, Foster didn’t plan for the hot sauce to become a side hustle, he just followed what felt right. “And when people like what you make, it feels good. When someone eats food they smile…” Foster breaks off here but it’s obvious what he means: that breath of joy in others, it’s his purpose.
Hands of Time is located in Nederland. You can find out more on the website at https://www.handsoftimerestoration.com/ or on their Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/Handsoftimemike. You can also reach Mike by phone at 303-589-8227 or email at michael. handsoftime@gmail.com.
Sponsored by the Town of Nederland, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
