Detroit students to sell handcrafted furniture to public on Small Business Saturday

This weekend, students in Detroit will showcase and sell handmade furniture they spent the semester creating. The event is part of Small Business Saturday.

From unique Detroit-inspired benches to Adirondack and Lions-themed chairs, there are many pieces of furniture crafted by students that will be available for purchase.

“This is our woodshop, so we do a lot of training, we do stuff during the summer, the school year, but most importantly, starting this year, we actually create really interesting products out of wood,” said Atlantic Impact program director Matthew Clayton.

Atlantic Impact is a nonprofit that works directly with teens and young adults to one day help them find a career path in the trades.

The organization’s woodshop program is one of the hands-on opportunities for students.

“One of the things our students learn is a lot of the creativity, how to use the different tools, how to get very specific type of angles, and they really, really learn a lot of unique tricks and tips they can take with them in their careers. Hopefully, design, engineering, or even just traditional construction,” Clayton said.

On Saturday, Nov. 29, those handcrafted pieces will be available for folks to buy.

“I hope that some people do buy my wood boards, the benches that I welded together,” said student Ashley Sigala.

Sigala tells CBS News Detroit that she’s grateful for the experience to learn these life skills and is eager to put her designs on display.

“I wanted to get more involved. I actually learned how to weld here, how to cut wood, use different tools,” Sigala said.

A program giving back to Detroit’s youth with a community event to show support, all while shopping local.

“We have cutting boards as low as $20. We have chairs as low as $50. This is our first sale by the way, so we will be having more, so if you miss this one, we will be having another one in December,” said Clayton.

Anyone interested in showing support to the students, the wood shop will be open Saturday, Nov. 29, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Atlantic Impact warehouse located at 2791 E. Grand Blvd in Detroit.