Richard Brooks, Cabinet and Furnituremaker, Katonah

For as long as Richard Brooks can remember he has always enjoyed working with his hands.

But it wasn’t until an early foray into dealing antiques failed to pan out during a 1970s recession that he turned to cabinet and furniture making, and ultimately as owner of one of the most sought after residential and commercial countertop and furniture businesses in the area.

“I probably recognized what I thought was fun and gravitated to it,” Brooks said of his career choice “It was an expression of how I am anyway.”

In the early 1980s, he opened Brooks Custom in Katonah. By 1989, he had moved the operation to Kensico Drive in Mount Kisco where he has expanded over the years to include his showroom, offices and shop where about 20 expert craftsmen and woodworkers help Brooks make stunningly gorgeous pieces.

He also has about seven employees in the office and showroom to help customers achieve their dream look in their house’s kitchen or dining room.

Brooks reserves Saturdays to meet with customers to help guide them through the selection of materials, color and finish and settle on a design.

“I like taking people’s designs and making them real,” he said. “That gives me a lot of satisfaction. They bring in photos and drawings of designs and they come here and use the showroom for research and development. We finally have to figure out what’s in their mind’s eye. It’s very satisfying when we show up and (they say) ‘It’s just what we wanted.’”

Working with hard woods is his specialty, including walnut, cherry and maple, to make beautiful handcrafted dining room tables and countertops with a finish that makes them durable and waterproof. He can incorporate a wide assortment of other materials ranging from stainless steel and zinc to copper, pewter, glass and bronze. It is one of the key qualities that helps Brooks stand out from competitors, many of whom will not combine the wide-ranging selection of materials into one job or offer customers such variety.

“It’s great to have started with just basic woodworking and taking it to another level,” he said.

Brooks, 69, grew up in Brooklyn and Long Island and later moved to Manhattan. He got his start apprenticing under several mentors who taught him some of the finer details of the trade.

After becoming a cabinetmaker and with a growing family, he was encouraged by friends to move to Westchester to take advantage of the schools. The family settled in Katonah where he has been ever since. He and his wife have five grown children.

It has also been an excellent location to have based his business, with a steady stream of homeowners, architects and engineers seeking out his services. Brooks Custom gained even greater popularity about 15 to 18 years ago when wood countertops became popular. They remain in high demand today, Brooks said.

But residential customers account for only one segment of the business. The other part is the commercial end, which he is equally proud of. Brooks’ work includes the wood décor at various hotel lobbies, including Hilton and years ago the Holiday Inn in Mount Kisco for a previous remodeling.

One of his most unusual jobs has been his most recent. Brooks was contacted last year by New York City planners asking him to construct a 100-foot-long bar top for Kitchen 21, a new restaurant on the Coney Island boardwalk. It is located in a landmark building and in the shadow of the seaside community’s famous Parachute Jump, another landmark, and recently opened amphitheater.

The walnut bar top runs the length of the restaurant in its Parachute Bar with a special finish to protect the surface for years. It is one of the longest bar tops in New York City.

“(They said) ‘We’re going to need this in two months, 100 feet long in as few pieces as possible. We need a bar top finish that’s going to hold up,’” Brooks recalled. “You could just picture the customers with these big growlers.”

Brooks said he recognizes that he has been fortunate all these years to have found a way to make a living and also have a successful business where he loves the work. He still finds time make some of the pieces but credits his employees for helping to build his company. Many of them have worked for Brooks for 20 to 30 years.

“I’m lucky to have good people and they all live mostly in Westchester,” he said. “I’m lucky to have them here.”

Brooks Custom is located at 15 Kensico Drive. For more information, visit www.brookscustom.com.