The Woodshop on Granville Island

Not many parents would put a hatchet in their child’s hands, but for Doug Warren, owner of The Woodshop on Granville Island, it turned out to be just the thing he needed. “Ever since I was about eight, I was out building forts. My parents bought me a hatchet when I was a little kid,” laughs Doug. “Set me off! …I guess my parents knew my nature, eh?” It may not have been the most typical thing to give a young boy, but Doug showed a gift for woodworking at an early age and his parents wanted to do what they could to nurture it.

Pretty soon, building backyard forts wasn’t enough for Doug, and he graduated to building items that could fill the forts, such as beds. Doug was already showing skills with wood working that people three times his age didn’t have. Naturally, there was never a question in his mind of what he’d do when he grew up.