John Brady – Woodworker
John is a native of Alleghany County and has been “messing around with wood” for most of his life. He went to Appalachian State University and returned to Sparta to teach at Glade Creek Elementary, and serve as assistant principal of Alleghany High School and principal of both Piney Creek and Sparta Elementary.
In 1974, he took woodworking at Surry Community College, and repeated the class over a period of five years until he learned all he felt he needed to know. When he retired in 2000, woodworking became his primary endeavor.
He specializes in creating useful items that are designed to last a lifetime. His tables and small furnishings that feature exposed natural edges of the wood and the strips of mulricolored wood have become his trademarks. Customers return again and again to buy gifts for friends or family members.
John’s work can also be found in Sparta at Blue Ridge Woodcrafters.
