Our search for furniture for our new townhouse in Pueblo Campestre in San Jose del Cabo has taken us to all of the major furniture stores in Los Cabos. We also decided to look for some unique and custom made pieces. This led us to Isaiah and Abolengo Parota Baja Sur Furniture. This company has a very unique approach. They will show you the live edge Parota slabs that are currently available, you choose the size, style and grain that you like and then they finish the piece. You can choose to have a linseed oil finish or epoxy in semi gloss or gloss finish.
We recently drove up to La Paz to meet with Isaiah to look at a unique coffee table in which we were interested and learn more about what other furniture was available. The trip was well worth it. Isa is from Chicago and so his English is perfect. He and his wife showed us a number of pieces that were currently finished and available. The company has two shops on the mainland where the Parota is grown. He pointed out that it is very important that the wood is either kiln dried or has a lot of time to dry as Parota is a heavy wood that holds a lot of water. The coffee table in which we were interested had been dried for two years. Their design style is to let the wood tell them what it should be and how the piece should be designed. This means that there may be holes, gouges or cracks in the wood. These can be left natural or filled with colored epoxy – to the taste of the owner. He even said that they name every piece – they become part of the family. My wife, Beth said that it would be impossible for her to sell the works because she would want to keep them for herself!
Isa described why they use metal for bases and legs – both for strength and design. The company also tries to incorporate history in their works. The very unique candle holders that they sell are made from materials salvaged from sugarcane mills that used them as the base and actual copper holders (now used for the candles) in the processing of the cane. On our visit, we saw cubes used for night stands and end tables (and we bought one), benches, tables, a desk and coffee tables (we bought the one we had gone to see) with different finishes and bases.
We were in La Paz to visit another carpentry shop, from which we had ordered an outdoor table, side table, a bench, a desk and a dining table. However, after seeing the quality and pricing of Abolengo Parota, we changed our mind and ordered a live edge dining table from Isa. The carpentry shop does excellent work and we kept our order of other items with them. Isa then sent us pictures of the slabs that were currently available (see photos). Often the size of the slab may be larger than you want. However, he showed us how people had selected large slabs and then cut the extra length and had made that into a coffee table (no extra charge except for the cost of legs). We actually selected one that was already finished (see photo) and they will hold it and deliver it when our townhouse is ready.
This was a very productive trip and we were incredibly impressed by Isa, their products, their service and their approach to the custom furniture business.
For more information about Abolengo Parota Baja Sur Furniture visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Abolengo-Parota-Baja-Sur-Furniture-100329902646653/ or on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/casaabolengoparota/
