Alabama Maker Scott Moody of Chirpwood frames art, memories
Chirpwood's Scott Moody loves finding something special about a piece of wood and bringing out its best. (Brittany Faush/Alabama NewsCenter)
Chirpwood, Opelika
The Maker: Scott Moody
Scott Moody always wanted to do something that allowed him to be creative.
Moody, who was teaching math at Lee-Scott Academy in Auburn, decided that with his family in the timber business he would make birdhouses and bird feeders.
“Literally at the end of my teaching,” Moody says, “I would go in the afternoon to Lowe’s with a notepad and I would ask what are things that people make with wood that maybe I can make and maybe I can sell.”
He soon realized his real passion is creating personalized picture frames. Moody opened a gallery in Opelika, which he named Chirpwood as a nod to his start with birdhouses and bird feeders. He wanted the gallery to showcase his frames, but also to showcase talent in the area. Artwork featured in the gallery ranges from multi-thousand-dollar pieces to a high school student’s painting.
Alabama Maker Chirpwood aims for a frame to make every picture sing from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Moody’s frames take several steps to get the look he wants for someone’s personal piece. “We like to make frames that really look like they were made specifically for a piece of art,” Moody says.
Chirpwood donates at least half its profits to the Bridge2Rwanda ministry. Bridge2Rwanda helps African students earn international scholarships.
Inside Moody’s gallery is a space called The Nest, which serves coffee and snacks from the farmers market next door. Customers can enjoy The Nest while Moody creates their perfect frame.
“Sizes don’t make much difference to us, so an 8-by-10 or 11-by-14 are our standard sizes, (but) we don’t care; we cut our own glass, cut our own wood and pretty much any size you want we will make for you.”
The Product: Handcrafted wooden frames.
Take Home: Auburn University diploma frame ($175).
405 S. 10th St., Opelika, AL 36801
