Mark didn t start out to be a furniture maker and refinisher. In fact, this is his third career. I

Mark didn t start out to be a furniture maker and refinisher. In fact, this is his third career.   I grew up a military brat, he explained, so it was no surprise when he chose West Point Academy for his college education. After serving his country, however, he decided a military life was not what he wanted for the rest of his life.
He became a graphic designer for a print company in Tacoma, Washington, where he lived for 20 years. But I didn t want to do it anymore so I began searching for something else,  Mark explained. It was a confluence of people and events that lead him to furniture making and refinishing.
First, he and his wife, a nurse, decided to move to Hawaii when their daughter reached school age. We wanted her to be where her four grandparents were, so she could grow up surrounded by family, Mark said. I had been interested virtual tours real estate in utah in furniture and woodworking and I did some refinishing for my cousin. Her family happens to own the building where Stand Up Eight is now located and they offered it to him.
Mark finds his furniture any way he can, as long as it s recycled. Sometimes he scores bulk pickup pieces, other times he buys furniture from hotels that are redecorating. Friends offer him pieces and he recently was given some classic vintage furnishings from the former Tennant Art Foundation.
I like classic pieces but whatever it is, if it s serviceable I d like to fix it up and sell it, Mark exclaimed with a gesture encompassing the shop. He is also willing to take pieces on consignment.
Stand Up Eight is meant to become a gallery space for various artists who use old things in new ways, whether it s furniture, sculpture, or art. An example: the briefcases Courtney Kaye hand paints that turn a boring old workaday necessity into a work of art.
His prices seemed quite low to us, but he said There s a right buyer out there for each thing, and he wants to make sure the right person can afford to buy the right piece. That s the kind of guy Mark Ariyoshi is.
And, hey, Stand Up Eight reflects his personality, his kindness and generosity. Jerry and I settled into a comfy sofa (which formerly lived in a hotel lobby) and could have spent hours just reading coffee table books (the Marimekko book captivated me) and chatting with this intelligent, interesting man.