THE STORY

 

       The owner Michael A. Tilger is from a long line of woodworkers all the way back to his greatgrandfather Richard E. Wilkerson.  You could always find a woodshop in every house Richard lived in, it was his true passion.  Richard also owned Wilkerson Company here in Jacksonville were they sold commercial office furniture throughout the southeast.  Wilkerson was eventually sold and is now solely opperating out of Miami under a different name.  On Michael's fathers side his grandfather Melvin Tilger retired from the navy and went to work for Broyhill Furniture Company in Hickory, NC.  He worked is way up to opperations manager where he eventually retired.  Michael's father Todd and uncle Marty both worked in the furniture factories in North Carolina until Todd decided to move to Jacksonville to be closer to his mother.  In Jacksonville Todd met Michael's mother Liz Turner and eventually married and went to work for the family business Wilkerson.  Turns out that commercial office furniture wasn't intricate enough for Todd, so he went to work at Allied Store Fixtures.  He was surprised to see how much he had to learn when he got to Allied, here he was given a set off blueprints and two weeks to "make it, or break it".  Todd went on to manage some of the biggest shops in Jacksonville including Midlane Company and Sco-Don millworks.  While he was at Sco-Don he hired Michael to sweep floors and count screws during the school breaks.  Once he graduated Michael went full time and worked his way up to a cnc operator.  Now as the owner of Coastal Custom Woodwork he wants to express his creativity through furniture, kitchens, entertainment centers, and fine furniture.