E. H. Fortner Woodworking Inc. is owned and managed by Ezra Howell, a fifth generation cabinetmaker. As a teenager, Ezra worked in his father's shop in California and gained his first experience in the art of cabinet making. By age 17, he was working full time in a cabinet shop in Asheville, NC. For the next 10 years, he worked and trained under several master cabinetmakers in the Asheville area.

In 2001, Ezra relocated to Maine. After working for others for a couple of years, he decided to take the leap and start his own business. He began by renting an existing woodworking shop. When his business had grown to include two employees, and the shop space became too small, Ezra purchased and renovated the building which currently houses E. H. Fortner Woodworking. He now employs five talented cabinetmakers and provides fine custom woodworking for individuals and businesses all over Maine.

Ezra’s principal training was through apprenticeship positions under traditional cabinet and furniture makers. Ezra is a craftsman, who teaches his employees to have the same attention to detail and insistence on quality that he has been taught. Employees at E. H. Fortner Woodworking know that all projects that leave the shop must be of the highest quality. Ezra’s particular gift is in taking the client’s vision, finding the style and proportions that best reflect that vision, and then making that vision a physical reality.

Ezra’s profile in Maine Home + Design

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