SHB Co.

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Custom commercial spaces, bars and substantial furniture, built around your story. Homeowner commissions welcome. Family-owned in Godfrey, IL. Home of the SHBFAM.

Shop visits by appointment; start at builtbyshb.com.

11/02/2026

OOOhh baby.

We've got some beautiful Greene County Walnut in the mill. Getting ready to peel back the beauty on these bad boys.

10/28/2026

Since 2011, you’ve helped our family build SHB. From a single-car garage and a concrete pad out back to the shop we’re in today, your support has been part of every step.

Looking through these pictures, I see a lot more than barrels and sawdust.

I see Hannah, Noah and Ben growing up around this work. Hannah cut her teeth here and has since flown the coop to build a life of her own. We love her dearly and are proud to keep cheering her on.

I see Faith beside me, putting in the work right along with me. And Bear, finding his place between the barrels back then and still keeping an eye on things today. A little more gray in that beard now. Mine too.

These shops have held a whole lot of our family’s life. The kids got bigger. The projects got bigger. We learned, made mistakes, figured things out and kept building.

And you helped make that possible.

Every customer who trusted us with an idea. Every friend who recommended us. Every family member who showed up to help. Every person who followed along, shared our work or left an encouraging word. It all matters.

Some of you have been here since the garage days. Some just found us. We’re grateful for all of you.

Today is the last day of Best of the Best voting. To everyone who has taken the time to vote for SHB, thank you. That support means a lot to our whole family.

An award would be something to be proud of. But at the end of the day, our customers, friends, family and fans are our biggest accolades. Your trust, your support and the relationships we’ve built along the way are what we’re most proud of.

Thank you for supporting the work and the family behind it.

Much love from the SHBFAM. ❤️

If you’d like to get one last vote in, both categories are here:
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

10/26/2026

Three voting days left, SHBFAM. You can put us on repeat through Wednesday.

From preparing a slab to building a custom conference table, the photos show different parts of the work that comes out of our Godfrey shop.

Both SHB voting links:

1. Best Specialty/Custom Shop
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/

2. Best Local Furniture Store
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

Open each link, choose the SHB listing and complete the ballot prompts. If you’re returning, use “Already Entered?” and your email when prompted.

One vote per category, per day through October 28.

10/25/2026

Some pieces helped make SHB what it is. Our Custom Bourbon Barrel Cabinets are one of them.

We’ve been building these since the early days, with options that let you choose the look, storage and details that fit your space and budget.

A little barrel character. A lot more useful storage.

Built right here in Godfrey. If you’ve enjoyed following our work, I’d appreciate your vote for SHB in both categories:
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

10/23/2026

Got a slab that’s too wide for your planer?

We do large-format CNC slab flattening right here at SHB Co. in Godfrey. One recent pecan slab measured 128 inches long and roughly 35 to 46 inches wide, with both faces surfaced.

Whether you’re building your own table or running a woodworking shop, send me a few pictures along with the slab’s length, widest width and thickness. We’ll look at what you have and what needs to come off.

CNC time is $80 an hour with a $100 minimum. The work depends on the slab, so that’s a rate, not a flat price for every piece.

And while you’re here, I’d appreciate your vote for SHB in both categories:

Best Specialty/Custom Shop
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/

Best Local Furniture Store
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

One vote per category, per day through October 28.

10/22/2026

There’s a reason the pencil gets a turn before the saw does.

Here’s Ryan working through the marks and measurements before a piece moves to its next step. These are the parts of custom work that happen before the finished photos.

Both SHB voting links:

1. Best Specialty/Custom Shop
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/

2. Best Local Furniture Store
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

Open each link, choose the SHB listing and complete the ballot prompts. If you’re returning, use “Already Entered?” and your email when prompted.

One vote per category, per day through October 28.

10/21/2026

Building for a master craftsman has a way of making you look at your own work a little harder.

I did plenty of that on this one.

The Reserve Auto Restoration llc. came to me through Brad Pickett, who has known John since they were kids. I already knew of John and his reputation in automotive restoration. His world is bodywork, paint, fit and finish. Details that most people walk past are the things he makes his living getting right.

And now he was trusting me to build something for his shop.

His direction was pretty straightforward. He wanted something badass, with a rickhouse feel, functional shelving behind it, and THE RESERVE big across the top. Then came the challenge.

“No screws.”

Beyond that, he gave me creative freedom. I drew out a rough top, front and side view on a piece of paper. Nothing fancy. Crude as could be, honestly.

His response was basically, send it.

That kind of trust means something to me.

At one point during this project, I was in my shop working on chairs for his place while watching his Bronco go across the block at Barrett-Jackson. I’d had the auction on all day waiting for it. I was excited for him, and pretty damn excited to have a small part in what he was building back home.

Then I’d look back at the work in front of me and start picking it apart again.

This build asked a lot of me. Heavy oak, traditional joinery, through-tenons, wooden pins, and barrels worked into a piece that still had to function as a reception counter. Even the little dowels got their own chamfered edges. There were over sixty of them.

And there are details in it that belong to John’s world. A ’67 GTO shift pattern. An inlaid wrench. The Reserve logo worked into the top. Things you can walk up to and keep finding, with usable storage behind it all.

It took longer than I intended. John gave me patience along with that creative freedom, and I don’t take either lightly.

Before delivery, we were talking and he asked if I was happy with it. I told him I could pick it apart, knowing he understood exactly how that goes.

He reminded me that it wasn’t intended to be perfect.

I told him I was happy with it.

“That’s all that matters to me.”

He told me I’d accepted his challenge and completed it. That took some weight off my back. But I still wanted to get it there, put it in its place, and see his face.

When we delivered it, he was absolutely blown away.

After all that time looking at every detail and second-guessing myself, seeing his satisfaction was a big one for me. Afterward, Faith was reminding me to quit doubting myself.

Then The Reserve shared it with their own words:

“SHB absolutely KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK!”

“Pictures don’t even do it justice!”

Coming from a shop full of people who spend their days building one-of-a-kind cars, that means a hell of a lot.

John, thank you for the challenge, the patience, and the trust. Brad, thank you for making the connection.

Proud to have a piece of SHB standing in The Reserve. 🤙

10/21/2026

This is where the barrel story gets good, SHBFAM.

A glass-covered rebar top, an engraved barrel head underneath, and rebar stools to bring the whole setup together. This Blues-inspired cocktail table is one of those pieces that shows how much character a barrel can bring to a room.

Our work has grown into custom furniture, signs and spaces, but pieces like this are still very much SHB.

If you enjoy what we build, we’d appreciate your vote in both categories:

Best Specialty/Custom Shop
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/

Best Local Furniture Store
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

You can vote once a day in each category through October 28. Thanks for supporting our family shop!

10/20/2026

Some jobs leave the shop one piece at a time. This one left in stacks.

These cornice components are from a past SHB fabrication project: large curved corbels, smaller decorative blocks and cut plywood brackets.

A different side of our family shop, turning a set of profiles into real parts, over and over.

Both SHB voting links:

1. Best Specialty/Custom Shop
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559338674/

2. Best Local Furniture Store
https://www.thetelegraph.com/bestof/ #/gallery/559688568

Open each link, choose the SHB listing and complete the ballot prompts. If you’re returning, use “Already Entered?” and your email when prompted.

One vote per category, per day through October 28.

07/04/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Birthday America ❤️🤍💙
This is such cool design (engraved Not lasered) on this barrel cap we made for Riverbend Ducks Unlimited banquet in August! For a chance to get your hands on this go check out their page for event details! 👀 🦆🇺🇸

Address

3808 Stanka Lane
Godfrey, IL

Telephone

+16189606994

Website

https://builtbyshb.com/

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