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Cherokee Iron Works has transformed the former Texas Horse Supply building on West Hubbard Street with large chandeliers featured in its windows and other lighting apparatus on the walls.
Business owner Jerry Toney explained they opted to move from Grand Prairie to Mineral Wells because of the building's 7,000 square feet of space.
"Mainly, the building was sitting empty," Toney said. More than twice the size of their Grand Prairie site, Toney explained that they are now able to have a showroom for their items. Another attraction was the location -- close to both Possum Kingdom and Fort Worth, he noted.
"We do custom chandeliers and lighting," he said. The showroom currently has a selection of chandeliers on display, though Toney said they aren't finished with setting up examples of their work.
A registered Trail of Tears Cherokee Indian, Toney's designs exude the southwestern theme with Indians, cowboys, cattle and woodland creatures. He explained, "My passion is really cowboy art. I love to do things that capture the Old West."
A motorcycle enthusiast, there are also pieces that depict motorcyclists cruising the road.
A chandelier called "Happy Trails" hangs in the northeast corner of the showroom, metal guitars showing cutouts of Roy Rogers' signature. It hangs from chains of six-shooters while the musical score of "Happy Trails" wraps around the light fixture. Toney explained "Happy Trails" is a smaller version of the chandelier he built that hangs in the Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, Mo.
Although his business began as a hobby in 2002, Toney has worked with metal since 1967 and earned his Master Die maker status in 1975. An inventor and artist, Toney has done a variety of things with metal, including designing parts used in the diaper industry. His hobby became a business in 2004
The transition into lighting came about when he and his wife were looking for light fixtures for their own home, he explained.
"My wife and I were looking for chandeliers but couldn't find anything built with the intent [of being a light]," he said. Keeping that in mind, he worked to create a fixture that provided ambient light while enhancing people's homes with its design.
"It's not a piece of artwork with the after-thought of being a light," he said. "We actually plan the process all the way through."
Visit the company's Web site at www.cherokeeironworks.com
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