We bring new life to old wood
Chuck Mervin
Founder
Chuck is the father to four amazing kids and husband to Susan, a talented veterinarian. Chuck recently welcomed to this world his first grandchild, a beautiful baby girl.
Originally from California, Chuck and his family live in the country just outside of Boone, North Carolina.
About Upper Barn
The beginnings of Upper Barn began when Chuck Mervin decided to get out of the California wine business and move to the high country of North Carolina. Whether it was the mountain air, the rustic charm of the high country, or the beautiful old barns in the hollars - or all of these things - Chuck started building his signature, custom furniture from reclaimed barn wood. Chuck had always loved working with wood, and now with unfettered access to beautifully aged oak, cherry, wormy chestnut, and black walnut, he had found just what he was looking for. Upper Barn was formed in 2012 and Chuck began building custom tables, bed frames, bar tops, and cabinetry for some of the biggest mountain homes and some of the coolest restaurants in the area.
Just a few years before Upper Barn was formed, James Bauler and Aaron White met while working together in Ethiopia. With a shared love of the outdoors and the kind of adventure that comes while doing humanitarian work in some of the most remote parts of Africa, the two became fast friends.
Fast forward to 2016. Chuck and James met while watching their kids play soccer and immediately found a common ground in entrepreneurship, craftsmanship, and their community in Boone. With the demand for Upper Barn products outstripping capacity, Chuck asked James and Aaron to join the company so he could focus more on the custom designs and finding beautiful wood from old Barns. And that, folks, is the story of Upper Barn... but it's just the beginning.
As we restore this old barn wood, our hope is that whatever form that old wood takes - a table, a bed, a bench - that it will bring joy to your home and be a place where stories begin.