In this segment of our Client Features series, we help showcase the business of our team’s client, as he works to grow his local presence.
Centennial Advisers recently leased out the space at 1881 Freeman Ave. in Signal Hill with Craizst Coast, LLC who specializes in custom floating canvases, panels, and stretcher bars.
Whether you lean toward expressionism, impressionism, or realism you’ve probably noticed how much art pieces bid for. But many fail to look past the stretched canvas and into the lumber that maintains the art fabulously displayed.
Satisfying every painters’ stroke can be achieved through a perfectly taut canvas in which the stretcher bar is as much an art form as the piece.
Jose Cardenas recently opened Craizst Coast but has been shaping ideas into reality since he was 17. In 1995, he began woodworking with Craig Stratton where he quickly realized the intricacy that went into his first custom stretcher bar.
“All the cross bars have to be the right way to make sure all the notches are perfect,” Jose said. “All the angles must align, the edges, the thickness of the bars, and you got to have the right amount of dip. It takes time to get things precise but that’s what I like. To make all the small parts work.”
There is nothing small about some of the custom projects he’s undertaken even before he became a new business owner. Jose recalls crafting stretcher bars over 150 inches in length, or easels that were 10 feet tall for a client who wanted to paint on their yacht.
His rapport with notable clients such as Dennis Hopper, Mary Corse, and David Hockney has presented his company the opportunity to provide stretcher bars for the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in downtown Los Angeles, Unrealism.
Due to his precision and attention to detail, Jose even stretches the canvas himself.
“I try to use the tools in the best way I can,” Jose said. “Something Craig always told me was ‘the best tool in life is your brain.’ To make something work you have to push yourself pretty hard.”
Jose attributes a lot of the knowledge and methods he’s used over the years to Craig, hence the name of his company Craizst Coast. The ‘Coast’ is a nod to his former boss’s company where Jose previously worked.
What really sets apart Craizst Coast products are small details with large meaning to exterior aesthetic. You won’t see any staples or nails on the faces, and the use of interlocking joints provides long-term stability to the frames and bars.
A long-time resident of Long Beach, Jose didn’t want to stray too far when choosing the location of his business. After failed attempts looking for a building in Paramount and Bellflower, he decided on Signal Hill.
“I was searching for different places but could never find the right one,” Jose said. ” I searched, and you know, some places are too big or too small, and I needed a specific amount of amps. I contacted Daniel after seeing a [Centennial Advisers] sign, and he welcomed me in to check the space.”
After leading a life as an employee, Jose couldn’t be happier to have opened his own business where he can implement customer service in his manner and all that he’s learned.
“I love getting to help hard working people like Jose realize their dream and find the perfect location for their business,” Listing Broker Daniel Roland said. “After meeting with Jose and learning more about his business, it was evident how high his attention to detail is and I knew the Freeman Ave Building Center would be the perfect start for Craizst Coast, LLC.”
Jose stated that many custom shops who focus on custom wood making tend to charge up front, upcharge, and aren’t open to many suggestions. In his case, he loves to mold the idea into something physical to make sure the customer is happy with his direction before negotiating the price.
“When you hang that painting on your wall with the stretcher bar that you like, the shape that you wanted, people say it makes the painting come alive.”
The physical features of the shop in particular are ideal for his business when you consider the magnitude of some of the large projects that Jose undertakes. With a roughly six thousand square foot space and large roll-up door, there’s ease of access when transporting material.
“I showed him that the interior of the space was perfect for the flow of his day-to-day business operations, the location of the unit for his professional and personal life was second to none, and that his biggest concern was not an issue because we knew the unit has more than enough power for his current and future business operations. Jose was a joy to work with and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store,” Daniel said.
The company has been fortunate enough to gain business through word of mouth, as it’s in the early stages of brand development. However, Jose is eager to get marketing started and was adamant on helping Centennial Advisers with this story.
Centennial takes pride in not only being able to help a new business owner find a space, but also in continuing the relationship through its own client marketing efforts.
Craizst Coast currently does not have a website but can be reached for all your custom wood working needs on Instagram (@craizstcoast), via email craizstcoast.llc@gmail.com, or directly at (562) 294-8895