Keeping tradition alive means looking to the future, too

When Erin Smith’s father-in-law, Dave Sawyer, started building Windsor chairs in 1982, he was focused on staying true to the historic form. He also taught others to create the refined, delicate furniture. Many of the most prominent Windsor chairmakers today learned directly from him, Smith said.When Dave began thinking about retirement, his son George — Smith’s husband — realized the end of an era could be near. George came home to Woodbury to learn from his father, even