The Birdhouse Builder: Woodworker Steve Smith

Steve Smith. Photo by Sam Watson.

Sturgeon Bay woodworker Steve Smith has devoted his retirement years to making hand-crafted homes for birds.

He started building birdhouses in 1995 as a solution to two separate problems. First, his parents moved from Iowa to Door County and were looking for a way to stay occupied in retirement. Second, customers at the Stevenson Pier mini-mart, located down the road from Smith’s parents, kept asking former owner Roger Cherney if the store carried souvenirs, which it didn’t at the time. 

When Cherney told Smith about this problem, he had an idea. 

“I said, ‘You know, Roger, I think I’m going to start making birdhouses,’” Smith said.

So he did, and started selling them at the mini-mart. That way, he was meeting the demand for souvenirs, putting his skills as a former high school shop teacher to use and giving his parents a new hobby: painting wooden pieces that would later be incorporated into their son’s birdhouses.

Though his parents died around 10 years ago, Smith said he still has plenty of the pieces they worked on. And they aren’t the only family members who live on in his work; Smith’s grandmother planted a walnut tree outside the family home in Waterloo, Iowa, and every time Smith would move to a new area, he’d bring along walnuts to plant himself. 

“I actually had one of the huge trees cut down and processed, so I sold birdhouses made out of solid walnut that are from a tree my grandmother planted in 1938,” Smith said.

Fast-forward to 2024 and a 75-year-old Smith is running his shop, Door County Birdhouses, solo.

“I’m the CEO of the business and I’m the janitor of the business,” Smith said. “I cover the whole spectrum.”

He works out of an unattached multi-car garage next to his parents’ home, where he and his wife now reside. Smith repurposed the garage from a car-collection showroom into a woodshop and store. There, he designs birdhouses himself, then cuts pieces for them in bulk and puts them together one-by-one.

It’s understandably difficult for Smith to estimate how many birdhouses he’s crafted over the years, but if he had to guess, he’d put his numbers somewhere in the thousands.

Since Smith doesn’t advertise or have much of an online presence for his business, it’s typically by chance or word-of-mouth that people find it.

“Because we live up by Wave Pointe [Marina and Resort,] every weekend, there’s a new group of people,” Smith said.

Those who stumble across the shop find a wide array of birdhouses meant for different species, from wrens to bluebirds to owls to ducks. Handmade bird feeders, bug boxes, signs and other wooden items supplement Smith’s stock.

Birdhouses aren’t one-size-fits-all; rather, the size of the structure’s opening and base determine who will settle there, Smith said. Because of that, understanding birds and their nesting needs is an important part of the process. Smith didn’t have too much catching up to do on that front when he started making birdhouses, thanks to his family’s love of the outdoors.

Enjoyment, not profit, is at the center of Smith’s business model. That fact is reflected in his prices – his largest, duplex-style houses are $50, while his smallest start at $15. And the payment setup at the shop is closer to that of a farm stand than a traditional store. Instead of a cash register, Door County Birdhouses has a jar where people can put their cash or checks. 

“If I was in it for profit, I’d be running ads, I’d have them out in different shops,” Smith said.

His products are currently sold at Jacksonport Cottage Gallery and Gifts, and Smith was prepping for a restock at the Stevenson Pier mini-mart at time of writing (like many Door County business-owners, much of Smith’s off-season is spent preparing for the on-season.) He also previously sold his birdhouses at Renard’s Cheese Store and a few golf courses, but stopped when he realized the high demand for his products at these locations was too much for him. 

It’s his combined love of people and birds, not money, that makes his job worth doing.

“I don’t make anything [financially,] but I don’t need to make anything,” Smith said. “I’m happy doing it.”

Door County Birdhouses is located at 8815 Claflin Park Road in Sturgeon Bay. It’s open 9 am to 3 or 4 pm (ish) daily. Smith is there most days, but guests are welcome to peruse the store even when he’s not.