"We don’t build normal," Ronnie Ashton told me emphatically. "And we’ll never build another piece exactly the same."

Anyone who has shopped in the unique store operated by Ronnie and his wife, Trisha, would instantly know what he means. The little store by the highway on the south side of Brady is a marvel of "unique-ness." It’s called Back at the Ranch, and their business card says simply "Handcrafted Rustic Furniture - Texas & Western Home Accents." That description is true, but it doesn’t tell the half of what you’ll see when you stop in. Ronnie’s masterpieces ARE rustic, in a way, but this is furniture fit for a king.

In case you’re wondering what school Ronnie attended to learn his design techniques, well . . . you might be a little disappointed. For twenty-seven years, he served as a game warden, and never did get any formal training. As a teen-ager, Ronnie learned carpentry from a craftsman who also taught him a little about cabinet-making, but most of his success stems from his love for rustic, Western furniture and an amazing ability to design furniture from imagination. "I like to do things that other people think can’t be done," he says.

Even while working as a game warden, Ronnie had maintained a side business building two or three custom homes a year, and he guesses that he’s built about 35 or 40 homes all together. That business subsidized his furniture-building for years, but he’s hoping soon to be able to just build furniture. He’s had more orders lately than he can keep up with, even though he’s got capable helpers at his shop. His friend, James Williams, supervises the shop, and his nephew, Brent Stone, does a lot of the actual building.

They use a lot of different materials. Some of the furniture is built with old lumber from houses they tear down. Many pieces have metal or cowhide inserts (they get other people to do the metal work). One entertainment center that they built recently featured ceiling panels from an old ...

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