Small welding, fabrication business doing well in Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Chances are, if you live in Bloomington, you've touched Josh Smith's work.

In the art world, the No. 1 rule for consumers may be "look, don't touch." But, for nearly five years, Smith's work has not only begged to be touched, it has insisted that people throughout the city lean, sit and rely on his welding and fabrication skills. Smith's Clutch Fabrication may have started in one-half of a two-car garage, but next month, it will move into a new facility that's triple the size of the current workshop.

"For the last 30-some-odd years, there have only been a few shops in town," said Smith. "The town keeps growing and growing and growing, but the shops haven't kept up. We started out very small scale, and we're still small scale, but we're getting larger by the day."

Clutch Fabrication is primarily Smith, the owner, with a couple of "helpers." They're not full-time employees yet, but he hopes they will be when they make the move from the fabrication business's current 1,300 square foot location at 1607 S. Rogers St. to a 3,400-square-foot facility at 2124 Industrial Drive.

"This place was a good step, but it's an artist, kind of 'co-opy' place. It hasn't really been a problem, but sometimes, I'll come in late and they'll be having a music show next door, so I'm nervous to make noise," said Smith, whose new neighbors will be TruFab Stainless and Moda Industria. "We'll have three, noncompeting metal shops that will hopefully get along."

The move has been made possible by a series of commercial and residential projects; handrails, gates, mailboxes, canopies, furniture, repairs. Clutch Fabrication not only does the metal work; they've also done the design and installation for features across town. When Smith first saw an article about the opening of Cardinal Spirits, he called owner Adam Quirk and offered his services.

What started as a job fabricating the distillery's bike racks grew into building the bar stools, which led to fixing some tanks, which led to a role as a handyman of sorts. Around town, Smith's touch is apparent on the faces of many local businesses. He did the original railing outside The Atlas Ballroom, and he's redoing an extended version for their exterior expansion. In one of his first projects, he helped construct the awning at Kilroy's Sports with his friend and mentor, Bryan Absher, of Old City Iron Works.

Present at Hopscotch Coffee, King Dough pizza, Time & Tide Tattoo, as well as through the works of builders and contractors in homes across Bloomington, Smith's work is varied, but favors midcentury modern design.

"I don't try to do one thing," Smith said. "I'm not going to be the guy that does the $2 million home handrails or the guy that strictly does commercial. I am small, and I work with tons of local businesses, so I know what it's like to not really have anything. If it's some small, local business, I'll try to help them out as best I can."

Aside from having a mentor and taking a semester of welding at Ivy Tech, Smith is primarily self-taught. He comes from a family that wasn't necessarily artsy, but they were always making things. Connected to the Indiana Small Business Development Center by Local First, an organization connecting local businesses, Smith has worked to develop a business plan for what started out as making furniture on a whim.

From messing around on a Tombstone Lincoln welder to modifying cars in motorcycles in high school to working in piercings at the SkinQuake tattoo parlor, metal and wood have always been a part of Smith's tinkering.

"People like doing different things and have different strong suits," Smith said. "I hope to one day have enough business and help to separate the commercial side from the artsy, residential, small project and specialized stuff."

Seeing the local entrepreneurs and homeowners he works with come into their passions, Smith has high hopes for his future and the future of Clutch Fabrication as it builds and grows into something more.

"I love seeing the next generation coming, and I think I'm going to be the one to build it."

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Source: The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, http://bit.ly/21cmxr7

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com