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Dockyard business closing after 8 years

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Everything must go: Carpenter Cliff (Shanty) Anderson is trying to sell of his final bits of handmade award winning furniture, made from cedar. Rain getting in from a leaking roof and the impact of the economic downturn have forced him to close his shop in Dockyard.(Photo by Glenn Tucker)

Everything must go at Shanty’s Carpentry and Construction workshop in Dockyard.A combination of a tougher economic climate and problems with the building where his workshop is situated, including a leaking roof, have forced tradesman Cliff (Shanty) Anderson to call it a day.After eight years of trading the business is closing its doors this month, and Mr Anderson is keen to sell the last pieces of cedar furniture he has at the workshop.Mr Anderson hopes he will be able to network to use his carpentry skills and pick up work elsewhere, but for now he is focused on closing the shop, which is on Smithery Lane, behind the Clocktower.The workshop has been operating since the early 1990s, and was taken over by Mr Anderson in 2004.During the past eight years he provided a number of services, from cabinet building to installing closets, door frames and roof work.He has won AG Show awards for some of his work. Mr Anderson also did extensive kitchen cabinet work for the Bermuda Housing Corporation and until recently provided apprenticeships for a number of young Bermudians.But things have been tough since the downturn in the economy in 2008, and that, together with problems at the rented workshop including a leaking roof have taken their toll.“The breakdown started when the economy changed in 2008,” said Mr Anderson.He is currently pursuing a dispute with the workshop property owner over issues related to the roof and general upkeep of the premises.In the meantime Mr Anderson hopes to find buyers for his last few pieces of cedar work, which include a bedroom set featuring a chest of drawers, including one with a mounted mirror, and also a chairs and coffee table set.