After an exciting, winning career in motorsports Colin Thompson, a young man on the move, is making a living out of what he calls a dying art—the demanding, meticulous and artistic handcrafting of exquisite woods.
He is making furniture but he thinks of it as art.
Thompson is carefully building his high-end business, Paramount Wood Co., from the ground up—literally. His workshop occupies the basement floor of a building at 6162 Lower York Road in Solebury Township.
Next will come his showroom on the first floor, to display his handsome handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces. Then, he’ll be turning the top floor into his home. That’s the physical part of his business plan.
The business got off to a start that could only be considered a nail-biter. Although he founded the company Feb. 1, 2020, as the pandemic hung heavy, turning much of the business world into a wasteland, his winning spirit has carried him through.
“I never gave up, and now I have a handful of employees helping to grow the company,” he said. “I want to make a local impact in our natural environment while hand-making custom furniture. We use rare wood species from around the world.”
Thompson is 27 now and already retired from a winning racing career. Growing up in Doylestown he had two passions, woodworking and racing. “I was doing both when I was 5 years old,” he said. “My father had a woodworking shop and so did my grandfather, and later I took woodworking classes.”
Thompson’s passion for racing came naturally. His grandfather was the late Jack Thompson, founder of the Thompson Organization, and a racing fan. Colin Thompson first competed in quarter midget racing, and when he was 15 was one of 2,000 drivers entered in the Grand Nationals. He captured the winning trophy. He promptly got his pro license, and then drove for Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, McLaren and a prototype manufacturer named Norma, winning four more championships.
“I retired from racing that year and decided to pursue my second love—making a sustainable difference through a creative talent I have,” he said.
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