Dig this decor Halloween and horror aficionado taps deep inspiration for his coffin-inspired creations By: David Sanderson Posted: 1:11 PM CDT Friday, Oct. 13, 2023

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This article was published 13/10/2023 (1066 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shelf life? More like shelf afterlife.

Blake Locken is the founder of Old Pine Box Curiosities, a three-year-old business that turns out a wide range of home decor, including end tables, wine racks and book shelves, made to resemble — cue spooky music — six-sided wooden coffins.

This weekend Locken will be a registered vendor at the biannual Winnipeg Punk Rock Flea Market. The two-day affair, which is being held at the University of Manitoba’s University Centre Saturday and Sunday, will mark the first time the 31-year-old has displayed his to-die-for wares — a charcuterie board in the form of a casket, anyone? — to the general public.

Heretofore he has sold online exclusively. Now that he will be greeting potential customers in the flesh, Locken, who will be on-site Saturday only, expects to be on the receiving end of his fair share of quizzical looks.

Most of his family and friends are aware of his venture, but one time his cousin popped over with her boyfriend, without mentioning ahead of time that there was a coffee table shaped like a coffin in their living room, Locken says, seated in an Osborne Street café, not far from where he and his wife Michelle recently took possession of a new house.

“The second he walked in his jaw dropped to the floor. He was like ‘holy s–-t, is that what I think it is?’ I’m anticipating much of the same at the flea market, but am also hoping people go ‘wow, do I ever need that at my place.’”

Locken, a horror-film buff who pegs director Rob Zombie’s House of 1,000 Corpses as his favourite movie, all-time, can’t remember a period in his life when he didn’t look forward to Halloween. He was definitely that kid who was the last to call it a night when he was out trick or treating, he says.

Even now, he’s fairly certain he raises the ire of his neighbours by converting his front yard into a mock cemetery, weeks ahead of Oct. 31.

In the spring of 2020, Locken, a professional carpenter who pulled straight As in woodworking class at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, his alma mater, found himself with ample time on his hands, after household restrictions related to COVID-19 adversely affected his ability to earn a living.

He can’t recall if it was his suggestion or Michelle’s (they’re cut from the same “horror cloth,” he says with a wink), but one afternoon he found himself sketching plans for a pine entertainment unit mimicking what he refers to as “that classic coffin shape” — wide at the shoulders, narrower at the head — often associated with a certain Transylvanian nobleman.

He was pleased enough with the end result, which was stained dark and boasted handles on the sides along with a set of fold-out doors, that he posted photos of it on his personal Instagram.

You can probably guess what occurred next. Within days, he was being inundated with requests from people who shared his macabre sense of humour, and were interested to know if he could craft something similar for them, as well.

Figuring he might be onto something as orders continued to mount, Locken established an Etsy store, Old Pine Box Curiosities, in May 2020. It wasn’t long before the reviews were in.

“Exactly what I wanted,” wrote a person who ordered an all-black model.

“I use it (for) my makeup and hair products; I absolutely love it,” commented somebody who purchased a purple-and-lavender cupboard.

“The perfect gift for a lady with strange fascinations,” wrote another, who scooped up a coffin-shaped crypt, err, crib board.

Locken, who has shipped his items as far as Switzerland, Germany and Taiwan, allows that not all of the creations coming out of his workshop are his ideas alone.

One evening he set aside a metre-tall cabinet he intended to complete the following morning. Within minutes, their cat Eris curled up inside it, to catch a few Zs. A lightbulb immediately went on in his head.

Days later, after he had properly upholstered it with forest-green fabric, he introduced coffin-shaped pet beds — currently his No. 1 seller — to his arsenal.

To date, Locken hasn’t encountered any local artisans who do anything comparable, but he has been in touch with like-minded people from other parts of the world. For example, Las Vegas-based Grave Designs Co. offers a number of coffin-shaped goods, including cutting boards and jewelry cases.

Then there’s the cleverly-named Rigore Morti in Durham, England, which markets coffin-shaped mirrors, picture frames and — “Honey, are you OK in there?” — bath trays.

“We all follow each other on Instagram and it’s definitely interesting to see how everybody puts their own spin on things,” says Locken, stroking a long beard.

Em Curry is the organizer of the Winnipeg Punk Flea Market, which was staged for the inaugural time in April. A week prior to the well-attended event, Curry learned about Locken’s venture through the friend of friend.

As much as Curry thought Old Pine Box Curiosities would be a perfect fit for the market, which, according to its advertising, focuses on “weirdo art (and) strange and unusual things,” it was too late then to add Locken to the mix.

“I remember reaching out to him and going, ‘oh man, I wish I’d found you sooner,’ and that we definitely wanted him to be involved, going forward,” Curry says, when reached at home.

Curry, who has more than doubled the number of vendors from 42 to 104 for the second edition of the punk rock flea market, is most looking forward to getting an up-close look at Locken’s Beetlejuice-inspired shelving units, which are adorned with black-and-white stripes to match the suit of clothes worn by the 1988 flick’s title character.

“The same as me, there will be a lot of people at the market who think that not all furniture has to be beige or grey,” Curry says, noting the market runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and that there is no admission charge.

“They’re not concerned in the least if others find it strange or creepy that they have what looks like a coffin on the wall; it’s their living space to do with what they want, and I love and respect that.”

In addition to a selection of shelves inspired by the murderous TV-series Dexter — ones that have been splattered with red paint, Jackson Pollock-style — Locken will also have an assortment of Pride-themed stickers and pins bearing his eye-catching company logo for sale, with all proceeds from the latter going to Winnipeg’s Rainbow Resource Centre.

As well, he will be more than happy to discuss custom projects. One of his favourite commissions in recent months was for a person in their 30s who requested a sizable unit to hold their childhood collection of Goosebumps paperbacks.

“People come to me with an idea — a while ago it was somebody who wanted a shelf for their Funko Pops! — and we work together the entire way, with me sending them plans, along with pictures of the work-in-progress,” he says.

“Of course, my favourite part is when they send me a photo, showing how what we created together now has a special spot in their house or apartment.”

Doesn’t he mean, a final resting place?

“I guess you could say that.”

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca