Laid off during the pandemic, Vallejo couple turn woodworking hobby into a surprise success story

Working in a Benicia warehouse, Industrial Chic Designs co-founder Shelly Lucido is surrounded by tables she has created: massive dining tables dubbed “Big Papa” and “Little Mamma,” coffee tables emblazoned with the sports logos of Bay Area teams, rich-colored tables destined for local restaurants and breweries — all made out of recycled industrial spools that her husband and Industrial Chic co-founder, Chris, scours from across Northern California and parts of Nevada. 

And despite all odds — a pandemic that has shuttered restaurants and curtailed dinner parties, and an economic downturn that led to Shelly and Chris losing their jobs — business is booming.