Whittle Work: Dorothy Richter

For about 20 years, Dorothy Richter has helped run one of the busiest woodworking shops in the Rio Grande Valley.
At Park Place Estates, she and her husband Marvin turned the shop into an attraction that helps bring Winter Texans back to the RV park every year.
“I don’t think anyone has a wood shop like we have,” she said.
After the couple pulled into the park from International Falls, Minn., in 1989, they opened the shop to help residents keep busy.
“It’s very popular,” she said. “Mainly it’s a hobby. It’s a project for men and women.”
At the shop, residents work on everything from furniture repairs to craft show entries, she said.
“They do all kinds of woodwork,” she said. “Everybody has their own individual style.”
Today, about 86 residents chip in to help keep the shop going.
Donations help pay for rows of power tools.
In the shop, residents pick between six wood lathes, three band saws, two table saws and sanders and grinders.
From the start, she’s kept the tools coming in.
“I do all the book work and ordering,” she said. “I order all the power tools, sanding belts — anything they need to keep the machines going.”
Last Saturday, the park’s annual spaghetti dinner helped raise money for the shop, she said.
“All they have to do is bring their wood,” she said. “Everything else is furnished.”
fernandodv@valleystar.com
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