Carley Ferrara, owner of Iron Mountain Forge & Furniture, knew from a young age that she wanted to work with her hands. Finding her primary medium, however, involved more trial and error.
“To quote my husband, I am the least-delicate person he knows,” Ferrara said. “I tend to break everything. So, I did glassblowing for a while and broke everything. When I was doing woodworking, I’d tend to somehow break everything. But with metalworking, it seems to be the one material that is more stubborn and strong than I am.”
Ferrera launched her business in 2013, then operated solo in North Carolina. Initially working exclusively as a blacksmith, she eventually expanded her services to include fabrication and structural work.
Ferrara moved to the Ocean State two years later to pursue a master’s degree in furniture design and construction at the Rhode Island School of Design and set up shop at the Atlantic Mills in Providence.
Business in Rhode Island evolved beyond what she’d initially envisioned. Ferrara began offering classes, including the popular “Sip & Smash,” an introduction to forging session followed by a beer tasting featuring southern New England brewers.
“From the second I started offering it, we’ve been booked out for the last seven years,” Ferrara said.
Demand for Ferrara’s services grew even more rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she suspects that extended time at home prompted people to scrutinize their living spaces. In response, Ferrara has expanded her team from two employees to eight over the past four years.
Since that time, she’s also added offerings such as knife- and axe-making classes, a six-week course on making a fireplace tool set, and seasonally themed workshops.
Iron Mountain works mostly with local clients but also takes on projects from around the world. Additionally, Ferrara gained national exposure in 2015 when she appeared on HGTV on “Ellen’s Design Challenge.”
Ferrara’s self-described temperament – and the characteristics of metal itself – may not come across as immediately obvious, with her favorite designs tending to be nature-based imagery.
“You take something that’s cold and hard and make it look organic, soft and natural,” Ferrara said.
And her business eschews the popular view of traditional blacksmithing.
“We are all not what you think blacksmiths would be,” Ferrara said of her team. “None of us fit in blacksmithing shops. ... We’re all women, we’re all neurodivergent, we’re mostly LGBTQ.”
But even if Ferrara isn’t the traditional image of a blacksmith, she’s had a connection to metal all her life. Ferrara’s maiden name, Eisenberg, translates to “Iron Mountain,” which felt like a natural fit when it came time to name the business, she says.
Soon, Ferrara hopes to extend craft opportunities to another population that typically faces barriers to this work. The business is applying for grant funding that will allow Iron Mountain to offer free classes for low-income and underprivileged youths in the community.
OWNER: Carley Ferrara
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Furniture design and metal fabrication
LOCATION: 122 Manton Ave., #105B, Providence
EMPLOYEES: Eight
YEAR FOUNDED: 2013
ANNUAL REVENUE: $400,000 (2023, approximate)
