No matter how many individuals appear in the pages of each edition of Keys Weekly, there are always so many more of our community members who deserve to be recognized. In an effort to shine a spotlight on more of the incredible individuals who live and work in these islands, Keys Weekly is proud to present our Neighbor of the Week feature, dedicated to celebrating a community member with each issue.
This week’s Neighbor of the Week feature highlights woodworker and master builder Kris Roehrig. Working together with close friend Matt Sexton, Kris is realizing a long-held dream: shaping “Downtown Grassy Key.” Situated in the area near Bongo’s Restaurant, the upcoming complex will host Roehrig’s woodworking shop and a variety of future vendor spaces. In his spare time, he loves hanging out with friends on the water and making unique masterpieces with his hands.
How long have you been in the Keys and what brought you here? I’ve been in the Keys off and on for the past 20 years. My family used to come here a lot when I was a kid, so it’s always felt like home to me.
What is your favorite thing about living in the Keys? I would say the people and the lifestyle. I love the small town vibe and I’ve made some of my best friends I’ve ever had here. I love the ocean and all the aspects of living by the ocean.
If you were any animal, real or mythical, what would you be and why? I’d be a liger. They are fierce and are rare. I love that they enjoy the water, swimming and solidarity like tigers, but they are social and comfortable living in groups like lions; kind of like me. They also can’t reproduce. Neither can I any more.
What is your favorite type of wood to work with? Definitely purple heart. It’s a really gorgeous hardwood. It’s a heavy, dense wood that comes from South America. When freshly cut, it’s a super vibrant purple and over time, it ages into a deep purplish-brown color. I’ve used to make skateboards, cutting boards and all sorts of fun inlays with it.
What’s a Keys food you can’t get enough of? Bahamian-Style conch ceviche. My favorite was from Johnson’s Grocery Store in Key West. I would go there all the time as a kid. The owners were always so nice and it’s one of my fondest memories as a kid.
Between living in Maui, building a home from scratch in Alabama and living in the Keys, you’ve experienced three very different lives. Which life has stood out? I would say my time in Alabama was very special. My wife and I moved there so she could finish out her life there. We built our house from scratch all by ourselves, grew our own food and just spent time together there. We stood out there with our dreadlocks, but I was a really respected woodworker there, so even the preachers and the people that you would think would kind of shy away from you became very close friends.
If your personality had a signature scent, what would it smell like? Mahogany and sex.
What life lesson has woodworking taught you? For sure, patience. Woodworking is all about being patient. When you start doing inlays and stuff like that, just take deep breaths. Sit down. Shut up. Relax. Do it right the first time. You can’t come back.
If you were given $1,000, but you had to spend it all in one hour on something completely useless, what are you buying? I would take my friends to an amazing sushi dinner. Ambrosia Sushi was my favorite back in the day but now I guess I’d take everyone to Castaway. I love their lionfish!
If you had to pick a personal theme song that played every time you walked into a room, what song is blasting? I would say “Ghostwriter” by RJD2. It just seems like it’s fitting for my unique personality.
Know someone who would be a good “Neighbor of the Week?” Email keysweeklyjen@gmail.com.
