Seven years and the teamwork of 20 individuals. That’s what it took to get local artist James Dickson the woodworking shop he needed to execute his craft.

James’ mother, Babette Dickson, never imagined her autistic son would operate his own business, especially one with a booming market.

What started as a passion developed in high school shop class has turned into a profession. It all began with a wooden carve out of an elk. When James came home from school with it in 2012, his mother almost did not believe him when he said it was his own work. She thought it had been done by a professional.

These days, James, 26, is often at work in his mobile, electric, tiny home-style shop, making birdhouses and puzzles with his mentor, Hahn Erickson. If you would like to order something, you might have to wait a bit, because there are currently 16 orders in front of you.

James sells out at farmers markets and art events. At times, he has sold as many as 50 birdhouses in one day.

But it was not always this way. Babette said it took seven years and a small village to get the workshop off the ground.

The story of how James’ workshop came together begins in 2015 with now-retired shop teacher Johnny Walker. James was aging out of the Steamboat School District and would soon lose access to the spaces where he would usually create art. 

Also amazed by James’ artistic abilities, Walker went to Babette and told her James should have his own woodworking shop. Babette and Walker soon began brainstorming. 

“I have always been very much in love with tiny houses on wheels,” Babette said. “So, I pitched the idea of building a studio that is an electric tiny house on wheels to Johnny.”

Shortly after hearing the idea, Walker started on a floor plan. With the support of the Yampa Valley Autism Program and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Walker became James’ mentor as he transitioned into life without school. While Babette and Walker planned the logistics of the workshop, James worked out of Walker’s shop.

James started to sell his work at events — such as Christmas in the Rockies — in 2018-19, and he would consistently sell out. Babette also credits Kim Keith of Steamboat Creates as a huge support for James during this time, aiding him in selling his work at events like Art in the Park and the Main Street Steamboat Farmers Market.

While James began to make a name for himself in the local art circuit, Babette, Walker and members of the community began to build the workshop. In-kind donations began to roll in, and it was not long until construction started. The first of the donations came from Kristin Bantle and David Gibbs, who provided the workshop with some of the necessary materials.

Paul Scoppa, a now-retired shop teacher at Steamboat Springs High School, caught wind of the project, and it became an interest in his engineering class he taught at the time. The class of four students learned the ins and outs of engineering using a hands-on approach by building James’ workshop. 

Babbette also began reaching out to contractors and roofers to figure out how to acquire the right materials.

“Next thing you know, I had two strangers, Luke Berlet from Berlet Roofing and Scott Scherer of Scherer Building Corporation, setting up an account with Alpine Lumber to help us get what we needed,” Babette said. “Not a single dime came out of my pocket for any of this.”

Scherer and Berlet partnered with Skip Dierdorff and Robin Livingston at Alpine Lumber to set up an account with the business, and Scoppa was able to contact them for any materials he needed.

At the end of 2019, the workshop was nearly done, and the finish line was in sight. That’s when the pandemic hit and everything came to a halt.

“It was a really interesting and nerve-wracking time for people who have autism,” Babette said. “Having periods like this where progress is interrupted can be detrimental. I was nervous about James regressing.”

Erickson and his father, Rick, offered to continue the project while operations halted during COVID-19. By the time 2021 rolled around, James’ workshop only had a few details missing, but one was a piece of machinery integral to the workshop.

Eventually, Babette and the Dicksons were able to buy James the machinery he needed in his shop. Babette also reached out to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for help, and local DVR employees Lisa Eck and Amy Thwreatt set up Erickson as James’ official mentor for the project in addition to providing coaching and training for professional skills. By 2022, James’ shop was up and running.

Now, James has his hands full with orders, and Babette is grateful for all of the people who spent seven years helping her son’s dream come to fruition. He has been commissioned for business across the Yampa Valley, including the sign for the Wild West Balloon Adventures.

For more about the shop, email BabetteDickson@yahoo.com.

“It was a rough road to travel, navigating life with autism after school,” Babette said. “The story here is we tapped into this community, and they pitched in every way they could. Now he has something to look forward to that he loves.”

Correction: This article has been corrected to reflect that the Dicksons bought the machinery James needed for his shop, not the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation aided James in securing mentors as well as providing coaching and training for professional skills.