About Us

Dead Horse Bay Arts Company crafts American and exotic hardwood into functional pieces that reveal color and grain. We create it all with an attention to detail and a nod to our adventures combing through the natural world.

The Woodworker: Rob Herion

"When I pick up a piece of wood and look closely at its grain, I can go into a trance," Rob admits. "My eyes are wide open and yet suddenly I see the lid of a new box. I pick up another board and, hey, there are the sides."

Rob crafts wood with the precision he mastered in his 40+ years as an old-school printer. He also loves fossils and rocks, magic and antique cards, and stuff from abandoned buildings.

The Chief Muse + Go-Getter: Julie Stockler

There’s a lot more to a successful arts company than the art itself. Julie does all of it, from managing every detail of online activity to making sure our customers receive—and love—their purchases.

A writer and artist herself, Julie and Rob create together. He depends on her for feedback on a design, for ideas on box embellishments, and for sweeping up sawdust. She depends on him for feedback, power tools, and accurate measuring.

Rob + Julie are Dead Horse Bay Arts

Yes, we are husband and wife. We live with our pup Winnie in an old blue farmhouse with a red tin roof in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

We love climbing through ghost towns, digging in fossil pits, and collecting rocks everywhere from Iceland to Lake Superior.

And yes, we are sweethearts.