Bob Gormely poses with a door he made that is displayed in his home. Photo by Kelly Virden

They've had their Starwood Store for the last four years displaying and selling fiber arts and wood pieces that are Sheri and Bob's specialties.

Their home is on around 50 acres and was formerly Bob's grandparents farm. "I felt it calling me back to my roots," Bob said.

They've worked on their nearby house for the last 14 years...and it's not quite done.

The couple built their cord wood/masonry "stack wall," home themselves.

The ends of the logs, some with star like designs, give them the name of their store "Starwood Store."

The 2-foot thick walls have 4-inches of concrete on the interior and the exterior; 16-inch bats of insulation are on the inside of the wall.

Sheri and Bob Gormley pose on their propertly located off of Highway 84, just north of Ponto Lake Cemetery on the right hand side. Their Starwood Store, in the background, is open from 10 am to 4 pm Thursday thru Sunday. Photo by Kelly Virden

The Gormleys lived in a mobile home on their property until they were able to move into their home. What was to be a short stay in the mobile home ended up being 6-7 years long.

"We were just na•ve enough to think we could do it," Sheri said of building their own home.

The teamwork and artistry that it took to build their home carries over into their artwork.

Sheri has been knitting since she was 4 years old. She raises Angora rabbits and spins their hair into yarn that she uses to knit things with.

She has 13 rabbits; each has a name and a personality. Their coats are 5-8 inches long and as soft as, well...angora.

She collects their hair during their natural molting; they are not harmed in the collection. And she makes sure not to take too much so they have warmth themselves. Angora is seven times warmer than sheep's wool, Sheri explained.

"Angora is soft and fine and warm and wonderful," Sheri said.

One thing led to another and she got into spinning about 20 years ago. She didn't have access to wool at the time and learned to spin with shed dog hair.

She continues the practice today by making teddy bear keepsakes from animal hair. She needs a few ounces of hair (a gallon-sized Ziploc bag full) to make a small bear. "Bring a sample and if it's possible, I'll do it," Sheri said. The hair needs to be at least 2-inches long for it to work.

She's spun hair from a tri-colored collie, white German shepherd and golden retrievers.

Bob's impressive woodworking skills are self-taught. He grew up in Minneapolis and while he had a longtime love affair with trees; he'd never built anything before building their home with Sheri.

Now Bob loves woodworking. He builds custom interior doors, wooden quilt stands with inlaid pieces, and wooden artwork.

Some of his doors are patterned on quilt patterns. He uses a variety of wood: aspen, pine, mahogany, walnut and Douglas fir, to name a few.

Nearly every interior door in the Gormley's home is one of Bob's creations.

There's even a gorgeous door hidden in the back of the garage.

Bob's wooden artwork is displayed in their home and also in the Starwood Store.

The store's hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

The Gormleys can be reached at (218) 682-2822.