Coastal Cracker’s Nick Thurmer — carpenter, artist, savant
Nick Thurmer said whether he’s discussing being a carpenter or an artist on Pine Island, love for his “Coastal Cracker” brand cannot be differentiated.
“I don’t think I can really have one without the other,” Thurmer said.
He also emphasizes the fact that everything in his life which demands his concentration takes the same tools in order to get the results he’s after, whether it’s carpentry work, artistry or simple philosophy.
Folks have pointed out that he has a presence that can’t be taught, he said, underscoring that he’s not sure whether he believes that about himself. Even when it comes to artwork for which he has been both praised and sought over, Thurber said no one can really compare art completed in different mediums, such as sculpting with painting or writing with music.
“When it comes to artwork, we’re all in different categories. In my mind, everybody is as good as me in their respective genre,” Thurmer said.
Even having crafted Coastal Cracker as a recognizable brand was like creating art to him, he said, saying even a waitress or waiter can turn their job into a piece of artwork simply by devoting enough time and energy to it. The name Coastal Cracker, he said, began with the idea of stretching a typical blue collar worker over the coast. After a skiff ride with a trusted mate who referred to himself with the Coastal Cracker title, Thurmer said he wrote it down.
“I consider all of Florida coastal — you’re only an hour and a half drive to the water — it’s kind of where the cowboys meet the coast, where the woods meet the water. Coastal Cracker is where blue collar meets the water, in western wear,” Thurmer said.
He said his longing is to take his Coastal Cracker brand everywhere in the country where a coastline can be found. The idea for this brand has been resonating since 2018, but, Thurmer admits, there is also a very emotional component to this for him.
“I’d been talking about it but then I opened an LLC and came up with my logo,” Thurmer said, noting that both hooks used in his logo were inspired by two of his fishermen friends and instill sentimental value for him.
His biggest hopes for the Coastal Cracker brand, he said, are that it will go far and wide, but he has people in various places telling him he doesn’t have to go anywhere, that even if he keeps this close to home in Florida, it will still travel well. He said folks keep contacting him through social media to ask where they can get his merchandise. For now, he said there are festivals and farmers markets as well as island stores where his goods can be found.
The best experience brought by this so far, he said, is support from the community as well as watching Southwest Florida healing after Hurricane Ian.
“Watching the islands come together as well as everyone who was impacted. I thought, that’s my crew. Those are my neighbors,” Thurmer said.