CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, August 27 – On the banks of the North Branch River in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood, with little fanfare, Chicago native and carpenter Nick Segura has quietly been designing and building bars for some of the most talked about and anticipated watering holes and breweries.
Sawdust plumes engulf Proletariat, his Northwest-side shop, as exotic woods are given new life. Segura’s reputation for craftsmanship and attention to detail precedes him; his work replete with clean architectural lines and luminous wood grains that evoke a sense of “Pure Chicago.” A city once brimming with neighborhood watering holes and dark mahogany bars, Segura is bringing back the art and craftsmanship of times past. Like Chicago’s incomparable skyline itself, his work seamlessly marries the modern and the classic.
Chicago born and raised, Segura grew up in the city’s Little Village neighborhood on its southwest side. Fascinated by power tools and craftsmanship at a young age, one of his first jobs was cleaning the shop floor for a neighborhood cabinetmaker. He learned quickly the importance of accurately estimating a job and negotiating fair wages, when payday rolled around and his blood, sweat, and tears amounted to little more than a handful of pocket change – hardly enough to buy a cold soda.