Wine Country Decor entrepreneur Jorge Martinez, who learned his furniture-making trade from his father, is among almost 100,000 apprentices in California.
For 40 years, Jorge Martinez has worked turning slabs of wood into works of art. The custom furniture maker may not have a formal public school education, but he learned early on a skill that helped the native of Mexico eventually launch his own business.
At the age of 7, Martinez made a simple request of his father who was finishing a dining room table in his shop in Guadalajara.
“I’ll never forget it. I said to him: ‘I want to help you.’”
He was handed a piece of wood to sand, a gesture that launched a labor of love, one Martinez’s father had a chance to see for himself recently.
Martinez is the owner of Wine Country Decor, and his story is not unlike nearly 100,000 apprentices in California.
With the Golden State leading the way for the nation, apprenticeships have increased in interest over the last six years. According to records from the California Division of Apprenticeship Standards, the numbers of those registered with the state have grown 11% between 2018 and 2023 to 93,798.
The most significant increases in the last five years were in manufacturing, followed by health care, barbers, cosmetologists and information technology workers.
“California, by far, leads the nation on apprenticeships, as a pathway to a career. They’re far from going away,” said North Bay Labor Council Executive Director Jack Buckhorn. “(The state has) a model that’s one that works.”
Locally, the North Bay has experienced a rise in apprenticeships across all six counties in the last five years.
As of 2025, Solano and Sonoma counties top the list, with 1,808 and 1,479 apprenticeships, respectively. Five years earlier, those numbers reported by the California Division of Apprenticeships Standards were half that in Sonoma County. Solano County added 424 since 2018.
Santa Rosa Junior College has maintained three primary apprenticeships for decades in the plumbing, electrical and roofing industries. Each semester, Dean of Career Education and Workforce Development Brad Davis noted the college signs up 70 apprentices in plumbing, more than 100 who apprentice to be electricians, and 28 roofing apprenticeships.
“The program has success stories,” he said.
So much so, the Sonoma County-based college just added two more in the last two years. A transportation pre-apprenticeship program offered enrollment in 2023. In 2022, candidates were able to sign up to apprentice in early childhood education.
By learning the trade early from his father, Martinez has embraced the heritage and traditions that go with creating custom furniture from Mexico. Along with mesquite and Mexican oak, he uses heavy, durable wood called Parota from a fruit tree native to Mexico. The furnishings at his shop range in price from $40 for an accessory to $18,000 for a dresser, which is about six times the average rate.
“People may complain about the prices, but we know quality. Some of these tables weigh 400 pounds,” he said, while glancing over his full, 6,000-square-foot showroom off Highway 12.
One of his 10 sisters, Carolina Cardenas, has her own work in the showroom as well. Her handmade purses adorn one of the walls.
It might take Martinez a month to make a table, his favorite furniture to build because it represents a family’s “gathering” place.
“I’m so happy to see people when it’s delivered,” Martinez said.
Over the holidays, his father, Bernave Martinez Ramirez, visited his son’s shop with his wife Maria Guadalupe Guerrero Vera. The patriarch told the Business Journal that he is “very proud of his son.”
“(My father) told me: ‘I knew you’d have your own business.’ And I know he wanted something special to give to me — a complete apprenticeship,” the shop owner said, teary-eyed.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has seen the potential in endorsing apprenticeships, announcing Nov. 22 the state will pledge $24.7 million to support 8,270 apprenticeships aiming to provide an average $32 per hour across key industries. The sectors to receive the Apprenticeship Innovation Funding include manufacturing, health care, transportation, IT, education, transportation and public administration.
The typical age for an apprentice is between 18 to 24 years old, since most programs are designed for young adults launching their careers, the federally-supported apprenticeship.gov reported.
And according to the online career guidance site, Zippia, males dominate the program with 78.4% enrolled. Women make up the remainder.
California set a goal six years ago to expand apprenticeships to 500,000 workers by 2029.
“We’re taking a bottom-up approach to make sure Californians get the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in every region of the state,” Newsom said in a statement.
A home for apprenticeships
Martinez started his 25-year-old business in the North Bay off Napa Valley’s Silverado Trail, before moving the shop to Sonoma County five years ago.
He made $108,000 in revenue in 2022 and hoped to bring in $400,000 by the time 2024 ended.
But Martinez claims “it’s not about the money,” meaning “the business” itself has a deeper purpose.
It’s the satisfaction that goes into hard work and the pride that comes with making something extraordinary that delivers joy in the home, he explained.
Karen Palmiotti, an Oakmont resident, walked in and soon became enthusiastic about the scene — especially when Martinez told her he could customize her furniture.
“I’m looking for something for the bedroom, and I’m tired of the same old thing,” she said. “Everything here is so beautiful.”
Susan Wood covers agriculture, law, cannabis, production, transportation as well as banking and finance. She can be reached at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com
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