Alex Dolese

Alex Dolese was born in Missoula, Montana. At the age of nine, her family moved to Bellingham, Washington where she finished high school.

Alex reconnected with her Montana roots by going to Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, on a track scholarship. She was pursuing a degree in ceramics when she decided that a traditional education wasn’t the path for her. She had an opportunity to design and build a house in Bozeman, where she learned how to do framing, tiling, plumbing, electrical work, etc., with help from her parents and other craftspeople. She then built most of the furniture, cabinets and trim for her house.

Alex became interested in building furniture as a career in 2015. She was able to spend a couple of years in Bellingham in her dad’s furniture shop, learning the craft and helping him teach classes. She is now the main instructor for her own classes. Alex’s furniture business out of Bozeman, Montana is Dolese Woodworks.