- [Dara] With a close eye.

Mickey Petrovic watches his CNC router carved smooth ridges into wood plates.

- Okay.

- [Dara] Inside his tiny home shop, every turn, slice and clamp are done with precision.

- Organize a piece of wood to gluing together to make in some shape.

(duster blowing) - [Dara] Surrounded by sawdust, Mickey works with small pieces of wood at a time, mainly because there's not enough room in the shop for large projects.

- I cannot assemble everything to see is everything perfectly fit.

Sometime I definitely need to check some pieces and I bring outside and connect everything.

And this is coming taller than my garage.

(laughs) - Taller than his garage and house, Mickey is talking about the iconostasis stands he's made for different orthodox churches across the country, including his own in Charlotte.

- You see people like your work and people enjoy what you build.

This is maybe more like satisfied and making me happy than anything.

- [Dara] The same detailed craftsmanship he does in churches are done on a smaller scale too, with lamps, TV stands, and chairs.

- I have this artistic in myself and I like to doing unique stuff.

I don't like to doing too much like copying or what I see on the internet.

- [Dara] Taking a walk around Mickey's home, you'll find several one of a kind pieces.

- I build this bar and frame around bar this lights here.

- [Dara] Plus these lights.

- And this is a Brazilian cherry - [Dara] Picture frames and coffee tables.

- This is Walnut.

- [Dara] With so many projects, he says he's fortunate he doesn't have to work alone.

(file sanding) Mickey's wife Jacquelina is his trusted assistant.

Just like her husband, she has unbreakable concentration, smoothing every edge with her tool and buffing to perfection.

- Helping Mickey is really fulfilling for me too.

It's a relaxing, it's my dream too, to do some art works.

Like from being a child, I always wanted to do some arts too.

- [Dara] Jacquelin and Mickey aren't the only talented ones in the family.

- I see a lot of photographs that they took when I was little and I'm just in the shop probably when I was five years old, six years old in the shop helping him sand, cut wood.

I'm not really doing much at that time, but I feel like I'm doing something.

- The couple's 22-year-old son, Vuk is a graduate student at UNCC majoring in architecture.

He's a craftsman in his own right, creating award-winning sculptures, abstract lamps and paintings.

- I think it meant a lot to me and him that I was just there and interested in what he was doing.

I think it actually paved sort of my road to what I like to do in the future and what I'm doing right now.

- Do you remember Mickey, this?

- Our first month in Los Angeles?

- Yeah, This is Santa Monica.

- [Dara] Sitting on their couch flipping through pictures from the past, this close-knit family bonds over more than just woodworking.

- This was the car that brought us here to Charlotte.

Everything we had fit in this car.

- [Dara] The trio reflects on their humble journey from New York to Charlotte in the early 2000s.

Before that, they had to leave everything behind in Serbia.

- Any decision to moving from your born country or city is not easy.

In the first moment, Zakina maybe is a little more like, for to stay in the Serbia, but we are really thinking about future, about my son's life and even our lives, you know, decision is very hard.

- [Dara] For the Petrovics, this sacrifice was worth it.

They even gained a new family member in the process.

- Hello David, I'm here.

Morning, Dave.

How are you sleeping today?

- [Dara] Their neighbor David Doll.

For 18 years, Mickey has been David's caregiver, helping him with everyday tasks, like getting out of bed and preparing for the day.

- They told me at rehab, you can't be friends with your caregivers.

And I thought, well, that seems kind of ridiculous.

- [Dara] Ridiculous and impossible for the two who bonded quickly despite a language barrier.

- The chair isolates you a little bit sometimes and sometimes that can be the only interaction I have.

You know, I, I have other caregivers and it's more kind of transactional and you know, they're going down the road.

But you know, he's invited me to his house twice a day for delicious food and you know, wonderful coffee.

- [Dara] Moments that they all cherish.

- He's like my uncle and my best friend.

We talk all the time.

He comes over every morning.

It's really amazing, like the connection and the bond that we have 'cause he's one of the nicest, most kind people you can ever meet, really.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Dara] Even though they're over 5,000 miles from their native home, the Petrovics say they wouldn't trade anything for their newfound home in Charlotte or the friends who've become family.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khalid.