by Juanita | Oct 20, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Beast
On a recent trip to Chantilly, VA, for a Capital Fair Craft Show, we combined a delivery to the Rasnake family. The entertainment center, affectionally named the Beast, designed to hold a turn table, vinyl records, CD’s, CD player and other audio equipment. The Beast was a heavy 72.25″ Long x 25.5″- 26″ deep x 48″ high made from solid red oak. Red oak is 15% heavier than cherry or walnut. We packed the beast with other craft show items allowing for an easy removal out the side door. Once at the Rasnake’s house, we accessed the back door at ground level. It took 5 people to carefully pull it out of the van, in through a door and set on the floor for a break. We used carpet sliders to aid in pushing the unit through another door to its destination. Jeff and Sandee were excited to add another piece of George’s Furniture to their growing number of quality hand crafted heirlooms.
In The Beginning
It all started when Jeff and Sandee came to Lancaster County over 20 years ago. During their trip north, they stopped at an antique refinished furniture store. A beautiful bed set caught their eye and was just what they were looking for. That night at a hotel they spotted a brochure in the hotel lobby about a small furniture store and wood shop in Marietta, PA – “Georges Woodcrafts”. George greeted them and his love for building solid wood furniture spilled over. Jeff had grown up with a Grandfather that worked with wood but when he met George he stated:
“Wow I thought I knew a lot about wood working but after spending hours that day with George, my wood knowledge exploded. I immediately saw the quality of construction and the ability to custom tailor my furniture to my desires was over whelming”.
Meeting a Master Craftsman
The Rasnakes spent many hours that first day at George’s showroom. George explained the practice of wood kilns using high heat for drying wood and why he prefers to slow dry wood which is less stressful on the wood. Sometimes taking 2 years to dry the wood. George shared the reasoning for his unique design of the spindle back dining chairs. The strength surpasses others with its 8-sided rungs perfectly angled into a thick contoured seat. The multiple rungs joining to the seat gives the chair extra strength rather than relying on one long back/legs piece joined to the seat (one back joint). The design of an engineer. When asked if George would build a ladder back chair, he said that he could not put his name on it because he didn’t think it would hold up.
“Georges Furniture is like no other. Built to last a lifetime and longer. “America’s heirlooms” today. We hope our children and grandchildren will cherish it all as much as we do after we are gone.” -Sandee
When Jeff presented a sketch of his idea for a TV stand, George recommended changing the height to the same height of a dresser. Jeff was grateful for the advice, and it turned out to be a very good recommendation. During their visit, the phone rang, and Jeff remembers overhearing a question asked by the caller. “Do you work in pine wood? George’s reply was that word “Pine” is a bad word around quality handcrafted furniture makers. Pine does not stand up to the test of time.”
Why protect all surfaces?
A difference in George’s furniture. A water-resistant finish is sprayed on all surfaces which protects the wood unlike the “old school way” of covering only the parts that are seen. George explained the importance of covering all surfaces helping the moisture to exchange equally in all parts of the furniture. Moisture changes when the weather changes. Solid wood breathes. If one surface is protected and another is not, the moisture exchange will be different causing the wood to expand and contract at different rates. It also protects the furniture from water getting caught under the finish, unable to escape, causing the white water marks. All parts are solid wood not just the visible surfaces.
Practical and engineered with precision
When George was designing a new piece of furniture, he was also thinking about how to make the furniture stronger and more durable. He kept the future in mind and asked questions to help his customers think about the future and how their needs might change. It’s easier to change a design before they build it then to remodel it later. George had a way of helping people find the best fit in his rocking chairs. 7 different sizes are available depending on a person’s size and structure. Jeff remembers George picking the best size for him and no other rocker fit better.
House is full
Over the 20 years, Jeff and Sandee have added to their collection. Almost every room is enhanced by a piece of George’s Furniture. During that time, they purchased two bedroom sets, bookcases, two desks, jewelry box and quilt stand. The most cherished piece is a beautiful cherry apartment-size drop leaf table.
“We return to Marietta and George’s year after year purchasing everything from a kitchen table and chairs to our last addition the a 6ft by 2 ft oak entertainment center, nicknamed “Beast” by the craftsman who built it because of it’s size and weight. We love it.” -Sandee.
Jeff and Sandee love to share their furniture with friends and family that visit their home. Their niece purchased her cherry dining table, leaves and a bench in 2003. We welcome everyone to come and see what the Rasnakes found over 20 years ago when they visited George’s wood shop. See furniture construction in our wood shop and browse the two large showrooms. The quality speaks for itself.
How to spot Quality
To help you start this process to high quality, handcrafted furniture, we created this handy checklist to spot high-quality furniture. Download the checklist Here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. Then call us when you are ready to design your own custom, handcrafted piece.
by Juanita | Aug 27, 2022 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, Forestry Management, Uncategorized
Recently Carl and Chris Geeseman returned to our showroom after three decades of enjoying the furniture built by George. Like so many of our customers, they wanted to share the memories of George. The memories started back in the 1970’s. Carl worked for Highspire lumber yard. Lumber yard typically cut the trees in the forest and transport them to a sawmill. They are looking for straight long trees. A good veneer log needs to be clear of bark, metal, knots, and blemishes.
Forgotten hammer
Metal is a big concern for logs that come from a residential area where metal hardware, bullets or even a forgotten metal screwdriver, hammer or animal trap discarded in the fork of a tree. Each year the tree grows a metal object will become embedded into the wood and unable to be withdrawn. The metal object will leave a scar and their minerals will seep into the wood. Not only does metal scar the wood it destroys.
Scars and destroys
Along comes a saw blade, cuts through the metal, or goes around the hook and the expensive blade loses its teeth or even destroyed. Metal can shut down a sawmill resulting a loss of time and money. Bandsaw blades are 12 feet long and 1 ft wide. They are razor thin and thousands of dollars. Lumber jacks look at the outside bark for marks or scars that shows healing from metal objects or use metal detectors to find metal. Think twice before hooking a wash line, swing, or sign to a tree. They are alive and growing.
George’s treasure pile
Highspire lumber piled their cut offs like bark, knots, rotten wood etc. aside and sold the straight boards to their customers. George loved to come and rummage through the cut off pile looking for unique knots, grain twists, chain saw wedges, rotten tree butts and odd shaped pieces of wood for his next project. Walnut and cherry were his favorite. Some cross cuts turned into coffee tables, end tables, Lamp bases, or even crosscut critters (a crosscut with a hole in the middle from where the hollow tree healed itself.)
Filling the House
Carl and Chris Geeseman started their furniture collection in 1980’s with a table set, dry sink and hutch. Next a bedroom set. Later as the family grew it was time for the kids’ room, a single bed, dresser and child’s play table and chairs. Then another bed, chest of drawers and nightstands. Next it was dad’s turn with a nice rolltop desk with finished back and swivel desk chair. As the family grew so did the table. Time to order more table leaves.
Resourceful Brothers
During family get togethers Carl and his brother would haul their table leaves to the other’s house. Since both brothers had tables from George’s, the table leaves fit together nicely. A curious situation happened. I discovered a leaf storage box with two different colored table leaves in our shop. The two brothers completed their 8-leaf table set by ordering 4 leaves each. Now the hassle of loading up the table leaves in the car was no longer needed. All 29 people crowd around the table and enjoy the comfort of family. A fun game the Geeseman children play is lining up the little child’s chairs and playing school bus.
Sharing the quality
That is not all the furniture in the Geeseman household. 2 high chairs served the growing family. Chris said that their kids sat in the high chairs so long until they no longer fit in between the arms. Chris stopped using the high chairs when she got tired explaining to the kid’s friends why the kids still sat in high chairs. The high chairs have endured 3 kids, and 5 grandchildren. Other items like rocking chairs (child and adult), quilt rack, cradle, Jewelry box, benches and round end table found their way into the home. There is room for more. Maybe a new bed.
Explore, Watch and Design
Join the Geeseman family and many customers over the 50+ years in their experience with Georges fine craftsmen and quality handcrafted furniture. Everyone worked with our designers to create the perfect piece that meets every need and endures hard use of family and friends. Begin creating your unique living space, designed, and built right in Lancaster County, PA. Explore ideas on our website, watch the wood shop in action (YouTube) and see what possibilities await discovery.
In the mean time, we have created this handy checklist on how to spot high-quality furniture. Down the checklist here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. An informed mind will bring great results.
Download your Guide to High-Quality Furniture
by Juanita | Jul 26, 2022 | Accessories, customer experience, Rocking Chairs, Uncategorized
Commemorate special events
A great way to commemorate special events like anniversaries, birthday, graduation, baby firsts, marriage is to purchase a unique item that endure for remembrance. This is the custom of Don and Sandy Sickler. They were first introduced to Georges on their journey to Nissley’s Vineyard in 1989. Nissley’s Vineyard shares the same road and Georges hand engraved sign peaked the Sickler’s interest. They stopped and enjoyed a personal tour of the wood working shop with George as he shared his abundant knowledge of woodworking with them. After the tour the Sickler’s looked at furniture with fresh eyes.
Son’s Birth – Rocker
During their firsts visit, they began their tradition of small remembrance items by purchasing a small step stool. Meeting George was a gift they will cherished for years. He treated each customer like one of his family and spent hours talking about his love to the natural wood grain. They remember the non-tipping rocking chair demo where Georges leaned way back and did not tip over. It sold them. In 1995 they purchased a rocker to commemorate the birth of the first son.
“George was not a salesperson, He just wanted to share his love for furniture and quality.” -Don
Diploma, Wedding, Crosses
Later wooden crosses were purchased for each of the children’s bedrooms and a large cross for the master bedroom. A small mirror hangs over the fireplace commemorating (What). Pictures frames commemorate wedding pictures at St Peters Church, College diplomas and college campus pictures for their sons. Their 15th wedding anniversary added a walnut wall curio for the (which room).
Feels like home
“It is comforting that things haven’t changed much over the years. It feels like home which is the soul of George’s Furniture. The craftsmen invest their time and skills into each piece of furniture. They care so much about their furniture that they sign each one.
– Sandy
80th Birthday
The Sickler family brought their mother the last time they visited. It carried many memories for her because her husband was a union carpenter and would love to see the wood working shop. The family celebrated their mothers 80th birthday by purchasing a small cross. She selected the wood and color.
What a way to celebrate special occasions with a piece from Georges Furniture. Handcrafted specially to meet specific needs. George’s wedding registry coordinates families and friends in giving a gift of unique quality that lasts a lifetime. See what awaits at Georges. Explore the possibilities. Where dreams come true.
To help you begin the process to high-quality handcrafted furniture, we created a handy checklist to spot high-quality furniture. Download the check list Here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. Call us when you are ready to design your own custom furniture built your way. Two large showroom await to assist you in the many options to create a masterpiece to cherish for decades to come.
“Download your guide to high-quality furniture”
by Juanita | Jun 2, 2022 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, Customization, George's Furniture, Tables
Our customers discover Georges Furniture by many different ways. Whether they find a brochure In Lancaster County, searched for quality furniture maker online, see the handmade furniture in a friend’s home or listened to the excited story of a satisfied customer, the furniture amazes them each time they enter the showrooms. What beautiful furniture, wonderful craftsmanship!
Explore handmade furniture
The Amsterdam family was no different. They came to see the wood shop tour and discovered the unique features of handcrafted, custom, and signed by one craftsman furniture all in one place. At the end of the tour they responded,
“Our house is full of furniture, however if we ever need furniture we know where we will come.”
Flooding Devastation
Two years after their visit, Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern seaboard of the United. The family watched in terror as the water arose, filling the first floor and proceeded up the stairs to the next floor. Their furniture did not survive the flooding. Once the hurricane moved northward, the cleanup began.
Return to George’s
Once the clean up finished and their house ordered, it was time to look for furniture. As promised, the Amsterdam family came to the showroom with a unique request. “Will you help us fill our house with furniture?” I never thought I would be an interior designer, but they spread out the floor plan on our dining table and we proceeded through each room. First was the dining room then the master bedroom. I worked with each family member deciding the perfect design and options.
Which furniture to make first
Several hours later came the challenging part. Which room to make first. Dinning, master bedroom, teens bedroom, living room or den. Out of necessary, the dining table and chairs won along with the bedroom furniture. We updated each other as the house neared completion and ready for delivery.
Home restored
Over the next couple of years, we filled their house with custom handmade furniture designed to their desires. The furniture will serve the family for decades to come. Want to join in the discovery of quality craftsmanship, visit Georgesfurniturepa.com or visit our showroom and wood shop.
How to detect Quality
To help you start the process to high-quality, handcrafted furniture, we created this handy checklist to spot high-quality furniture. Download the checklist here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. Then call us when you are ready to design your own customer, handcrafted piece.
Download you Guide to High-quality Furniture
by Juanita | Apr 2, 2022 | bedroom, customer experience, George's Furniture, Uncategorized
Letter of Appreciation from Customer
I am writing this letter to express the feelings of my wife, Linda, and I have regarding the bedroom furniture you have produced for us.
Some of our special moments involve all of you. We got a good feeling from the first time we came to see your shop, June 6, 1995, our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. The brochure, we found at the Lancaster Visitor’s Center caused us to come see you that first time. Over a period of several years, we had been looking for something special in bedroom furniture.
Attention to detail
In June, we spent a lot of time looking at the showroom, taking the tour of the drying room and wood shop, reviewing virtually all the photographs, and making lots of notes on details of the furniture we saw. We knew then that if we ever got to the point that we could afford to have the bedroom furniture we really wanted; your shop would be given a lot of consideration.
Exploring furniture stores
In the summer of 2000, we took a drive tour of North Carolina, stopping at various furniture shops and outlets. Some were very nice, but none seemed to capture the feel for quality and detail that we knew existed in the furniture you had on display. None of the places we visited had the feel of friendliness and welcome we experienced from everyone we met in our visits to your shop. By the fall of 2000, improved finances brought us back to you.
Grateful for Design Team
Anthony was wonderful to deal with during entire time and the many times we had discussions by telephone since then. Georges was just where it seemed appropriate when we finished our discussion with Anthony that day –sitting in one of the reclining rockers, talking furniture with some folks.
Delivery with a smile
On Tuesday, February 6, we took delivery of the furniture. Roy and his wife were so nice. I imagine nearly everyone has had the experience of having a delivery made by individuals who are hard to get along with. It is hard to imagine George hiring anyone to make deliveries who would not fit the personality of George’s Furniture. I was very pleased to meet and work with Roy and his Wife.
Friendly craftsmanship atmosphere
Your craftsmanship is superb and having your furniture in our home had nothing to do with commercialism. The product you make results from treating a natural product with the skill held only by true craftsmen.
It is not just the furniture; it is the feeling that you all appreciate what you do and what you produce.
To me, craftsmanship of this kind produces a product that is so likely to survive for so many years. After that we hope to pass it onto others who will appreciate it, care for it and likewise pass it on through generations.
Sincerely,
Michael & Linda Burkey
Come and experience what Michael and Linda experience while working with George’s Furniture. From working with the design team to seeing the craftsmen work, you will understand the difference of quality, handcrafted furniture made by George’s craftsmen.
How to Spot Quality
To help you start the process to high quality, handcrafted furniture, we have created this handy checklist on how to spot high-quality furniture. Download the checklist here so you know what to avoid in your furniture shopping. When you are ready to design your own custom furniture, call and our designers will be eager to assist you in creating that one of a kind cherished piece of quality furniture.
Download your Guide to High-Quality Furniture
