by Juanita | Aug 29, 2020 | Accessories, Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, George's Furniture, Gifts, Tables
Quality discovered
The search for furniture is a common need for people all over the America and beyond. Some are looking for furniture that will only last for several years while others are seeking furniture that will be heirlooms and will shine the quality for years to come. The search for the highest quality, solid, hardwood furniture made in America led Linda and Ed Riffert to Lancaster County, PA. After several years of looking in many furniture stores and experiencing disappointment of the quality, they nearly gave up. Is quality furniture still being made these days?
It’s Worth the Wait
During a visit to Kitchen Kettle, Intercourse, PA, they discovered a brochure from George’s Furniture. They followed their GPS clear across Lancaster County, through the cornfields, away from the tourist area and the heavy traffic. It seemed so far away. The GPS said they arrived, but where was the showroom. To Linda’s delight, several small signs stating, “George’s Furniture.” “Straight Ahead”. “It is worth the wait” “Where dreams come true.” greeted them as they made their final journey to the wood shop and showrooms.
Quality Furniture discovered
Finally, a place where quality furniture is made and you can even see it being constructed in the wood shop. The quality was astounding. Ed and Linda worked with George and purchased a large oak corner cupboard for their house. A new cascading LED light is now shining the beautiful grain on Ed’s desk.
Craft Show findings
The Rifferts love attending craft shows and seeing quality items. They continue to stop by our stand at the Kutztown Folk Festival, Heart of Lancaster and the numerous Sugarloaf Shows. They love sharing their experience with George’s Furniture to people at the shows. I enjoy watching their excitement as they share about finding quality furniture.
Sharing with others
Quality is meant to be shared. Recently the Rifferts brought their daughter and son-in-law into the showroom to assist in their new dining table. Quality is passing to the next generation. Come and experience the furniture made by one craftsman while you watch. Contact us or visit our website for ideas of a new heirloom.
by Juanita | Jun 22, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, Customization
Florida brothers experience George’s Furniture
George got a call late one Saturday afternoon near closing time. “Are you open on Sunday? We just found your brochure and are interested in seeing your furniture. Our return flight leaves for Florida on Monday morning.” replied the caller. “ I am very sorry, but we do not have hours open on Sunday. We would be happy to help you on Monday,” answered George Martin.
Flight changed
So they changed their flight and came into the showroom on Monday morning. A walk through the showroom and wood shop convinced them of our quality, but they wanted a different design for the head-board and foot-board of their king size bed. So George designed his first ocean wave bedroom suite. To the ocean wave poster bed, they added a dresser, vanity and nightstands.
Brother joins excitement
His brother heard about George’s quality furniture and wanted us to build a bookcase wall unit to encase a large fish aquarium. So he shipped the tank to us by freight to assure a perfect fit.
In the next few years, these brothers filled their homes with more furniture. One chose a roll top desk while the other got a computer desk with swivel desk chairs to match. The second brother chose a sleigh bed. A dresser, chest of drawers, night stands and a swivel full body mirror completed the set. Each one got entertainment centers and mantles for their fireplaces. One got an extension table, extra boards and chairs to accommodate guests when they come for dinner. Even their parents got in on the joy of handcrafted furniture, ordering a corner cupboard for their home.
Additional deliveries
We made several 16 hour trips to personally deliver their furniture over the next few years. On one trip, I was privileged to accompany George. I always enjoyed meeting our customers in their homes. After the furniture was safely moved into their homes, they gave us a tour of their massive vegetable fields. We enjoyed small plane aerial view over Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, Florida.
This was a truly unforgettable experience with a wonderful family of George’s fans.
by Juanita | May 20, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, customer experience, Customization, Entertainment Centers, George's Furniture
Does real wood furniture even exist anymore?
Meet Charles. He was seeking real wood furniture, an entertainment center, in fact, made of real wood that was high quality, not just a particle board & plywood piece. His search led him to many furniture stores & small businesses around Lancaster, York & Harrisburg. While our area includes many amazing small businesses (there is seriously so much to do here in Lancaster), Charles was having a hard time finding what he wanted. The majority of pieces he found lacked any hardwood elements. Instead he kept finding particle board & plywood pieces, the exact materials he wanted to avoid. If he was going to make a solid investment in his furniture, he wanted to know it would be durable, strong & resistant to warping or breakage.
Then Charles found George
While shopping at Meadow Brook Farmer’s Market in Leola, PA (which has since closed), Charles discovered George’s Woodcrafts storefront. After seeing our display of high quality, solid, hardwood furniture, he picked up a business card and called us. In fact, Charles came to visit our wood shop and showroom located near Maytown, PA, just a short drive from his home. At George’s, Anthony, one of our designers, greeted Charles and gave him a tour of the factory. Charles knew this was the place to get real wood furniture.
The Beauty of Real Wood Furniture Customized to You
Now, time to dive into the George’s Furniture process!
After discussing various dimensions and designs, Charles used his drafting ability to draw up detailed sketches of his entertainment center. Anthony took the sketches, verified the construction integrity and prepared an estimate for final approval by Charles.
Once Charles approved the final plans, one of our skilled craftsmen got to work! Each piece created by George’s Furniture is signed by the creator. You can actually see some signatures of our craftsman right here. Plus the beauty of custom wood furniture is that you, as the customer, can select the wood, stain & design you want. Charles loved the fact that he could choose 100% solid oak hardwood. Since all of the hardwood used at George’s Woodcrafts is native to PA, Charles knew he found the quality he was searching for.
Real Wood Furniture: no going back now
Truth be told, once Charles had that real hardwood entertainment center in his home, he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less than the George’s Furniture quality for all his future furniture purchases.
In fact, over the many years, Charles did indeed return to George’s to purchase many furniture pieces. Of course, each piece was custom designed & handcrafted according to his desires & specifications. (He is not the only customer who got hooked on George’s custom real wood furniture.) George Martin, our founder, even surprised Charles a time or two by making personal deliveries of the furniture.
Real Wood Furniture: high quality that lasts for years
The amazing thing about high quality real wood furniture is how long it lasts, and when you find the high quality craftsmen that we have at George’s, you just can’t help but bring every project to them. Thirteen years after Charles purchased the original entertainment center, he desired to add three doors to the front. He worked with Chris on the exact dimensions and stain color to match the original entertainment center. The new doors now complete the entertainment center, keeping dust out and components securely stored.
The ability to design and choose the details allowed Charles to create his dream living space. Furniture built with Pennsylvania solid hardwood, made in America and above all will last for decades: That is what we do at George’s Furniture. Order your own built-to-order, custom made to your specifications piece of George’s furniture. Start here with our guide to spotting high quality furniture. Then you can come and see right where your furniture is built or simply contact us.
by Juanita | Mar 6, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Events, George's Furniture
A Calamitous Night
George’s Woodcrafts had just turned 20 years old. George Martin’s efforts had grown a custom, solid wood furniture-making business that employed about 8 full-time craftsman. George and his family had retired for the night on April 28, 1989. Suddenly, the dog started barking and someone began pounding on the door, frantically ringing the doorbell. George bolted for the window and then yelled, “The woodshop is on fire!” “Call the fire department!” “Get the vehicles out!”
Fire Devastation
Many fire departments responded to the fire. The firemen called it an “all-nighter”. Obviously, the wood shop contained a lot of fuel for the fire. The firemen were able to save some wood stored in the lower level of the barn as well as the wood piles stored outside but the rest was a total loss—machinery, patterns, lumber in the barn, and finished furniture in the storage area waiting to be delivered to customers.
During the fire, I (Ava Lee) went to find George. He was sitting on an upside down bucket between the lumber yard and the burning barn. He looked at me and said, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord”, a quote from Job in the Bible.
Clean-up Crew
Over the next two days, neighborhood farmers and men from churches in the area came with machines and chain saws to help clean up the ruins. Women brought food to feed the hungry workers. The Brotherly Aid Insurance Company came immediately to assess the damage and quickly gave approval to release funds allowing the rebuilding process to begin within days of the fire.
A Craftsman Turns General Contractor
Following the lead of one of our craftsman, an experienced builder, our entire team of craftsmen became carpenters as they helped to build a new woodshop where the old woodshop once stood. No one was injured in the fire or during reconstruction process. The new roof rafters were set on a drizzly day in May,1989, a month that held a record-breaking 10 inches of rain. Within 3 months of the fire, one wing of the woodshop was built and we were back to crafting solid wood furniture! Our craftsman rebuilt the furniture that was lost in the fire, while work continued on the rebuilding the rest of the shop.
A New Shop Brings Efficiency, a New Kiln, a Showroom, and More!
George often said, “I was happy with the shop in the dairy barn. When God took away that one, He must have wanted me to have a new one.” The new one is more efficient, and more conducive to giving shop tours. The new shop includes room for a showroom and a wood-drying kiln on the first level.
We’d love for you to stop in! Come by and check out our shop and view our gorgeous solid wood, handcrafted furniture!
by Juanita | Feb 24, 2020 | 50th anniversary, Ava Lee's History Corner, Chair, Rocking Chairs
High Chair Designed
There is a saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. George and I spent our first year of marriage in the mountains of West Virginia. While there, I became pregnant with our first child. After spending a year there, we moved back to Elizabethtown, PA, Lancaster County in November 1969. George got a job at a saw mill where he learned about grades of hardwood lumber. In April our daughter, Juanita, was born. When she learned to sit up, George and I went shopping for a high chair. After a discouraging time of searching and not finding one that we liked, George said, “I think I will make one.” I looked at him in disbelief.
“I think I will make one.
“Oh yes, George”, I said, “I know that you can make things with wood, but a high chair with a tray? That seems quite complicated.” Well, I have learned not to question my husband when he says he will do something, because there isn’t much that he won’t try and with success. The high chair that he built has survived 4 children and is now in the historical museum section of the showroom. When we have family dinners that require 2 high chairs, the first high chair comes into my house to be used for one of my grandchildren.
Child’s High Chair legacy
After making the high chair, George made chairs for our table, replacing the folding chairs that we had received as a wedding gift. Soon after that, he designed:
- A rocking chair that will not tip over.
- Chairs of all sizes to go with the tables he was making,
- Arm chairs
- Intermediate chair for children ages 3-8.
- Swivel chairs for the bar
- Swivel desk chairs.
All chairs are made with a 2 inch plank bottom seat shaped for comfort, designed for strength. The eight sided rungs create extra strength and are inserted at precise angles, providing long lasting service.
“Necessity is the mother of invention”
It all began because our daughter needed a high chair. Come and explore the new ideas that were started by a unfulfilled need that Georges craftsmen listen and then created one-of-a-kind heirlooms that will serve for years to come. The wood shop and showrooms are located in the heart of Lancaster County’s farmland along the Susquehanna River. Enjoy the peaceful surroundings of nature as you create furniture that meets your need and brings nature’s beauty into the home.
