by Jill Diffenderfer | Dec 4, 2018 | George's Furniture, Tables
Nothing compares to the excitement and joy of the holiday season! Perhaps the biggest part of the holidays is gathering around the table for a meal together. Sometimes it’s family, sometimes it’s friends, sometimes it’s large groups and sometimes small. No matter who is gathered around the table, the times of gathering are precious.
A recent study revealed that 40% of American families eat dinner together only three or fewer times a week. This means that the act of gathering around the table for the holidays is even more special. It provides a unique opportunity for families to connect with each other and to make memories for years to come.
A study by the American College of Pediatricians shows that the simple act of sharing a meal together has the following overall benefits in children and teens:
Academic: Teenagers that dine around the table are more likely to get better grades. Aside from this, children expand their vocabulary based on how they hear words used in conversation. In addition, researchers have found a link between early childhood language experiences and literacy skills in high school.
Nutrition: According to the American College of Pediatricians, children who eat their meals at the table have healthful dietary patterns and are more likely to eat healthier foods.
Less screen time: Family dinners naturally reduce the time that children and teens spend looking at their screens and increase the time that they spend interacting with each other.
Reduced risk: Teens who eat regular meals at the table have a decreased risk of drug, nicotine, and alcohol use and are less likely to choose friends who use these products. In addition, eating meals around the table reduced the teenagers likelihood to engage in sexual activity and/or struggle with depression.
Positive relationships: Frequent family meals around the table results in a higher likelihood of having excellent relationships within the family unit. In fact teens were twice as likely to have good relationships with their fathers and siblings, and one and half times more likely to have an excellent relationship with their mother.
Reduced Stress: Emotional stress is also reduced with the simple additional of family meals around the table. In fact, 71% of teenagers studied said they “consider talking/catching up, and spending time with family members as the best part of family dinners”.
Satisfaction: Additionally, teens who ate frequent family meals were shown to be more helpful and trusting, have fewer behavioral and emotional problems, and ultimately, have a higher satisfaction with life, regardless of financial status.
Editor’s Note: To view the complete study, click here.
With these benefits in mind, the table becomes that much more important, not just for the holidays, but for the ins and outs of daily life.
At George’s Furniture, we treasure those times around the table. To us, a table means stability, strength, spontaneity, and assurance. Just as something as simple as eating meals around the table can literally change your life, the table itself can become a precious family heirloom for years to come.
Whatever your style, no matter how many seats you need, a George’s Furniture table can become that special place. Not just for the holidays, but for the every-days.
So, gather around the table and enjoy many happy holidays from all of us at George’s Furniture!
Please enjoy one of our favorite recipes as you gather around your table this holiday season. Simply right click to download the image for printing or visit Taste of Home. As always, you are welcome to visit George’s to discover the quality and craftsmanship behind each table and chair we create. Click here to schedule your tour today!
by Juanita | Dec 1, 2018 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Events, George's Furniture
In November of 1968, I married George, a farmer with woodworking interests. Our first year was spent in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. A veneer factory, that gave away their scraps of veneer, provided material for making baskets and lampshades. George walked the forests looking for interesting shapes of wood for making live edge lamp bases.
A year later, back in Pennsylvania, George worked in a sawmill. In his spare time, George cut his own trees, drying the lumber and making crosscut stools and log benches.
In 1970, he made his first piece of furniture, a high chair for daughter, Juanita. He built a portable building for a showroom and moved it to a prime tourist area in Lancaster for the summertime. He sold hand-turned lamps, stools and nameplates, made while the customer waited.
As the family grew, he made side chairs and later a table. Remembering his experience of tipping over his Mother’s rocking chair, he proceeded to design one that would doesn’t tip over. I recall his excitement when he came home that day and said, “I know that God guided my hand when I designed that rocking chair”.
So a hobby transformed into a business. He found talented employees and the news of quality furniture spread across the country. Loyal customers continued to share their love for furniture. Looking back at the steps we took and the opportunities that came our way, our engagement motto couldn’t be more true, “Looking unto Jesus, We Follow”.
by Jill Diffenderfer | Nov 21, 2018 | Forestry Management, George's Furniture
At George’s Furniture, we believe that incorporating earth-friendly processes into our furniture-making and doing our part in preserving our natural resources ensures the success of future generations.
According to Dan Meyer, editor of the Hardwood Weekly Review, hardwood growing stock inventories were 3 to 12% higher in 2017 than 10 years earlier in each of the four subregions of the East. Additionally, East-wide volumes were up 7%. What does this mean to us and to you, our valuable clients?
It simply means that despite a 10-year depression in global demand, as a nation we are turning that depression around by increasing active management of our hardwood forests to ensure their health, productivity, and sustainability.
At George’s, we are very conscious of our natural resources. Our shop is set up to make the most of each slab of wood that comes through our door. By streamlining our process to eliminate our woody waste, we do our part to ensure that not only are you getting the best quality in solid wood furniture but that our environmental footprint is minimal.
Using hardwoods native to our region such as Cherry, Red Oak, Maple, and Black Walnut goes a long way in ensuring both quality and low environmental impact. We take extra measures to ensure that our wood is harvested at the right time and to rigid specifications. We slow dry our rough-sawn Black Walnut in our own kiln and moisture check the commercially dried Cherry, Oak and Maple. Why? Because, if not dried properly, the wood may form stress cracks that result in costly waste. Additionally, any moisture that remains in the wood after drying can lead to loose joints and warping. This would be a disservice to you, our client, and to the environment.
Throughout the design process, our craftsmen are conscious of minimizing waste. Our craftsmen thoroughly review the design and carefully select the wood that will be used to create the requested piece. Each board is processed with care, while legs or finials are hand-turned on a lathe. Meticulous attention is paid during the assembly process to ensure a proper fit and finish.
If you would like to learn more about our environmentally-friendly furniture making process, please contact us to schedule your personal tour. We look forward to seeing you soon!
by Juanita | Aug 28, 2018 | George's Furniture
At the age of 10, George Martin had an extensive interest in woodworking. In response to a mishap with his mother’s rocker, he designed a rocking chair that would not go over backward. George decided to turn his love for the woodworking craft, that started as a hobby, into a thriving business that would soon be passed down through generations.
George founded George’s Woodcrafts in 1970 which specialized in handcrafted, solid hardwood furniture for customers who appreciated quality construction. Since 1975, the business has operated at the present farm located just outside of the historic Maytown, in Lancaster County, PA.
George’s passion was evident as he related to his customers. He loved sharing his ideas and details of solid hardwood furniture crafting with everyone. Hobby woodworkers indulged in his extensive knowledge and spend hours listening to his stories. Visit our video page for a first-hand experience as George narrates and shares his passion for woodworking.
In 2008, George reached retirement and turned his business over to his talented daughter Juanita and husband Chris Horst. Both Juanita and Chris have gone on to carry along the family legacy and share the dedication to quality that George’s customers have come to expect.
To learn more about us, visit us for an in-depth tour of our facilities!
by Juanita | Aug 21, 2018 | George's Furniture
Here at George’s, we pride ourselves on our deep Lancaster County roots and having a craft that has been passed down through generations. We love when visitors stop in for a woodshop tour to learn more about us. Schedule your today!
Our tours offer a fun and informative experience that takes you through a guided tour of our woodshop and showrooms. Knowledgeable tour guides offer an in depth look at how George’s Furniture is handcrafted by one craftsman, one piece at a time.
While we would LOVE to meet each of you in person, we know that not all of you will be able to stop in for a tour. If you are unable to stop by, we encourage you to visit our website and view our videos detailing a previous tour we provided for PNC Tours!
Our tour hours are Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 4 pm, and Friday from 9 am – 2 pm.
by Juanita | Aug 14, 2018 | George's Furniture
With each piece of furniture comes a gorgeous design and long-lasting finish with your choice of wood and stain. Each selection of wood will provide a much different look of elegance to match the decor of any room or office.
Our 100% hardwood pieces come in either Walnut, Cherry, Oak or Hard Maple with a variety of different stain options. While each wood boasts its own glory, why choose one over the other? Let’s find out.
Natural Black Walnut Blend
This blend is natural walnut using both the dark inner heartwood along with the lighter sapwood, revealing a gorgeous color combination. The central part of the tree is dark brown in color, while the outer layers of sapwood are a light off-white color.
Our talented artisans choose the boards that have both the sapwood as well as the heartwood grain of the walnut tree. The arrangement of the board is an important aspect of the crafting as it creates a unique natural flow of grain.
The black walnut is air dried which makes it less stressful on the wood itself, retaining its natural beauty of the color variation. By choosing this particular wood, it is usually finished with a clear and water-resistant finish to enhance its natural beauty without staining the wood.
Cherry Wood
Our Cherry Wood is naturally lighter red in color with a beautiful flowing grain. This gorgeous choice of wood is typically stained, offering our customers a variety of 15 different stains to choose from – from light red to dark red and everything in between. The elegant and rich looking result is very popular among our customers.
Red Oak
This choice of wood has a distinct, bold grain that is naturally light golden in color. Our customers choose from about 15 different stains for this hardwood which highlights the darker part of the grain. Red oak is about 15% heavier which is an important characteristic to note for our customers.
Hard Maple
Maple has a naturally light creamy color. It displays a smooth flowing grain for a softer look. It is very dense and needs to have the grain raised so that stain can penetrate into the wood. The natural maple is an attractive accent when combined with darker woods like walnut or stained cherry. Create your own unique accent piece that is a one-of-a-kind, signed and dated.
Head on into our shop to learn more about our crafting process and to take a tour with us!
