by Juanita | Feb 3, 2021 | 50th anniversary, Ava Lee's History Corner, Chair, Rocking Chairs, Tables
Legacy begins
George’s legacy began in 1970, in a 8×12 ft shed in the back yard. A small collection of hand and powered tools along with raw lumber started the foundation that turned a hobby into a thriving business. While he worked at a local sawmill, he collected his own raw lumber by cutting some trees at a neighbor’s property, taking the logs to a sawmill, and drying the wood in a neighbor’s barn. Once the wood was dried properly, George took his natural talent and blessed his wife with handmade furniture.
First legacy furniture style
The first style of furniture George made depended on the small number of tools that were in his tool collection. The louvered doors and live edge shelves permeated the first furniture crafted. George used a 2×2 ft table saw to cut the slats for the louvered door panels and fit them into the door frame. A hand-held drill served as a hole maker for the 8 sized rungs. The table saw helped him made the 8-sided rungs. By turning his hand held belt sander upside down and wedging it into a vice grip he created a way to sand a taper into each rung end.
First woods used
Walnut and butternut wood were the first species of wood that George used for his furniture. Walnut wood contains a natural dark and light sections to the wood grain. The first 15 years of new growth is blond in color before it turns into a dark brown color. This is known as the sapwood and heart wood of a tree. Since Butternut wood naturally looks blond like walnut sapwood, George chose to use butternut wood for the shelves and the live edge of walnut for the rest of the furniture.
First piece created
In 1970, George designed and built a live edge bookcase with open shelves and storage below. Without the equipment to make raised panel doors, he utilized the antique louvered construction for doors and the back. Two thin rungs behind the doors provided a place to store vinyl records. On the bottom of the bookcase, we noticed that George used a yellow lumber crayon (tough, non-fade, water resistant crayon used in the forestry industry.) for signing his signature along with the date and place of construction. His typical signature included his first two initials and ended with his last name. The place was Lancaster county, PA. The written year finished the personal identification of authenticity.
After a fruitless search for a high-chair, George shocked Ava Lee by announcing his plan to make a high-chair for his young daughter. Chairs are one of the most difficult pieces of furniture to design and create for durability and longevity. Making the rungs, contouring the seat, designing the tray, drilling the precise angles, and assembling all the parts is quite an engineering feat. Georges presented the new highchair to their first daughter upon its completion. Later each child did their best to escape the grips of the highchair tray. Some even fell asleep.
Additional items in legacy collection
For Christmas of 1972, George designed a stereo cabinet to house the record player and stereo unit that he gifted to his wife, Ava Lee as a wedding present. The cabinet held the record player, two large speakers, and media storage. On the record player lid, it is inscribed, “To My Beloved Family for Christmas of 1972.” GBMartin, Lancaster County, PA, in lead pencil, protected by a water-resistant finish. Several other items in the original collection are live edge end tables, coffee table, and a small bench.
Next came tables and chairs
Once a highchair design was complete, the next step was dining chairs. Continuing the 8-sided rungs and contours seat, George built his first dining chair for Ava Lee, Christmas of 1971. He enlisted the services of Ebersole’s chair shop for steam bending of the chair backs. As a result of one completed chair the rest of the chair set arrived for Ava Lee’s birthday in January 1972. While their first daughter enjoyed the handmade highchair, she was pushed out by a second child. However, this created a problem because she could not comfortably sit on a regular chair and eat at the table. No problem, dad to the rescue. Soon a child’s chair arrived that was an intermediate height between a highchair and regular chair.
The second child also brought another want; a rocking chair. Good to his promise of providing for his family, George met another engineering challenge head on. He created not only a comfortable rocking chair with all its unique angles but also a rocker that does not tip over. The first rocker showed up on Valentines day for Ava Lee, 1972. The second rocking chair with arms was signed “To my beloved family 1972, GBMartin, Lancaster County, PA.” 1974 brought the creation of the first table, a 42 inch square walnut 4 legged table. However when the family needed a larger table, George converted the table into an extension table and donated it to Heartsease Home, a girls home in New York City.
Explore the museum
Our second showroom displays many of the original furniture designed and created by George Martin. Meet our Founder, George Martin as he talks (videos) about the different processes of making furniture. Visit our furniture store and wood shop soon for a personal look at the quality and craftsmanship that George passed onto his craftsmen.
by Juanita | Sep 26, 2020 | Ava Lee's History Corner, Customer Experience, George's Furniture, Hutch
It all started when Bob and Rachel visited their friend’s home. They noticed beautiful furniture skillfully placed around the living space. Furniture of this quality is hard to find. However, after years of searching, they finally found it right in their friends home. When questioned where the beautiful furniture came from, their friends ecstatically shared the journey that ended at George’s Furniture, Marietta, PA.
Journey begins
Bob had a remodeling project scheduled. After four years the new addition neared completion. Subsequently, they planned a trip to Lancaster County. A beautiful drive from Vermont to Pennsylvania brought Bob and Rachel to George’s Furniture’s showrooms and the wood working shop. During a wood shop tour, Bob and Rachel saw the craftsmen skillfully creating quality heirlooms. Finally they knew this was the birthplace of their new dining room furniture.
Built your way
They met with Anthony and started the journey of designing their desired dining space. After the order was placed and the waiting began. As an added benefit, Anthony sent several pictures of their furniture progression through the wood shop in the different build stages.
Bob quotes,
“Anthony did a fantastic job of working with us patiently while we determined what we wanted even to the point of thinking outside the box of choices to design the legs of the hall tree to match the table legs.”
Careful Delivery
Upon completion, the delivery personnel carefully blanket wrapped the furniture and skillfully placed it in the van for its trip to Vermont. A warm and excited reception greeted Chris and Juanita after a long 8 hour trip in the delivery van. Several neighbors eagerly waited, ready with open arms to transport the table, chairs, table leaf storage, large hutch, buffet, hall tree and 2 non-tip rocking chairs into the house.
“We knew the kind of quality we could expect but when the dining room furniture arrived, we were blown away by the quality of each piece individually and how the whole room of furniture fit together.”
Quality on Display
Rachel’s excitement exploded as she shared their journey discovering George’s Furniture. She looks forward to gathering everyone around the same table in their newly remodeled dining room. Bob and Rachel joined the family of George’s satisfied customer that can’t contain their excitement and love for their furniture. Join the family and create you next new piece of furniture. Come and see where your furniture is built or contact us to started the journey.
by Juanita | Mar 15, 2019 | George's Furniture
In an ever-changing world with ever-changing styles, how do you create a space in your home that reflects your personality, your likes and interests, and captures the essence of who you are? It’s not an easy thing for most of us to do, but furniture trends and buying trends are leaning toward one thing: buyers prefer products that have a story behind them.
Many people today are gravitating toward the unique, one-of-a-kind specialty items that no one else has. Custom design and design your own are often searched in the world of online shopping. It seems we no longer crave the off-the-shelf, in-the-box options. We are looking for handcrafted authenticity.
Handcrafted authenticity is a growing trend in furniture in 2019. Designer Andria Mitsakos states in this Elle Decor article that, “A return to handcrafted authenticity, especially when it comes to furniture and decorative arts versus buying mass produced pieces will be much more popular in 2019.” In the same article, Joy Cho, founder and creative director of Oh Joy! states, “A trend I see in furniture is a move towards handmade, custom pieces. People want to know the stories of where their pieces came from. They want to know who made it and what process was involved.”
In addition, Architectural Digest reports that, “In what might come as little surprise to those designers who have watched their clients (and, likely, themselves) grow weary of the array of easily accessible offerings presented by e-commerce over the past few years and instead yearn for more unique finds, a desire for custom and one-of-a-kind items topped the survey results. Nearly half of designers polled (49 percent) plan to source artisan-made, one-of-a-kind pieces in 2019, up from 42 percent last year. Meanwhile, 58 percent say they customize the pieces they source for clients, up from 44 percent last year.” (You can read the full report here.)
Not surprisingly, in an interview with Carla Aston of Carla Aston design, HGTV found that “Darker woods are getting more attention and being used in ways that are clean and simple, yet refined.”
For almost 50 years, George’s Furniture has been bringing to life our client’s furniture dreams using solid wood with time-tested assembly methods. This ensures our clients get their perfect piece. Each piece of George’s custom-made furniture is handcrafted right in our workshop then signed by its maker. There is no factory assembly line – just skilled craftsmen who lovingly follow each piece from the selection of the lumber to the final detail.
See for yourself the handcrafted authenticity of George’s Furniture. We offers tours of our woodshop and showrooms Monday through Friday. Come visit, hear our story, meet our craftsmen, and design a custom piece of solid wood furniture just for you.
by Juanita | Sep 22, 2018 | Accessories, Events, Gifts
George’s Furniture Featured at Sugarloaf
The Sugarloaf craft show season will be here before you know it and George’s Furniture is thrilled to be part of it again this fall. We meet so many wonderful people and we have so much fun showing off all the wonderful pieces we’ve created. See current show/events schedule.
The Festival brings together over 300 talented artists from across America displaying their creations and attracts over 200,000 total shoppers each year. Shoppers enjoy the unique experience of fine craftsmanship all under one roof and can choose to come for one day or all three. Come meet the artists who are excited to share their passion!
Discover Skilled Artists near you!
2018 Schedule:
- October 12-14, Timonium, MD
- October 19-21, Chantilly, VA
- November 2-4, Oaks, PA
- November 9-11, Edison, NJ
- November 16-18, Gaithersburg, MD
- December 7-9, Chantilly, VA
Check current show/event schedule
New items
Some items you can look forward to seeing from George’s Furniture. This year we’ll be showcasing our NEW LED light. The Cascading Lamp features a levered construction with an LED light illuminating the natural wood grain of the levels below. This design is reminiscent of the beautiful style found at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Waters House. Display a favorite picture, medal, or keepsake on the smaller shelf while enjoying the ambient light and natural beauty. The levered design is also available as a modern wall shelf.
Famous Extension Table
Our world famous extension table will be on display, come experience an extension table that begins as a 4 person table for small gatherings but can later extend over 13 ft with ease and gracefulness to accommodate families and friends. Our table is so easy to open, you simply just grab the end of the table and open the table to your desired length. Seating everyone around one table has never been easier and more comfortable. Stop by our booth to see first hand the natural wood grain beauty and craftsmanship characteristic of George’s furniture.
Can’t attend, come see us in Lancaster, PA
If you can’t make it out to the festival this year, don’t worry! We’re happy to meet you in our showroom and show you these lovely items one-on-one.
Hope to see you out at the Festival!
by Juanita | Apr 5, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
At George’s Furniture, each handcrafted, hardwood piece goes on a thorough journey before taking its place in a customer’s home. We begin by harvesting native trees and slow-drying the rough sawn lumber in house. Our kiln reduces stress cracks which occur when accelerating the drying process. The slow-drying process also prevents loose joints, splitting, and warping. Our craftsmen are extremely careful in caring for every single piece of furniture produced in our woodshop.
Lovingly Handcrafted, From Start to Finish
Once the wood has been slowly dried, construction takes place. From start to finish, our talented craftsmen take particular care in creating each chair, table, stool, etc. by hand. Our furniture is cut, lathed, and sanded by hand to the exact specifications from our customers.
Hand Staining
Before final inspection, your hardwood furniture is assembled and taken to our special staining station. 
Our craftsman hand rubs your specified color into the wood of your choice.
Spray on First Coat of Finish
Once the stain has dried thoroughly and completely, the piece is taken into the dust-free spray booth where two coats of premium-quality clear, water-resistant finish are applied to all sides of the piece—including top, bottom, outside, and inside—sealing and protecting this long-lasting piece from moisture and other elements when exposed to natural wear throughout its lifetime.
Dry – Hand Sand – Second Clear Coat
The first coat of finish is dried and sanded, and the second coat is followed by a close inspection to ensure smoothness and full coverage.
Our Most Popular Finishes
- Natural black walnut blend (black walnut heartwood and sapwood) pictured
- Cherry wood with cinnamon stain
- Cherry wood with dark mahogany stain
Each piece at George’s Furniture is carefully inspected to make sure it meets our high standards. Call us today to take a tour of our furniture store in Lancaster, PA! Tour our woodshop and showroom so that you can see our furniture making process in real-time—as well as the finished products!
