by Juanita | Sep 5, 2018 | Team Bio
Passing on The Legacy
Juanita Horst is the proud owner of the family-run George’s Furniture. She initially started getting involved in the furniture making industry while assisting her father with work in the woodshop and helping at craft shows. Later, she strengthened her communication abilities by assisting in customer service and answering phones in the showroom. She also became heavily involved in website design and other computer needs. Juanita has now dedicated 15 years to George’s Furniture and loves every minute!
Sharing Quality
Her favorite part about working at George’s Furniture is being able to share the quality of their handcrafted solid wood furniture with their customers. She absolutely loves hearing comments like:
“Wow! That is a long table” or “Quality handcrafted furniture is still being made today” or “That’s a strong table.” –Customer’s Review
Seeing the excitement when customers realize that furniture can be constructed out of 100% solid hardwood, signed and dated by one craftsman, made their way is truly a treat. Juanita thoroughly enjoys providing woodshop tours and helping customers with their design ideas to bless their home for many years to come.
Web Design
The most interesting experience that Juanita has had during her 15 years was being able to transform the George’s website and set up their accounting and customer records digitally. In her free time, she enjoys scrapbooking and reading.
Head into George’s to say hello to Juanita and the rest of the team during your in-depth woodshop tour!
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.
Handmade Furniture Store Begins
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 was a dreamer and deep thinker. Whether in the middle of the night, or the lawn mower 
or just relaxing under a tree, he was working on new ideas or processing life. “The Place where dreams come true” was true for George as well as his customers. His love for wood working blesses not only his employees but also his customers.
Hidden Potential Discovered
George saw the potential in a piece of wood that others might set aside. He saw potential in each of his craftsmen. He loved watching his craftsmen enjoying their work and the satisfaction that come from building the complete piece of handcrafted furniture from start to finishing with their unique signature.
“Georges saw the gifts and potential in me, taking my love of wood and people, and steered me towards sales and design. I still love wood and enjoy working with people.” -Anthony
Passion Expressed
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. Working with George and feeling his passion for wood and people clearly impresses our customers. The personal experience is what our customers enjoy over the decades. Georges passed away in 2010 but you can still feel George’s passion by visiting our video page. Experience first-hand as George narrates and shares his passion for woodworking.
Legacy Carried On
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
Tour Georges Furniture
Here at George’s, we pride ourselves on our deep Lancaster County roots. Our craft has 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. A personal 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 | Coffee End Table, George's Furniture, Office
How do I choose a wood for my custom solid wood furniture?
At George’s Furniture, every piece of furniture is made from high-quality hardwood. It is crafted from start to finish by one of our highly-skilled craftsmen. The use of hardwood for our furniture is especially crucial to our business as it ensures longevity and durability. Each piece of furniture comes in a gorgeous design and long-lasting finish with your choice of wood and stain. We can help you select the right wood that will provide a look of elegance to match the décor of any room or office. Part of the decision in choosing a wood variety will be preference (color, appearance). However part of the deciding factor should also be practicality, including the weight of the finished piece.
Not only is wood a sustainable and renewable resource but purchasing wood furniture from a locally-run and USA based company boosts the local economy and provides American jobs in the forest products industry. Hardwood is also durable, natural and draws people into the beauty of the real wood with its color variations and character. Our 100% hardwood furniture comes in 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.
Black Walnut
Black walnut come from the same tree as the walnut blend however the lumber selected for the furniture is taken from the center of the tree. Walnut is not as busy looking while it displays the natural grain patterns of the more mature growth rings.
Both the black walnut and the black walnut blend are air dried which makes it less stressful on the wood itself, retaining its natural beauty of the color variation. In choosing this particular wood, know that it is finished with a clear and water-resistant finish to enhance its natural beauty without staining the wood. Black Walnut has a flowing, feathery grain.
Cherry Wood
Our Cherry Wood is naturally lighter red in color with a beautiful flowing grain. This gorgeous choice of wood is typically stained. 15 different variety of stains are available 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.
Regardless of the wood type you choose, the furniture is protected with our water-resistant clear finish, inside and out, top and bottom. Our finish will protect your furniture for decades to come. Each piece of furniture is signed and dated by the craftsman who built it. Head on into our furniture store in Lancaster county, PA to learn more about our crafting process and to take a tour with us!
by Juanita | Jul 25, 2018 | Customization, George's Furniture
We pride ourselves on our efficient and quality crafting process, bringing an artisan touch to every single piece that goes through our shop. We provide an unwavering commitment to delivering superior quality to all of our customers. Let’s walk through our crafting process to see how our talented craftsmen achieve those elegant styles for each piece.
Drying the Lumber
We slow dry the rough-sawn lumber in our kiln video (which is heated using wood trimmings from projects) to reduce stress cracks that may occur in the grain if it dries too quickly. Over time, the moisture in the wood can lead to loose joints, splits and even warping. Some lumber will even dry for several years before it is ready to be crafted into furniture. Our lumber is then stored in a climate-controlled building until it is needed to retain the integrity of the lumber.
Construction
Each and every piece has a craftsman that is chosen to handcraft that piece from start to finish. Our craftsman will review the plans, select the boards and processes the boards (Video) through our joiners, planers and table saws until the pieces are ready to be glued. The craftsman will then carefully cut, turn and sand each piece to the exact customer specifications. Each table leg and bed finial is then individually hand turned on a lathe. Precise hand sanding throughout the assembly process ensures proper fit and finish.
Finishing
After the piece of furniture is assembled, it is taken to the staining station where the craftsmen will hand rub the color-specified stain into the wood. After the stain has thoroughly dried, the piece will be taken into the dust-filtering spray booth where two coats of a premium-quality clear, water-resistant finish are applied (video) to the entire piece to protect it from moisture. The first coat of finish is dried and sanded and after the second coat, the piece is closely inspected for smoothness and coverage.
Final Inspection
Each piece is very carefully inspected to make sure it exceeds George’s Furniture quality standards. The furniture is then dated and signed by the craftsmen to show pride in the artisanship of the piece.
