Georges Difference – Why shop handmade furniture York Lancaster

Georges Difference – Why shop handmade furniture York Lancaster

You’ve surfed the web hours on end, looking for quality handcrafted wooden furniture. Countless articles and pages from numerous furniture companies across the country use similar terms such as handcrafted furniture, hardwood construction, and custom build. Companies make bold claims that their furniture is the best. But it begs the question. What makes their furniture the best? How does their furniture differ from competitors’, or even what makes good furniture? These are excellent questions. There are many aspects portraying the world of furniture that contribute to a piece being truly outstanding. At Georges Furniture, we don’t aim to meet the regular standards for constructing furniture. We strive to rise above and beyond in our manufacture of excellence and quality. In the following paragraphs, you will learn about the numerous ways we take our game to the next level.

Dining Table to Fit any number of parties

If you have a large family, you may very well be acquainted with the term, extension table. As the name insinuates, it extends, allowing you to seat more members of the family so everyone can partake in a wonderful meal. Many tables extend to fit two or three leaves, but this limitation leaves much to be desired. That’s why we make our tables to extend to fit anywhere from six to sixteen leaves to accommodate even the largest dining rooms.

Where to store all those leavesdeluxe 6 leaf storage cabinet

Now, it is common knowledge to those who own extensions tables that storage for these wooden table leaves is a necessity. Many resort to slipping them beneath beds or stuffing them into cramped closets, but for solid hardwood leaves, these conditions are not ideal. What is uncommon knowledge is that wooden boards need to breath. Wooden leaves breath to regulate their moisture levels and prevent mold from setting into the grain. As an added layer of protection against excess moisture, we always coat both sides of the leave with a catalyzed conversion varnish. Furthermore, leaves should be stored upright to prevent bowing and warping from gravity’s pull.  Read More.

Leaf Storage Solution

In the early stages of extension table development, the issue of leaf storage quickly rose to the forefront of our minds. Some manufacturers even built storage areas within the table itself, but that kind of storage is limited. Instead, we took what we knew about proper leaf care and, after testing different prototypes, landed on a revolutionary piece of furniture so unique that it created a category of its own. The leaf storage. We designed this new piece of furniture to meet every requirement set in front of us.  See the storage options.

no water marks durable finish dining room table furniture store in lancaster

Walnut Blend on Table with clear water resistant finish repelling water.

No More Water Marks

If you’ve ever accidently left your glass of water on your coffee table without a coaster, you understand the frustration of lifting the glass and finding a watermark stained on the wooden surface. You promise you won’t forget the coaster next time, but what if I told you remembering a coaster wasn’t necessary? With our furniture, it isn’t. We finish every piece of furniture with a water-resistant catalyzed conversion varnish to protect the grain from the marring effects of watermarks. Inside and out, front and back, even the parts unseen are protected against hard use and floods of water.

100% Solid Hardwood – No waste

Are you tired of searching for quality furniture, only to find most pieces include particle board or plywood in their construction? With our furniture, this is never an issue. We use solid hardwood in every inch of our furniture. Even scraps left over from the furniture making process are chopped up and fed into our furnace to heat our slow, air-drying kiln, enabling us to preserve the richness of our Black Walnut wood. The furnace also heats the woodshop, providing a comfortable atmosphere for our craftsmen.

Moving Chairs

Chairs take the prize for being the most used piece of furniture in your household. Whether you’re enjoying a meal around the kitchen table, working on math homework, or reaching for the cookie jar on the top shelf, the first thing you search for to aid your plight is a sturdy chair. No matter what your daily lifestyle looks like, you depend on chairs more than you realize. To ensure our chairs meet expectations, we make our chair rungs with eight sides. The eight-sided rung design is stronger and lasts longer than the more commonly available turned rungs. Each rung is precision sanded and properly sized to fit into a thick seat. So, the next time your guest leans back in their chair, you can enjoy the meal knowing you won’t be reaching for the wood glue for unexpected repairs.  We even designed stackable chairs for ease of storage.

Guaranteed Authentic Quality – Signed and Dated

We’ve talked a lot about quality, but how can we guarantee it? Many companies nowadays make useeach custom furniture is signed by craftsman who made it from start to finish craftsman's signature constructed in lancaster county furniture store of assembly lines to manufacture their product at the fastest rate possible. While this technique is great for efficiency, it often has its drawbacks. One of which is the downgrade of quality. We don’t believe in assembly lines where every person has one job and one job only. Each of our expert craftsman construct a piece from start to finish, paying close attention to every detail. Once finished, they pen their signature and the date of completion on a concealed section of the piece. You can rest assured that the piece you commissioned from us is of the highest quality possible.

care for solid wood furnitureSpace Saving Solid Hardwood Drawers

Drawers are a necessity included in nearly every piece of furniture, but have you ever pulled the drawer out to find an abundance of space behind it, unused and empty? That space is prime real-estate that you could be using, plus it quickly becomes a black hole, stealing your clothing to be lost for an eternity behind your drawers. At Georges, you’ll never have to worry about unused space. Every drawer we make fills the space perfectly, giving you the most storage possible for that extra blanket, another pair of socks, or maybe even that candy you’ve been hiding from the kids since Easter.  Even the bottoms of the drawers are 100% solid hardwood matching the outside of the cabinet. Whether drawers are in a dresser, nightstand, armoire, hall table, hutch or chest of drawers, the drawers will serve with strong heavy-duty full extension hardware for decades to come.

No Creaky BedsBed slats to support Queen and King Beds

Looking for a bed that’s truly one of a kind? Our custom designed handmade bed rooms are just what you need to take your sleep to the next level! Made from the finest solid hardwood and featuring strong hardware and bed slats, these beds are built to last a lifetime.

Remember those creaky sounds of the bed rails and floor boards as you try to quietly sneak out to the bathroom at midnight.  How about that new king or queen mattress that requires extra support for their warranty to be maintained. Georges uses strong bed rail hardware to secure the side rails into the headboard and footboard.  Two strong metal hooks feed into a metal plate giving the bed rail a secure fit.  Each of the under bed slats are made out of strong oak 1 inch think boards. The king and queen beds slats have a center support leg to hold the weight of a large mattresses. Explore our bedroom gallery.

Functional Cove Crowns

Hutches stand proudly as a signature piece in the dinning room. They often display delicate pieces of fine China or store your fancy plates for special occasions. These mammoths of the furniture community are also known for their noble stature and royal crowns. To most manufacturers, the coved crown, the top rim of the hutch, is simply a novelty. It adds decoration to enhance the furniture’s appearance. The crown extends above the top of the hutch, leaving a ton of unused space to collect dust. In contrast, George’s crowns are functional.  We never leave valuable space vacant. The roofs of our hutches extend all the way to the top of the crown, giving you more functional storage within the piece to use at your pleasure. Read more.

Custom Design

We take pride in creating unique and beautiful furniture pieces that are tailored to your individual style and needs. Our skilled designers work closely with you to design and craft custom furniture. From rustic to modern styles, we bring your vision to life with exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship. Our custom handcrafted furniture is not only beautiful but also functional, practical, and long-lasting. Whether you’re looking for a statement piece for your living room, entertainment suite or a custom dining table for your home, our team is dedicated to delivering a personalized experience that exceeds your expectations.

Easy Access Side Doors

Another neat aspect, specific to our curio cabinets, is the inclusion of side doors. While other companies build cabinets with only front facing doors, the side doors incorporated into our builds enable a painless installment of the shelves, relieving you of the awkward battle to insert them from the front. The side doors also make it easier to display your large collectibles that never seem to fit through any opening. As an added bonus, our shelves also come with precut plate grooves, perfect for displaying your favorite platters.

Choosing the Right Office Furniture

The shift from going to work and working from home has changed over the years. What are some items to consider when creating a functional space for home office or an executive suite. First measure your space. What size will best fit best with space to move around. Next plan for growth. Will you entertain clients or small meetings? Ergonomics and budget are valuable considerations. Each piece of office furniture is designed to fit the space and style while enduring years of hard use.

How to Clean & Care for Your Solid Wood Furniture

The finish used on all of Georges Furniture is a durable, catalyzed conversion varnish and the best we have found. No need for Coasters and a complete table cloth to cover and protect the table.walnut blend extension table

  • Weekly Care – Use a damp cloth to wipe off the furniture. Use of duster spray is ok: however, avoid sprays that contain wax because they may cause undesirable build-up to form on the finish.
  • Occasional Special Care – When you polish your furniture, or want to remove fingerprints, use a good grade furniture polish. We use Old English Lemon Oil. Guardsman is also good.
  • See what things to avoid and what to do for dents and scratches. Here.

Lets Review

Why George’s furniture stands out among other furniture. Each craftsman signs and dates your custom made 100% solid hardwood heirloom furniture that is protected with a clear water-resistant conversion varnish. Be mesmerized by the natural grain of the ever growing extension table that is designed to meet your everyday table size, 4-6 people and extends up to 12 feet, even to 21 feet. Store the desired number of table leaves in a leaf storage cabinet for the next dinner party. Lively conversation will continue into the night while sitting on strong comfortable chairs made to withstand even leaning back in the chair.

Georges hutches, dressers and all cabinets contain solid hardwood drawers – even the bottoms – and strong full extension drawer hardware. The cabinet tops extend all the way to the top of the crown and can have easy access sided doors. Strong bed rails prevent squeaky beds and footed slats support the mattress extending its life.

Desks and office suites provide custom designs with long extension Walnut Raised Panel desk handcrafted in Lancaster county, pafile drawers, adjustable shelves and raised paneled sides. Surround your office with natural wood desks, bookcases, conference tables and filing cabinets.

See for Yourself

Come and explore a wood shop tour where furniture is made the old fashion way by hand, crafted by one craftsman, custom made to your specifications, with 100% solid hard wood. Be amazed by the ability to share your unique ideas with talented designers and see your dreams come true.  Enjoy years of quality as the natural grains of walnut, cherry oak and maple hardwood furniture serve and endure the rigors of home life. Our showrooms and woodworking shop display solid handmade heirlooms for browsing and exploring George’s difference in construction and protection of natural hardwood furniture. In the meantime, see for yourself by watching our YouTube channel where we have customer review and an inside look into our woodshop through Facebook lives and PCN videos.

Small Beginning

Small Beginning

Small Beginningwooden woven basket plaque engraving

Beginning in 1969 and for many years after that, George and I had a booth at Springs Folk Festival.  We sold our wooden lamps with woven veneer shades and lathe-turned candle holders. Cross-cut stools made from a log with the bark still on the edge added to the collection.  However the most popular item were the engraved signs and nameplates. Each sign was made for the customer while they waited.  Ray and Gloria Becker assisted with the many customers.  Ray sanded and attached chain hangers to the plaques while George did the engraving.  Later, as George and his craftsman started making furniture, the collection included tables, chairs, dry sinks, hutches.  George’s famous non-tip rocking chairs caught a lot of attention.

The Springs Folk Festival Craft show

The town of Springs, PA is located in the tri-state area of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland.  The first weekend in October was the peak for beautiful fall foliage in the area.  The stand holders demonstrated their craft which added  authenticity to the event.  Bus loads of people from Baltimore, Washington DC and Pittsburgh came.  On a beautiful Saturday, cars lined up from nearby Grantsville, MD, waiting to find parking in the grass fields around the festival.  On rainy days, cars got stuck in the fields and young car parkers needed to push them out of the mud.

Food brings crowdsdining room table furniture stores lancaster

Several other attractions were the food made by the Amish and Mennonite cooks.  Homemade bread baked in an old-time beehive-shaped bake oven.  Then covered with a generous helping of apple butter, made in a large copper kettle over a fire.  Special “festival sausage” made with the “whole pig”, hams and all kinds of other local favorites. As business grew, George focused his attention more at home.  In recent years, the next generation owners decided to attend the Sugarloaf Craft Festivals near cities like Philadelphia, New York, Washington DC and Baltimore.

 

No Birdhouses, Handcrafted Furniture Discovered

No Birdhouses, Handcrafted Furniture Discovered

David and Angela loved getting away from the stress of the office and the hustle and bustle of life in New Jersey.  They enjoyed traveling to Lancaster County to the peace and tranquility of Amish and Mennonite farmland. Their favorite place to stay was the Cameron Estate Inn and Restaurant, Mount Joy, PA.  The inn keepers, Abe and Betty Groff, were a delight to talk to which is the main reason why David and Angela’s return year after year.

Hand Engraved Road Signs

Traveling the Lancaster country roads, they often found hand-engraved road signs – George’s Woodcrafts- during their sight-seeing.   David and Angela would pass by wooden signs thinking they did not need any birdhouses or small wood crafts.  Finally one day they picked up an AAA travel guide and decided to check out George’s Woodcrafts. Were they surprised?  George’s did not make birdhouses at all.  Beautifully hand-crafted beds, dressers, long extension tables, smaller breakfast tables, tall tables were on display.  Desks, bookcases, chairs, rocking chairs, benches, anything one could imagine greeted them-all specially designed to their special dimensions.

Small space challenge solved

Special dimensions were the challenge David and Angela faced.  Their small house presented many problems for finding furniture that fit within the space.  The search was over.  They remember George Martin’s love for design and sharing of his unique designed rocker that did not tip over.  He quickly pushed himself way back and it stopped. They could not forget this amazing design. Later a rocking chair found its way into their home.  After sharing the history of the rocking chair, George proceeded to begin designing a small shelf that would mount to the side of the Finnegan’s bed.

Natural skill in designing

George’s did not need a picture of design from.  He would listen to the customer’s needs and space requirements, then design and draw out a sketch of what was in his mind. David was embarrassed about how much time George devoted to them, designing their little bed side shelf, even this other customers around.  The genuine desire to created and solve needs was why the Finnegan’s continued kept coming back for many more pieces of furniture over the years. Each room of their homes has at least one piece of furniture-except the bathroom.

George’s Legacy

Even though George has passed away, his daughter, son-in-law and skilled craftsmen carry the legacy of listening to customers’ needs and creating signed, dated, made by one craftsman, cherished hardwood heirlooms for over 50 years.  Visit George’s showroom and see for yourself the Lancaster County quality of that drew David and Angela and captured their hearts.

Real Wood Furniture, Designed Your Way

Real Wood Furniture, Designed Your Way

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.

Child’s High Chair Legacy

Child’s High Chair Legacy

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.mission high chair made in cherry wood

“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:

  1.  A rocking chair that will not tip over.
  2. Chairs of all sizes to go with the tables he was making,
  3. Arm chairs
  4. Intermediate chair for children ages 3-8.
  5. Swivel chairs for the bar
  6. 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”extending bench with leaf storage in the legs.

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.