Wednesday, August 11, 2010

where it comes from


the
cool inventory
in
our store
is kind of
produced
by
4 faMILIES.....

US......DH AND I, SON JON ,and once in a while grandkids, Matthew and Josh who have started going to yardsales with jon..and terri...who does somuch on line for us, spreading the word about our work.....we buy and buy and design and design.....and try hard to get the right stuff.and keep it reasonable and keep the store going....
.. some of the best things come from 3 carpenter groups that we work with...men who make our ideas and designs into reality...and almost always at an affordable price....

there is carpenter group #1.....a big family effort...2 retired brothers, sometimes their grandkids and definitely their lodge.... this group produces over half of our cabinets..WE HAVE A WHOLE BUILDING FULL OF THEIR WORK....AND people and STORES ALL OVER INDIANA and beyond HAVE bought THEIR CUPBOARDS....we've been together for over 10 yrs.
then there is carpenter group #2...an Amish family , father and son...they rehabb our big antique oak pieces from Chicago.....they are very very skilled and will tackle about anything having to do with wood.......they are reliable and willing and able to fix up the wonderful relics we get .... like our big huge oak cabinets ..sometimes 6 ft wide and 7 ft tall.....we get these big beauties from scrap guys in Chicago...they save them from buildings going under the wrecking ball....i figure our big things have ridden down the Dan Ryan freeway to us then hauled to the Amish carpenter family for revival by guys who still go by horse and buggy...and no electric... they do have a very high tekk workshop run by gas i guess......we have worked together for several years..
the last carpenter group is a one man show..see his picture above....he makes most of the wonderful recycled things...like the big counters using our old parts..and the big fun things out of old doors...we have sold his work all around the state and to dealers a nd shops and show people all over the country... one even went to a big fancy show in new yorK....

i guess my thought today is about how much 7 or 8 people can do together ...outside big corporate America...inside america not in china, right here in INDIANA.......
and definitely in my favorite place...OUTSIDE THE BOX...

4 comments:

Feather Your Nest said...

Our entire shoppe is now filled with these mens works! So much better than commercially bought fixtures/displays...give the shoppe character that metal and glass or fiberboard just can't do =)

ann at greenoak said...

thanks denise....and your shop LOOKS GREAT...

junkermidge said...

Thanks for giving a "behind the scenes" look at how some of your inventory comes to be. Sounds like a great crew. No wonder you have such great stuff!
Midge

ann at greenoak said...

thanks midge....and its real wood!!! not particle board or wierd composites....the guys are great and work hard...and glad to...