We design solid wood furniture made in America with a promise of heirloom quality to last generations. Our care for the earth is shown in all our eco-friendly practices and socially conscious decisions in making the finest furniture with locally harvested wood incorporating heavily observed re-seeding plans of replenishing that which we’ve so graciously removed from our treasured forests to make you such a treasured product.

Our customers are not reckless shoppers, over-spending type. We don’t have issues at all with most sales, and our ‘buyers remorse,’ those regretting or upset with their purchase is at a near none. We’ve found our intelligent consumers investigating the options, observing the best finishes to meet their home, asking thoughtful questions, and essentially going about the purchase in a way you would buying a furniture piece that will last a lifetime.

At Manchester Wood our promise is providing you a quality product, as the promise of our loyal customers is receiving that which they’ll exactly want, with no ‘remorse’ or doubt on its arrival and use.

 Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

Our Tea Cup/Mug Stand

Manchester Wood is offering this month’s giveaway to those in celebration of our mothers, or another amazing woman of motherly support who has contributed to our lives. Tell us what you LOVE about this powerful woman in your life, and you’ll be entered to win a FREE American made solid wood Tea Cup/Mug Stand from Manchester Wood, to be given out at the end of the month.

Our Tea Cup/Mug Stand is a part of our $64 Gifts for US Jobs category supporting the cause of each American spending $64 dollars on American made products, which in turn helps create 200,000 new American jobs. The Tea Cup/Mug Stand is a perfect gift for mom, while she enjoys her coffee or tea, engaging in a nice read.

Our $64 Gifts for US Jobs category supports each American spending $64 dollars on Made in USA products, which helps create 200,000 new American jobs (Source: ABC World News, http://abcn.ws/u79iLo).

Email service@manchesterwood.com and tell us what you LOVE about your mother! Our Tea Cup/Mug Stand will be a great late Mother’s Day surprise!

Our NEW Chairside Magazine Rack

With this year’s additions to the ‘Chairside’ end tables, so far we’ve found the Chairside Bookshelf and Chairside Drawer Table, and much like their predecessor, last year’s best selling item, the Chairside Storage Table. The new Chairside Magazine Rack has become the latest installment.

The Chairside Magazine Rack offers similar convenience as the other ‘Chairside’ tables with a narrower, compatible design with expansive and sleek storage. This is the perfect end table for the reader seeking quick access to their current literature with classy functionality.

Manchester Wood’s solid wood American made end tables are some of the highest quality table choices in the market. Produced out of solid hardwood natural resources, handcrafted in our local mill, then directly shipped to our customers nationwide, our heirloom furniture has an outspoken longevity in quality and product lifespan. We don’t make products expected for the landfill!

Our Chairside Magazine Rack is no exception, as well as our other ‘Chairside’ tables, ideal end tables for the focused reader, engaging in many publications and formats of interest at once, with a classy and functional design.

From our eco-friendly sustainable timber harvesting practices, to our local craftsmanship, with the final remains of all our work, the sawdust of its effort, going out to farms surrounding areas of our “mill” for  animal bedding.  For Manchester Wood, traditional industrial/commercial efforts are transforming into a “green” localized effort that helps nurture and protect this amazing Earth we so gratefully inhabit by minimizing our waste, and limiting any damaging effects.

This is the age of new practice, and for the manufacturing world that means great change.  Manchester wood is proud to be  American made while also striving to be on the cutting edge of eco-friendly efforts.  If fact, we think that these goals bring about the true essence of what defines “American” – stretching the boundaries, developing progressive thoughts, and pioneering a better way of life.

Let’s bring those ideals back this day, and this weekend, as we celebrate Mother Earth, and how good she has been to us.

Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

Manchester Wood’s most notable work can be seen on most docks coasting the many seas and lakes of America with their now famous interpretation of the Adirondack Chair.

Clifford Pierce, Manchester Wood’s founder had lived the American dream [read blog on Cliff here], and his success in the gift industry with Manchester Wood and his prominent steel crafting business, Pierce industries, had led him to enjoy a lakefront camp on Lake George, New York with his family most summer weekends.

While taking boat rides on the lake, “the boys” and Cliff would go by various old family estates that had Adirondack Chairs on their property, setting along campfire pits, sprawling front yards, and its most iconic placement, the docks. There were many styles, and most appeared aged and worn — falling apart over just a couple seasons. Cliff reckoned it was because they were made out of pine and scrap crates – the common materials used for Adirondack Chairs at the time.

It was Mr. John Oehler, one of Cliff’s neighbors at the lake and a dear friend (at that time in his early 70s, he lived to nearly 100), who provided the initial materials for the project.  Mr. Oehler gave happily Cliff one of his Adirondack Chairs to take back to study it and get sizes.  Thus began Manchester Wood’s development of the Adirondack Chair.

The chair was extra large, with many support pieces, and very wide arms. It was made out of softwood, and had many narrow slats in the back support. It was very low too, so when you slid down into the seat, it was comfortable… but hard to get out of!

So, Cliff, and us – the fellow woodworkers of Manchester Wood – crafted along his side as we duplicated this chair with several of us looking it over and kicking around ideas. Early on it was decided that the chairs should be foldable for easy storage to encourage customers to keep them inside over the winter instead of leaving the bulky pieces to weather the cold months outside.

We decided to develop a new outdoor furniture line with a folding chair and love seat similar to his initial idea, mixed with a few of the characteristics from Mr. Oehler’s Adirondack Chair. However, we didn’t start manufacturing the concept right away.  Like any great idea, it took time.  Before it was all said and done, we had reviewed about 10 different styles of Adirondack Chairs that we found throughout the Lake George area, refining our design plans as we went.

After much research and development, it was finally time to create our Adirondack Chair.  The design had almost all the slats the same width, including the seat legs with narrower arms to keep the price down and to be competitive with similar wood furniture pieces manufactured and imported by foreign rivals. We initially showed it to Orvis, who are also based in Manchester, VT, our hometown, to see if they were interested in this new style of Adirondack Chairs.

They decided it wasn’t something they thought would work for them. So we pressed on, introducing the line at the Chicago Housewares Trade Show, where we had several mail order accounts show interest in it. It was at this show that we began working on Adirondack chairs with L.L. Beann, a company who had already picked up a folding camp table we designed for them at the previous show.  They asked for a few changes though – to make it more traditional, with wider arms and seat legs, a tapered back, but keep that folding idea! This interaction and these changes, was the birth of our now famous Adirondack Chair that we still exclusively design for them today.

The Adirondack Chair took Manchester Wood’s craftsmanship to new heights and saw broad success, with placement all over the world.  The chair helped develop Manchester Wood’s image and reputation, while growing a loyal and supportive customer base that sought out our Adirondack Chair to finish off their beach or lake house, porch or deck with the perfect touch.

Our ManchesterWood.com exclusive deluxe Adirondack Chair, picture taken on Lake George, NY last summer 2011.

We kept exploring and growing with other variations of the Adirondack Chair, for companies like Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Plow and Hearth, Lands’ End.  Eventually even Orvis signed on.  Our chairs were photographed as far away as Africa and graced more mail-order catalog covers than we can count.

At Manchester Wood.com, we still sell our brand exclusive deluxe version of the Adirondack Chair with a contour back and waterfall front, that also folds for storage like the famous birth that derived from “Old Man” Oehler’s chair to this day.

To shop our brand exclusive deluxe version Adirondack Chair, click here.

To shop our famous L.L. Bean exclusive Adirondack Chair, click here.

Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

Our Shaker Pedestal Stand

During the month of April, email or tweet Manchester Wood pictures of your flowers as they take to the new season, and you’ll be entered in the raffle for a FREE American made, solid wood Shaker Pedestal Stand for your favorite plant or small sculpture! Handcrafted by our loving workforce in the foothills of the Adirondacks, near the surrounding valleys of the Green Mountains in Vermont. At Manchester Wood, we love flowers and plants, so there is no better time to share our handcrafted gifts with fellow enthusiasts in this springing season of life!

Designed to hold smaller items, our Shaker Pedestal Stand is perfect for spaces where there is not a lot of room. This stand could be used for a plant, statue, or even a stack of books. The solid ash construction makes this piece capable of holding heavier items as well. The stain is very durable and will resist discoloring due to accidental spills. Available in either Chestnut or Golden Oak, and like all our products here at Manchester Wood, it is entirely Made in USA with FREE shipping!

To enter the drawing for a FREE Shaker Pedestal Stand email service@manchesterwood.com a photo of your favorite plant, or tweet us the photo by reaching @manchesterwood on Twitter.

This offer runs April 1st – April 30th

Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

Homeowner Patrick Schutte (on left) stands with Alex de Parry of Ann Arbor Builders at the site of Schutte's new made in USA home. (Photo courtesy of AnnArbor.com)

At the end of last year, the Boston Consulting Group reported that 220,000 more new American jobs would be created if every builder in the country increased American-made products by 5 percent, and Janet Miller for AnnArbor.com wrote that such efforts are being made in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area.  This is a wonderful development as it takes a lot of different materials and products to build and furnish a home.  When these all products (or a high percentage of them) are made in the USA, that means more jobs for American workers and a robust economy.

Miller writes in her recent article, Made in the USA: Ann Arbor firm constructing homes with products made in America, that Ann Arbor Builders, a 40-year old construction company run by husband and wife Alex and Betsy de Parry are focusing on building homes primatily using  products and materials made in America.

Recently they collaborated with Patrick Schutte to build his dream home.  He wanted it to be all American-made. Shutte’s soon-to-be four-bedroom house “will be the first new project built under Ann Arbor Builders’ focus on using American-made goods. Except for the granite countertop, the microwave oven and the recessed lighting, everything will be made in America, down to the nails. Construction started in January, and the family expects to move in this summer… ‘If everyone did it, it would add up to be a pretty big thing,’ Betsy de Parry” told Miller for AnnArbor.com.

Schutte was persistent on making his house as “American” as possible, reaching approximately 95% made in America — no small task considering “[that] ‘a few items were impossible to find. All microwaves,’ Betsy de Parry said, are made in South Korea. There are no American-made recessed lights. And most granite comes from abroad, mostly from Brazil and Italy… ‘If a house doesn’t have a microwave, granite countertops or recessed lights, it can be 100 percent American-made,’ she said” (AnnArbor.com).  Hopefully, such products will be domestically produced in the future, but for the time building a house that is 95% American made is quite an accomplishment.

The project undertaken by Parry’s and Schutte also show us that with a small extra cost (only 3 to 5% more) you can construct not only a home made with products from your own community, but take a stand for social justice and civil empowerment. We hope that when Schutte and his family decide to purchase products for their new home they consider Manchester Wood for the best in American made furniture. From our unique coffee tables, end tables, cherry wood desks, and solid wood cabinets, these are just a few of our handmade manufactured goods that are 100% made in the USA.

To view the American Made furniture of Manchester Wood, click here.

To read this amazing article on the efforts of Made in USA homes, click here.

References

Miller, Janet. (2012, March 22). Made in the USA: Ann Arbor firm constructing homes with products made in America. AnnArbor.com. Retrieved from http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/ann-arbor-homebuilders-look-to-build-houses-with-products-made-in-america/

Our Equinox Rocker and Adirondack Side Table

Manchester Wood celebrates the first day of “Equinox Spring,” the technical name for the first day of spring, which is today, March 20th with 15% off our Equinox Rocker till the following week, March 27th.

Why “Equinox Spring”? Well, the name “equinox” is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night) as the night and day have approximately equal length during this time period. The tilt of the Earth’s axis is neither to one side or the other, which means the center of the Sun is the same as the Earth’s equator. Spring for many of us around the World then means longer days, and the equinox is the reason. So in celebration of these longer, sunnier days upon us, Manchester Wood is offering a sale of 15% off our Equinox Rocking Chair!

The Equinox Rocker has quickly become a customer favorite among our many prized solid wood outdoor furniture pieces. The name was originally inspired by Equinox Mountain in Manchester, Vermont, our hometown and the birthplace of Manchester Wood. The rocking chair has many similar lines to our famous Adirondack Chair, but also boasts it’s own, very distinct features. With straighter back support and seating design compared to its Adirondack Chair counterpart, this versatile outdoor furniture item is a beautiful addition to any country home while enjoying the outdoors. You may also wish to complete the set for your deck or patio by purchasing our entire Equinox Collection, which includes chairs and benches of the same aesthetic.

To buy this great solid wood furniture piece at it’s special discounted rate March 20th-27th, type “EQX” in the coupon code box at check-out for 15% off, which includes FREE SHIPPING. Like Manchester Wood’s entire American made furniture products, the Equinox Rocker is made in the USA, handcrafted in our mill with the highest quality natural hardwood resources of the Northeast forests.

What better outdoor furniture to own then that made from the Adirondacks, in the Adirondacks. Be sure to check out our whole Outdoor Collection featuring our famous Adirondack Chair, and its featured add-ons as well as Kid’s furniture, benches, chairs, end tables, footstools, and more. We’re entering the season of outdoor furniture; take us with you this spring and summer.

To view the Equinox Rocker, currently available at 15% off, click here.
For our entire Outdoor Collection, click here.

Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American furniture
in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

Is this a [American] dream? All on a quiet, sleepy March Monday, a tidal wave on conscious consumer updates and budding socially aware businesses like Samsung and Hyatt have designers like Michael Suomi saying, “We had a specific goal of bringing as much of the manufacturing and sourcing back to America to promote job growth, increase speed to market and celebrate American craft” (USA Today). Is this real? Are the “big guys” starting to take another look at malpractices overseas with instead supporting and promoting local businesses with strict moral and lawful codes? That’s not to mention the reward in the feeling of buying something organically handmade from your local area; a point Suomi seems to make with USA Today, “We designed Hyatt Regency Minneapolis as a modern homage to the local heritage, culture and economic history of Minnesota, as well as the proud history of American manufacturing.” The bathrooms they report will be redone with “granite that is quarried locally and purchased from Cold Spring Granite, a 113-year old Minnesota company” (USA Today).

Manchester Wood's founder Clifford Pierce's great grandfather's sawmill in Red Bank, NJ in the early 19th century.

The locally mined granite from an historic 113-year old company reminded me of Manchester Wood’s Slate Top furniture, which is produced in historic collaboration with our family’s wood crafting history of 121 years with a slate top surface mined from local quarries in our area on the Vermont-New York border that began right along the same centennial mark.

The media, big business, and economists, are starting to take a bigger look at the hidden gem back home. ‘Made in America’ is far beyond patriotism; it carries the same benefits of buying local organic foods from the farmer’s market. We give thanks for this un-hatching of a bigger and brighter day in consumerism.

Manchester Wood designs and produces quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American made furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York.

References

De Lollis, Barbara (2012, March 12). Makeover Monday: Minneapolis hotel’s ‘Made in America’ redo. USA Today. Retrieved from http://usat.ly/yXQgf7

Matyszczyk, Chris (2012, March 11). Could Samsung beat Apple with ‘Made in the USA’?. CNET. Retrieved from http://cnet.co/yzauKW

PR Newswire (2012, March 12). Consumers Will Pay More For a ‘Made in the USA’ Label. MarketWatch. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/xKlEcE

Manchester Wood's NEW Tray Top Coffee Table!

As a featured item from a yet-to-be released collection, the Tray Top Coffee Table is the newest unique and beautifully designed American made solid wood furniture piece from Manchester Wood. With a slatted tray top that can be easily carried off, or placed back, large shelving space at the base for magazines, books, or collectibles; the Tray Top Coffee Table adds diversity and style in your home or vacation cabin.

Home furnishings designer Michelle Lamb recently told The Kansas City Star (source) that coffee tables, and their uses and functions are constantly increasing in this new age of technology. “Not only is it a place to set your drinks and the remote, it’s a place for laptops, tablet computers and smartphones,” Lamb explained.

The coffee table is entering a ‘golden age’ as an extremely useful and practical item in the modern day household, and we believe our Tray Top Coffee Table provides the same basic functions with diverse and portable qualities for its many current uses.

This handcrafted, Made in USA product is priced at a reasonable $299.95, and that includes FREE Shipping. Today, take home this prized piece of furniture designed, milled, and made from the Green Mountains of Vermont and the foothills of the Adirondacks.

To view the new Tray Top Coffee Table, click here.