Approaching Memorial Day Weekend

Next Monday, May 27^th is Memorial Day- a very special day for many Americans. This coming weekend leading in is one typically of celebration, shopping deals, and the bustling spirit of a summer kicked-off under hopefully sunny clear skies. Aside from the coming festivities, we wanted to take a moment beforehand to honor and pay tribute to all the veterans of the armed forces that brought upon such a celebration.

Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. As we entered the 20th century Memorial Day became extended to honor all Americans who have died while in military service.

At Manchester Wood several of our employees have served, and fortunately are still here today proudly crafting our solid wood furniture made in the USA. Our company’s founder Cliff Pierce enlisted in the Army and served in Korea in the US Armored Artillery from 1951-53 as 1^st Lieutenant after graduating from Officer Training School. He received two Purple Hearts and was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy. He was Honorably discharged in 1953; soon after he began his career in American furniture manufacturing, which would later create “the mill” and the Manchester Wood we know today.

To all our servicemen and woman, and especially to those we’ve lost in military service, past and present, we humbly thank you. And as Cliff always said, “God bless you.”

The Price for Solid Wood Furniture

Luke Eriksen here, I’m a grandson of Manchester Wood’s founder Cliff Pierce, and the 3^rd generation at work at the mill. I had a moment I wanted to share with you… I was taking photos this morning for an instruction manual on a new solid wood bookshelf. It’s a very basic piece of furniture. It has a bottom shelf, a top shelf, and a middle adjustable shelf. We had just pitched it to a strong wholesale client of ours and they felt it was out of their price range. And I got thinking… here is a basic, simple, beautiful piece of handcrafted wood furniture, and I know we’re not asking too much for it – we’re really just covering our bases in expense here – but the question swirled “why can’t it be cheaper?” Then I quickly realized, yet again, ‘it’s solid wood!’ I often forget the quality of solid wood furniture when discussing Manchester Wood’s furniture.

We only use the highest quality resources here from the highest quality timber companies providing you (and us) the best wood to produce the solid furniture that I know my kids and grandkids will see at antique shops for years to come. That’s just the price we pay for making quality. That’s just the kind of ‘Made in USA’ item you receive when you buy from Manchester Wood. It has become increasingly hard to sell the larger items to wholesalers because of the competition, but we shouldn’t be silenced, and we won’t be. There is no question our furniture – for its quality – is affordably priced above and beyond competitors. However, for the most part we make simple American shaker style furniture that might sell quicker if it was cheap not affordable. But that’s not our business, that’s not our model, or the message of our leader who built this company we rest our hat on today. Manchester Wood is a family-run business that operates as families do, not as a corporation. We operate using 3 Principles – and you’re going to hear them a lot from us – Value, Honesty, and Community.

Our value is the dedication to solid wood when most competitors have moved to cheaper resources like plastics and lower grade wood (like particle board). We’ve remained American hardwood; that’s the kind-of solid wood that makes a grown man able to stand on a Manchester Wood TV tray table without anything happening. Try that at a box store emphasizing foreign quantity over American quality.

Our honesty speaks for itself. Including this blog and all the others we’ve ever written. From our mailers, product copy, site copy, instruction manuals, it’s all there. When you buy from us you’re buying ‘Made in USA’ furniture; you’re buying a piece of home, and that’s beyond the stamp. 

The community aspect is with this being a family business, not a corporation, and how it’s run like a family. It has ups and downs, twists and turns, emotions of all kinds. It’s life; and we strive to develop a loving, open environment for our employees and partners in making timeless solid wood furniture. Aside from our regular celebratory events at the mill we have a lot of other exciting news developing in the community we’d like to share with you, and that’ll come in due time as plans unfold.

So there it is, just my thoughts for today. To me, regardless of opinions, this is the price for buying solid wood furniture made in the USA from our family-run mill and retailer, Manchester Wood.

Much Gratitude,

Luke Eriksen

Manchester Wood: American Made Furniture

The Pride of Made in the USA Furniture

‘USA Made’ furniture is Manchester Wood furniture; and as American furniture manufacturers we recognize the importance of things made in America – here – at home. It provides a level of rootedness in tradition and stability, remembering who we are and what we can do as a people with our own hands. It’s not a flag-toting nationalist perspective, a “rah-rah” thing…it’s about not losing sight of each other. Not forgetting the craftsmanship and resources so bountifully available to us through products made in America.

Instead of deals and steals, chopped down prices outsourced to sweat-shops to make due for America’s overzealous consumption hunger, we stand in a new America and say “we want quality, affordability, and a sense of where things we support come from.” This revolution in thought touches on all aspects of our lives, and even with those who supposedly run it in Washington. By touching on tradition, by remembering each other, we reconnect with the pride of who we are – as people of earth and as family of America. In this family, as both a country, and as this business, Manchester Wood now being a 3^rd generation family-run business (excluding our woodworking history outside Manchester Wood since 1891) we take pride in what we make. We produce solid wood furniture, American made furniture in fact, as our brand claims. And we wish for nothing more.

May the desire of quality ‘Made in USA’ furniture run forever more; and if you’re contemplating the extra few dollars it may take, or where it’ll fit in your home – we promise it will, because this type of quality solid wood furniture is made from your home. Born, raised, and produced in America; from a tree seed to a TV Tray Table; Desk, or Adirondack folding chair. It’s all here for you. Keep it Made in America today.

High Point Market & It’s Sneak Peek at 2014 Trends

As a business solely dedicated to American furniture manufacturing from the Adirondack foothills in which we mill and craft our solid wood furniture – as well as the place we call our home, the High Point Furniture Market this spring showed tremendous growth potential for Made in USA furniture, and the housing and furniture market at large. It appears the rebound of the economy is in full swing with housing sales continuously rising since the last market in fall of last year. With new homes comes new furniture, with new jobs comes new inspiration, and at High Point this year we learned a few things. We found our shaker furniture style is desirable across the many, many cultures that are represented at High Point. There is a connectedness, like-mindedness in honesty, and a quality of high craftsmanship that is found in Manchester Wood furniture; and how great it was to be acknowledged by so many who stopped and visited our booth.

We’re famous for our Adirondack folding chairs, but we received most acclaim this market for our solid cherry furniture; namely the cherry coffee tables and cherry end tables with a natural beauty, a timelessness that only solid cherry provides.

The most important thing that was made clear to us this market was that USA made furniture is competitive again, not only for its quality, but also for the socioeconomic changes that are coming to be in China. They too as a nation are requesting a life of higher quality, with a better pay, and rightfully so. We never took advantage of the downtrodden social crisis in China and other foreign lands where manufacturing could be done pennies on a dollar compared to working in the US. We stayed as the Market Press reported in their article of us while at High Point, “a family business since day one…staying with the made in USA tradition.” The options of course of outsourcing were tempting due to the profit margins, but we knew we’d lose our integrity of producing quality furniture with ethical standard. So we stuck it out, continued to design and grow in ways we knew to survive. This market proved the surviving days for American furniture manufacturers are ending with more and more business returning to the U.S. We’re the strongest we’ve been in years and we’ll continue to develop new furniture and collections constantly for your enjoyment as well as continuing to provide pieces that have proven themselves as requested by you, our loyal customers.

For your interest in upcoming trends, as well as for ours as we’ll be watching closely and taking into strong consideration all that is happening in the market. We will be designing fresh new looks for your enjoyment for the rest of 2013, 2014 and beyond. High Point Market partnered with WGSN-HomeBuildLife to bring top trends for 2014. The trends were broken down into three categories – Neo-Geo, Next Nature, and N.D.A. as described below. Perhaps it’ll help you in designing your new home, your dream home, or reinventing the space you’re presently living in! All in all, expect great things to come from Manchester Wood, your American made furniture supplier these coming seasons, and the quality living product we provide.

Neo-Geo
The layering of geological formations is key in textiles and surface materials. Mineral and stone patterns dominate and a crafted minimalism help people enjoy real-time versus virtual-time.
Next Nature
Boundaries between humanity, technology, and design are redrawn as we find architecture winding through the forest and furniture growing like plants.
N.D.A
“New Digital Aesthetics” (NDA) – Designers are creating a new “rendered reality,” with real objects that look as if they belong in a virtual world. Infinite pixelization, a fading of edges, and designs that seem to go on infinitely are key.

Manchester Wood has designed and produced quality, affordable, eco-friendly solid wood American made furniture in the Green Mountains of Vermont and Adirondack foothills of New York for over 35 years.

Manchester Wood’s New Year Cutting Board Giveaway!

As we begin 2013, we at Manchester Wood would like to offer this month’s giveaway not as a raffle for a lucky winner but to everyone who orders during this month of January!

Order from ManchesterWood.com from Jan. 1st-31st and enter FREE in the coupon code box at checkout to receive a limited edition cutting board branded with our logo (see photo) free with every web purchase.

Our intentions are set for the New Year! Stay tuned for a new website, beautiful new products and collections, as well as our first mail-order catalog made available soon!

Manchester Wood moves into our 37th year of business, 122nd in a long-lasting family lineage of American woodworking.

To shop our made in USA furniture, click here.

Happy New Year!

Manchester Wood: American Made Furniture

Perfect Gift for the Holidays: $64 Handcrafted Items

Manchester Wood’s #GiftGiving2012 Collection Spotlight

Earlier this year Manchester Wood started a specialty collection entitled $64 Gifts for U.S. Jobs featuring some of our American made furniture at a flat rate of $64 dollars with FREE SHIPPING. It was added on to bring a deeper awareness of quality furniture made in the USA at a reasonable price. Why $64? We chose this amount based on a study conducted by ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, which found that if each person in the country spent $64 dollars on American made items it would create 200,000 new American jobs. In light of this study, Manchester Wood offered this collection of affordable hardwood furniture at just $64.  Since our creation, Manchester Wood has understood the value of quality American craftsmanship and believes in the American worker who produces products made in the USA that last longer and perform better.

 

It’s a perfect collection to shop for gifts this holiday season! And for your item to arrive on time for Christmas please place all of your orders by Friday December 14^th.

Support Made in USA Furniture, the American Worker, and give your loved ones a quality gift that will last a lifetime! And it’s only $64!

To view our $64 Gifts for U.S. Jobs collection, click here.

To view our entire catalog of American made furniture, visit ManchesterWood.com.

“American Made” and “Solid Wood”: What Do They Mean?

When describing our furniture, there are two terms that we are particularly fond of: “American Made” and “Solid Wood”. These phrases don’t just sound good; they actually have specific definitions that we adhere to rigorously when making our furniture. What does it really mean to produce solid wood furniture that is made in the USA?

Because of the enduring stellar reputation surrounding American craftsmanship, the phrases “American Made” and “Made in the USA” have come to symbolize that a product exhibits quality workmanship and materials. Unfortunately, some disingenuous businesses try to mislead their customers about the origins of their products. Accordingly, the Federal Trade Commission issues guidelines as to which products can be called American Made and which cannot. If a company flaunts these rules, the FTC has the authority to prosecute. Consumers should be careful to differentiate between the labels “Made in the USA” and “Assembled in the USA”, which is a lesser distinction that means that the components of the product in question are from foreign countries and they were merely put together in this one.

When we say our furniture is solid wood, we mean that it is made out of plain lumber, not plywood or particle board. These types of processed building materials are known as engineered wood. Solid wood is the much more durable of the two, to say nothing of its aesthetic superiority. These advantages make solid wood the clear choice for quality furniture.

Although it may be cheaper to produce furniture overseas using engineered wood, we know that no such product can hope to compete with our American made solid wood furniture. We endeavor to make the best product possible, and this means using the best materials and the best workers we can find, both of which are right here in America, as our satisfied customers can attest to. We hope everyone will continue to buy American, thereby supporting our domestic economy and American manufacturing.

Solid Wood Furniture Care Do’s and Don’ts

First and foremost, always remember that the three seemingly harmless occurrences below are hardwood’s worst enemies:

• Water left to puddle or stand can dull or mark the finish and, if the exposure is extreme, even warp hardwood.
• Dirt, dust and grit can dull and scratch.
• Sunlight’s ultraviolet rays, over time, can cause discoloration.

By making the following hardwood Do’s part of your routine you will find that hardwood care need not be difficult or time consuming.

• Do

Wipe up any spills immediately, using a soft, dry cloth starting at the edges of the spill and working toward the center. For hardwood furniture, use coasters, pads, cloths or runners to protect against spills and water rings.

• Do

Dust frequently, using a soft, lint-free cloth. For hardwood floors, regularly sweep with either a dust mop or broom that features exploded tips. Placing protective mats or rugs in entrances is also a helpful preventative measure to trap dirt.

• Do

Limit sunlight exposure with sheer drapes, curtains or blinds. And occasionally move area carpets to maintain a uniform appearance in a hardwood floor’s finish.

• Do

Avoid radical swings in temperature and humidity. Use a humidifier in winter and an air conditioner in summer to maintain room temperatures near 70 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity at 50 to 55 percent. Keep hardwood furniture away from heat sources if possible. If you must put furniture near an air duct, use a shield or guard plate to direct heat away.

• Do

Read and save the manufacturer’s care and maintenance instructions. And be sure to keep the company’s contact information for future reference.

• Don’t

Use cloths or mops dripping with water. Wood should not get wet or soaked. If it does, dry immediately.

• Don’t

Use a feather duster that could scratch the hardwood surface, or an upright vacuum with beater bars that can dent a hardwood floor’s finish. Instead vacuum frequently using a vacuum with special hardwood floor attachments.

• Don’t

Mop sealed-and-waxed hardwood floors, not even with a slightly damp mop, and never apply wax to a floor with a urethane finish.

• Don’t

Use area rugs with rubber or vinyl backing. Some materials in the backing can react with certain floor finishes, discoloring or causing the finish to become dull.

• Don’t

Expose hardwood to plastics, oils or solvents. Over time, plastic can stick to the finish and its colors can leach into the wood. Oils and alcohols, in things like nail polish remover, perfume and liquor, can dull and stain.

• And the most important Don’t of all

Don’t hesitate to incorporate hardwood into most every room. Today’s finishes make hardwood products an attractive choice that’s easy to maintain and extraordinarily beautiful.

Sections of the above tips are adapted from information on hardwoodinfo.com.

For more information on hardwood care, read Charles Sutton’s book, “How to Care for Your Old and New Wood Furniture,” sold by The Furniture Library, a research center in High Point, N.C.

Wood Desks Home Office: Mission Compact Desk

Developing wood desks for home is one of our specialties  at Manchester Wood thanks to the care and attention to quality that we put into the both the design and production processes. Our new Mission Compact Desk is no different. This American made solid wood desk is crafted for many uses:  in the home office, perhaps for use as a great recipe desk in the kitchen, maybe as a laptop computer desk in the study, or just the perfect size for a work nook in a small living space.

Our Mission Compact Desk is designed for those who need a good work area in a smaller space.  With a surface of over four and half square feet and classic mission lines, this hardwood desk stands out from cheaper outsourced knock-offs.

Whether the Mission Compact Desk is used in a work area for adults or by children for homework and play, its heirloom quality construction ensures that it will last for generations. A durable stain coats the finish — with either choice of Golden Oak or Chestnut — and prevents discoloration from accidental spills.

Like all of our American made furniture pieces at Manchester Wood, the Mission Compact Desk comes with our 100% quality guarantee.

Enjoy it for a lifetime and pass it on to your grandchildren.

To view and purchase our new Mission Compact Desk, please click here.

Are We ‘Made in America’ Dreaming? News-filled Monday ‘Made in US’

This Monday in news brought much awareness to the “Made in USA” product beginning with an article in the morning from MarketWatch explaining the findings that consumers will pay more for American made goods, and CNET reporting that Samsung could “beat Apple with Made in the USA,” and at night, still on Monday, USA Today spotlights a $25 million dollar makeover project in Minneapolis for the Hyatt Regency Hotel, which will “revamp with an interesting ‘Made in America’ theme.”

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).

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