Healthy Furniture Supports Healthy Homes and Environment
When you first spot the horse-drawn carriage outside the
dual showrooms of Amish Home Furnishings in Daytona Beach, the symbol evoking another time and locale
might appear a bit out of place on busy Ridgewood Avenue.
But how and why
the traditional Old-World quality and craftsmanship of Amish furniture became
the centerpiece of this longtime Volusia County store is a big part of its
ongoing popularity. As Operations Manager Bill Blandy explains, the company’s
return to its roots as a purveyor of top-quality, solid hardwood furnishings
has paid out many unexpected, “almost accidental” environmental dividends.
Founded in 1981
by Blandy’s father, the business originally sold unfinished solid-wood
furniture and subsequently added finishing. However, the store’s business
declined when consumers began turning to bargain foreign imports. The demand
for inexpensive, disposable products from overseas forced Blandy and others in
the industry to work with new suppliers. “The imported lines filled the
dumpster with packaging material and the showroom with the unmistakable scent
of chemicals,” recalls Blandy, who eventually had an epiphany. “The import products weren’t solid wood. We
were disappointed with the quality. Our customers trusted us to supply them
with a quality product.”
Blandy decided
to go back to basics and went looking again for American products.
Unfortunately, he found very little furniture still being manufactured in the
United States. “We had lost most of our key vendors to overseas competition.
And we were really torn what to do. We considered going out of business.”
Instead,
Blandy’s search led him to the Amish community, primarily an enclave in Ohio.
He discovered they were creating beautiful, solid hardwood furniture meant to
last a lifetime. “And our customers loved it. It was entirely market driven.”
And while he didn’t necessarily set out to improve the environmental footprint
of his products, it was one of the “unintended consequences” of getting back to
natural products.
“We’re
dedicated to providing furniture that is good for your health, home and the
environment,” assures Blandy. “All of our furniture—except for our Outdoor
line, which is made from recycled milk jugs—is handcrafted using natural
hardwoods. Our craftsmen do not work with inferior substrates like particle
board or flimsy faux wood veneers.”
Blandy affirms
that the store’s Amish furniture
designers work mostly with cherry, maple, oak and walnut.
“Each board is selected by hand, and inspected for quality, strength, straightness, grain
and color,” he explains.
“Sometimes our artisans harvest lumber from the woods on their own property, a
sustainable approach that adds another dimension to the story of your
furniture.”
There’s also
the waste saved from disposable furniture. “We were never in the business of
throwaway products,” Blandy says. “This furniture is meant to last a lifetime.
Very rarely are you going to replace a piece of Amish furniture.”
The furnishings benefit consumers’ internal
environments as well as the external habitat. Many of Amish Home Furnishings
furniture makers continue to use traditional oil and wax based finishes, but
even those that use more modern finishes ensure that they are non-toxic,
formaldehyde-free and eco-friendly with little or no Volatile Organic Chemicals
(VOCs). “As concern over indoor air quality continues to grow, many of our
furniture makers are moving toward water-based finishes. Conventional
petroleum-based solvents contain VOCs which are harmful to the atmosphere,”
says Blandy.
Of course, all
these environmental benefits would be moot if the furniture itself wasn’t
appealing and functional. Although Blandy’s initial goal was simply to upgrade
his line to the quality and standards it was historically known for, the store
now offers “some of the most beautiful hardwood available on the face of the
planet” in almost every American-made wood and an extensive variety of
finishes. And since each piece is built to order, the store offers shoppers a
degree of flexibility and customization far beyond what traditional stores do.
What’s more, those who love the look and
feel of quality wood furniture won’t sacrifice modern conveniences. “This is
traditional looking-furniture that incorporates high-tech, 21st-century elements,”
Blandy says. “We’re very aware of technology and add features and benefits you
don’t find even in import furniture” — things like cord management for wires
and USB ports and outlets in unexpected spots like nightstands.
“People feel
good about us, so we’re doing the right things,” Blandy says. “The main goal is
we want people to be happy with what they’ve got.”
Amish Home Furnishings is located at 1220
Ridgewood Ave., Holly Hill. For more information, call 386-258-3338 or visit AmishHomeFurnishings.com.
