Vermont Woods Studios - Eco Furniture Blog

Luxury Frank Lloyd Wright Collection by Vermont's Copeland Furniture

“Whether people are fully conscious of this or not, they actually derive countenance and sustenance from the ‘atmosphere’ of the things they live in or with. They are rooted in them just as a plant is in the soil in which is planted.”

-Frank Lloyd Wright

 We are delighted to announce our newest addition to Vermont Woods Studios online Furniture Store and that's Copeland Furniture's ultra-luxury Frank Lloyd Wright® Collection. 

 

Showcasing the grandeur of America's best prairie-style architecture, Copeland's Frank Lloyd Wright® Furniture reflects Wright's love of nature and the timeless beauty of his artistry.

 

 

 

 

Each piece of this high end collection is based on an original that was (and still is) seen in Wright’s Prairie Houses. Copeland starts with Wright’s designs, solid hardwoods, and superior upholstery; then employs traditional craftsmanship and state-of the-art technology to create these authentic, signed and numbered, heirloom- quality pieces for your home.

If you're all about natural, organic purity in your luxury home furniture, you can't help but fall in love with this classic collection.  The pieces have a certain gravitas that's compelling in even the most posh, luxurious setting.  Or as Wright put it,

“It opens, we enter, and an atmosphere of quiet strength and well-ordered repose envelops us, refreshes us, and gives us confidence in the personality of the “owners,” assures us of depth, warmth, and simplicity.”

- Frank Lloyd Wright

 

Watch Us on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer TONIGHT

UPDATE as of 7PM, Nov 30

I am really sorry if, like us, you were watching for a segment on our Made in America Christmas Challenge tonight.  We weren't there :(    I just asked the producer what happened and she explained that time constraints prevented our segment from being aired on schedule.  I guess this is not unusual as the news is never predictable.  Anyway, Christine assured me that our segment is still in the works and will be aired in the near future.  She will let me know when that is and I'll post it here and on our facebook.

Don't forget to tune in (or set your DVR) to ABC World News with Diane Sawyer at 6:30pm EST TONIGHT to see our crazy Christmas Shopping Challenge in patriotic Vernon, Vermont.   All your favorite American-made shopping stalwarts will be featured from the Town Hall, the Firestation, the Vernon elementary school, the Portside Tavern, Malhana Farm and Vermont Woods Studios Furniture (home of 100% American made, wood furniture).

Check out what the Brattleboro Reformer had to say about us and watch the previews on ABC.  

Here's the premsie:  Americans will spend, on average $700 per person on Christmas and holiday gifts this year.  If we allocated just $64 of that to American made gifts, we would generate 200,000 jobs, nation-wide.  So the question is:  Are you IN?

If you're IN, then get counted by joining us at our Made in America Holiday Shopping virtual Facebook event (it's just a mouse click-- you don't have to actually show up anywhere).  Thanks for joining us and be sure to share (on our Facebook) any cool things you find in your shopping adventures!

Made in America Furniture Sale: Back For The Holidays

We're celebrating our Made in America Holiday Shopping Challenge success with a store-wide 15% Off Fine Furniture Sale.  This has been such an exciting week for us, with the ABC World News crew spotlighting our efforts to get friends and relatives to "buy American" this Christmas shopping season.  Manjula and Dennis decided to share our revelry with a big sale-- it's store-wide from tomorrow until December 13.

Don't forget to watch us (or set your DVR) tomorrow night on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer and then join with all of us who are promising to buy at least some American made gifts this Christmas-- and be sure to get counted on Facebook! 

As a company that sells exclusively American made furniture (Vermont-made, actually) we're psyched to get this level of traction behind our push to create more American jobs.  As consumers, we have the power and what better time than Christmas (when we're each spending an average of $700 on gifts) to excercise that power!

 

Cyber Shopping For The Person Who Has Everything

That's you!  Let's be honest. If you're reading this, you can probably count yourself among the "ones who have everything" right?  And your friends and family are in that group too.  OK, I'm not trying to be a big grinch and stomp down on all our Cyber Weekend shopping fun.  I'm just suggesting that some of the frenzy whipped up over these unbelievable deals is a bit contrived-- maybe you and those on your List don't really need or want an extra flat screen TV anyway. 

So what to buy that would have some meaning?

Here's a short list of my Top 4 Favorite Christmas and Holiday Gifts:

• A $20 donation to Heifer International could offer an education (and a new world) to a child otherwise doomed to a life of poverty in a third world country.  If you can read this story about Beatrice Biira and not be inspired to swap a goat or flock of chickens for the Blu-ray player, I'll be surprised.

•  For the animal lovers on your list, what could be more thoughtful than the World Wildlife Fund symbolic adoption of an endangered species?  Tigers are my favorite animals and they are among the most critically endangered species on earth, but WWF offers over 100 adoption choices from Red Eyed Tree Frog to the Ring Tailed Lemur.  Adoption gifts include a stuffed animal, a personalized, framed adoption certificate and a photo of the animal in the wild.  These are fun for kids and adults alike.

• Do you have any outdoor enthusiasts on your list?  How about an acre of rainforest for them?  The Nature Conservancy has several gift options including adopting an acre of rainforest in Costa Rica, planting trees in Brazil and adopting hummingbirds.  I should mention too that TNC has a cool Green Gift Monday webpage with all kinds of ideas for gifting repsonsibly.
• Swimmers? Surfers? Sailors?  Definitely check out Oceana's Marine Wildlife Adoption and Gift Center and adopt a whale, turtle, shark, octopus, penguin or whatever your favorite ocean species is.

The best part is that there's no Black Friday or Cyber Monday RUSH on buying these items.  But... you could take a big load off your shoulders and get everything done today.  Then you could relax and enjoy the rest of the Christmas season in peace-- what a concept!

 

Thanks To Vermont Craftsman Chad Woodruff: Maker of Mission, Arts & Crafts and Stickley Style Furniture

Once again we'd like to say thanks to one of our favorite Vermont fine furniture makers:  Chad Woodruff of Woodruff Custom Furniture in Vernon, Vermont.  Chad was kind enough to join us on Tuesday when ABC World News came to town.  He and his quintessential Vermont workshop (located in an historic, old red barn) were featured in a film segment for the Made in America Shopping Challenge.  I can't wait to see that part of the video because Chad speaks about his craft so beautifully and powerfully--  straight from the heart.

 

Chad specializes in building Arts & Crafts style pieces, inspired by craftsmen like Stickley, Roycroft, and Limbert.  Each piece Chad crafts has a simple beauty and an honest solid construction. His furniture is made by hand from rough board to fine finish.

 

 Quartersawn White Oak is the wood of choice for most of Chad's customers although he is happy to customize his furniture to meet your specific needs and preferences.  He offers 4 stain choices: a classic mission finish with a medium brown stain with strong orange and golden highlights, a light  mission stain, a dark mission stain and a fumed oak finish.

 

Chad's quality is impeccable, his customers are raving fans and we are very proud to be able to represent him at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture.  Check out some of Chad's Mission, Arts and Crafts and Stickley Style Furniture on our website or give us a call to learn more about his work and how to bring it into your home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phew... We Made It Through Our Day of Filming with ABC World News

It was only a couple days ago that Shannon ran into my office with a look of total disbelief on her face, saying that someone named Christine Brozyna, a producer from ABC World News with Diane Sawyer would like to talk to us about our Made in America Holiday Shopping Challenge. 

 

Wow!  I thought WE worked hard at Vermont Wood Studios.  In 5 days these people read all about us on the Internet, liked our company and our drive, dreamed up a segment about us for their national news show, gathered up a camera crew, drove up to Vernon VT and spent the whole day today filming our story.  It was a whilrwind and I'm not quite sure if I've been dreaming myself, but I have to say today was pretty exciting, either way.

 

 

Many thanks go out to all our friends in Vernon who came out to support us and be a part of the segment.  Here's how it went down: 

•    We did a 10AM shoot at the Schoolhouse General Store with the new manager, Chad Mulverhill, his family and Cindy Falvey.  At first we were the only ones on scene so we all had to call everyone we knew, in desperation and beg them to rush down and help us make it look like a good crowd.  Our friends came through :)
•     Then we migrated over to the Town Hall at noon for what Christine imagined as a "Huge" crowd scene.  Well, I guess huge is a relative term, but I can truthfully say this was a HUGE crowd for Vernon.  Linda Shippee had all the pre-school kids there with a Thanksgiving banner they had made.  Most of the town employees were there.  Several good people from VY came over.  And a ton of other people who wanted to support the project came... just to be nice and see what was going on.

• Next was a 2pm segment at the Vernon Elementary School where the principal, Mark Speno let us be a part of the kids' Sock Hop, an amazing assembly in the cafeteria where the teachers we all know and love taught the chicken dance, the swim and the pony to the kids

• Next stop-- the Vernon Fire Station where Chief Todd Capan and 3 other brave fire fighters assembled in front of the camera, listened to our spiel and were good-natured enough to give a Made in America shout-out for the producers

• The last shop was Chad Woodruff's Custom Furniture Workshop. Chad is one of Vermont's finest furniture makers and we are so lucky to be able to work with him.  The camera crew filmed Chad and his staff woodworking and also did a nice interview with Chad where we learned (among other things) that he can tell the difference between an imported piece of furniture and an American made piece from 10 feet away. 

Thanks also to the local media who came out to capture the event.  I love this behind the scenes video posted by Zach Stephens at The Brattleboro Reformer.

I hope you get to see all of this on Wednesday when it airs on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer at 6:30pm.  Everywhere we went today, the producers set up the scene so we were telling people about our Made in America Holiday Shopping Challenge and asking them to join us.  We honestly had no earthly idea how this was going to play out and we're so grateful to everyone for supporting us in our ignorance.

I can't image how they're going to boil 10 hours of filming down to 3 minutes but I trust that the genius of Christine and Eric Noll (the other producer) will prevail and everything will come out just fine.  That's Christine and Eric above with Tom and Mark, the camera crew.  They had us getting our picture taken holding the Made in America sign all day, so we wanted to turn the tables on them and get a photo of them holding a sign of our choice--  a promotional sign for Woodruff Custom Furniture. 

If you made it to this page, and even to the bottom of this page-- we're sending out a big THANK you to all of you from ABC.  We look forward to seeing you again, closer to Christmas.  Come and check out all our American Made finds!

 

 

Revitalizing Vermont’s Rural Economy

At Vermont Woods Studios Sustainable Furniture we've been working with the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership to develop an Action Plan to create a rural renaissance in Vermont that focuses economic development efforts on our working landscape. Right now we have a tremendous opportunity to build our working lands economy (farming, forestry, and value-added processing like furniture making) into a cornerstone of job creation and rural revitalization.

Many of the pieces needed for a Renaissance of our farm and forest economies are already in place. More and more people in our regional market are looking for sustainably produced products, such as our Vermont Made Furniture.  But the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership needs our support in bringing some remaining pieces together. 

The Vermont Working Landscape Action Plan defines what those pieces are and how we can pull all of those opportunities, policies, and new plans into one unified, efficient and effective effort.  If you live in Vermont or vacation here, you are a stakeholder in this plan.  We know that without taking action the landscape of Vermont will evolve rapidly and probably not in a way we would want.

Stakeholders, please take a minute to read the plan and offer your support.  Thanks!

Sustainable Furniture Sale Results: Nature.Org "Plant A Billion Trees" Fundraiser

Douglas just delivered the numbers for our Sustainable Furniture Sale last Saturday, November 12.  We sponsored a fundraiser for The Nature Conservancy's Plant A Billion Trees Initiative.

I can report that your furniture purchases generated a $418 donation to The Nature Conservancy.  Half of that will be donated to the local Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and half will to the national/international TNC campaign.

We wish to thank all of our customers and readers who bought furniture or promoted our event.  We look forward to working with Jennifer Kramer, our local TNC representative to further strengthen our partnership with Nature.org.

Black Friday Plus Fine Wood Furniture Sale, What's that?

by Dennis Shanoff

I feel the unseasonably warm weather this month in Vermont has lulled us into a false sense of distance from the holidays. But low and behold next week is indeed Thanksgiving! And all the chaos that seems to go with that. Traveling, preparing for guests & visitor’s and of course all that cooking… Oh yeah, and not to mention getting up at 5:00 am the next morning to be first in line for all those “Black Friday” deals! Retailers have really created such a sense of urgency and drastic savings around this event that you almost feel silly doing any holiday shopping on any day but “Black Friday”! But we now also have a “Cyber Monday” for those that prefer to skip the lines and traffic and do their bargain hunting online from the comfort of their home or office.  So is this our second and final chance at big savings?

Well our idea for this years Black Friday savings event was to give you more time… more time to preview our fine wood furniture and more time to shop. To do this we have created a “Black Friday Plus” sales event and what is different about this event is that we are giving our customers 4 days to preview and 6 days to shop! The actual sale kicks off Wednesday November 23^rd at 8:00 am and runs through midnight on Cyber Monday, November 28^th.  So that’s 6 days for you to save 20% on furniture storewide, plus free delivery!*

So you can take your time the next few days to browse our online fine furniture gallery and preview at your convenience (remember to bookmark your favorite pieces).  Of course our online gallery is available 24/7 so when there’s a break in your potentially hectic schedule you can still easily catch the sale! If you happen to have questions and want to speak to our team, the only days the office will be closed will be Thanksgiving Day and the following Sunday-- otherwise we are open 9am-5pm. But knowing our team I am sure someone will give at least a quick check into our emails those days! So welcome to our fine wood furniture store and Black Friday Plus event.

Here's wishing you and your family a relaxing Happy Holiday (to the extent that's possible)!

 

*  Excludes our one of a kind custom artisan furniture and Everwood outdoor furniture which is always on sale with a low price guarantee

Vermont Made Furniture To Be On ABC World News

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for attending our Made in America Holiday Shopping Challenge!  Today (I think it's because of your support) we got a phone call from ABC World News telling us they are sending a camera crew up to Vernon, Vermont on Tuesday to film some footage for their November 30 nightly news show.

They want to learn more about our pledge to buy American made holiday gifts at Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture and also tour around the town of Vernon.  They'll visit all the BIG attractions in town:  the elementary school, the town hall, the general store, the fire station, a farm or two and Chad Woodruff's custom furniture workshop.  What could be more cool for the evening news than that?  They'll be interviewing people along the way and asking them about any plans they might have to "buy American" this holiday season.

So we're pretty excited about this and we're grateful to you for all your support, as always.  By the way, what are you buying for Christmas this year?  If you haven't taken the challenge yet, it's not too late.  We figured that if everybody in the country bought everything "American made" over the holidays, it could generate almost 5 million jobs! Who needs politicians, right?

 

For local Vernon and Brattleboro area residents-- if you'd like to be on TV or just see the camera crew in action, you can keep up with their schedule as it evolves by joining this Facebook group or checking our website.  Here's a clip of a similar segment in the ABC series.  People in the crowd scene at the Vernon Town Hall will all have a chance to be interviewed and present visuals to feature on the national show.

Welcoming Shannon to the Vermont Furniture World

We are delighted to introduce you to Shannon Albritton, our newest Green Team member here at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture.  Shannon's official title is: Sales Ace and Customer Champion.  She'll be here along with Rebecca to answer your phone calls, place/track orders and arrange shipping. 

Shannon's from Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  Her background includes extensive experience in sales and marketing positions and she loves helping customers figure out how to get exactly what they're looking for.  Shannon's husband is a talented woodworker so she brings a detailed knowledge of woodworking, furniture styles, joinery and finish options with her. 

She's also a passionate environmentalist who walks the talk in every aspect of her life.  She's been inspiring us to keep improving our sustainable practices at work and at home too.  Today she got Manjula and me up from our computers in the middle of the afternoon to go outside for a "7th inning stretch".  It felt so good that now we're trying to get her to lead an after hours yoga class :)

We are very lucky to have Shannon on board! When you're talking to her about your furniture order, maybe ask her about her hiking career (she hiked a portion of the Na Pali Coast in Kauai barefoot).  I think that's probably only one of many good stories she has to tell.

 

American Made Holiday Gift Buying Challenge: Progress Report

By Dennis Shanoff

Earlier this year I wrote a blog which I hoped would inspire a “Buy American Made Products” movement but with a new twist. I thought that the upcoming holiday season would be the perfect time to raise awareness that there still are some great American Made products.

After all this is the time of year when shopping is going full force. So if there ever was power in numbers this would be the time to really make a difference!

 

I began my research into American Made Products that would make good holiday gifts and I was both surprised and pleased to find that this was not as difficult as I first envisioned. Certainly at some point most of us have commented on the overwhelmingly high percentage of imported products we see on our stores shelves. And how product quality has diminished as well. 

 

I realize that there is some perception that US made product is just too expensive but when you factor in its quality and lasting power over “cheap” imports it actually may prove to be a bargain! Buy it right, and buy it once I say.

I was also very pleased to find that most of the companies I had discovered were started in America long ago, understood offshore production savings or felt economic pressure to manufacture offshore, but firmly resisted this based on a core belief of contributing to the US economy and an unwillingness to diminish quality. Those companies I commend, and those companies’ products I will purchase! They are indeed out there and they deserve our business.

It has been both a fun and enlightening project and I was quite surprised and happy to find good old American made products that my family and friends could use and enjoy. And as a matter of fact I book marked a few dozen websites for things for myself in the process! So Santa, if you are reading this….

Below are some American Made gift ideas I found during my first pass I would like to share with you and I plan on updating this blog post throughout the holiday season.

• Well you may have thought any type of US produced clothing would be hard to find but it’s out there! And who hasn’t gotten or given pajamas as a gift! Check out Vermont Flannel. BTW… I actually was given a VF shirt and shorts about 10 years ago. Still have and still wear them! And it doesn’t look like they are going to wear out anytime soon! http://www.vermontflannel.com/index

• What’s more American then blue jeans, right? But blue jeans made in America these days? No way you say! While the famous brands packed up their US factories long ago, there are some little guys refusing to budge! Check out Texas Jeans http://www.texasjean.com/ and All American Clothing http://www.allamericanclothing.com

• Hmm, I suppose when you need to grab a flashlight you must be in a REAL need for light? So the one that you have to keep smacking in the palm of your hand to stay on may not be the best choice! And how much of a bargain is it in that situation? Well there’s a USA Made MAGLITE in my home, all my vehicles glove boxes, and in my backpacks & camping gear. Turns on, stays on EVERY time! TIP: The little MAGLITE Solitaire attaches to a key chain and is a great stocking stuffer! http://www.maglite.com/

• No “handy-person” would be disappointed to get a top notch pocket or belt multi-tool. This extremely handy gadget was pioneered by “Leatherman” almost 30 years ago and has been evolving ever since (and is probably one of the most copied inventions of the century!) Now they have an ingenious multi-tool for almost every activity and function. http://www.leatherman.com/

• Something for the little ones? How about some good old fashion wooden toys? Don’t think they make them like they use too? Well then check out the award winning line of wood toys by Maple Landmark. Lots of fun stuff for kids of all ages and you can personalize them with the child's name! http://www.maplelandmark.com/

• Need a gift idea that suits all ages? Or something that the whole family can participate in? How about the classic jigsaw puzzle! From 60 piece children’s puzzles to 2000 piece challenges for the master puzzler, Springbok is the oldest and most respected brand name puzzle manufactured in the USA (and they get another vote from us for having environmentally friendly manufacturing practices!) They have a great sorting & categorizing feature on their website to make finding the perfect puzzle quick & easy! http://www.springbok-puzzles.com/

So I hope I have inspired you to consider this holiday gift theme for your family and friends gatherings, office party, secret Santa, or Yankee Swaps. And please feel free to share your findings or events by joining our Facebook event. We look forward to hearing from you and we wish you a Happy Holiday season!

Best Black Friday Furniture Sale... And All American Made

Manjula and Dennis are in the next room fine-tuning this year's Black Friday Furniture Sale.  I can only eavesdrop at the moment-- because they know I'm going to blog about the details as soon as I hear them.  Stay tuned and I will fill you in as soon as I know what's up.

In the meantime, check out our American Made Holiday Shopping Challenge.  Before you scoop up all those Black Friday bargains, check to see where the stuff is made and share any great "American made" finds with us on Facebook.

 

Here's another idea for your "American Made" Christmas shopping:  our furniture gift certificates.  You can purchase them in multiples of $100.  A pretty cool stocking-stuffer, don't you think? 

Copeland Fine Furniture: Coming To Vermont Woods Studios Soon!

UPDATE:

Copeland Furniture is now available at Vermont Woods Studios.  Browse through our collection of:

Copeland Bedroom Furniture
Copeland Home Office Furniture
Copeland TV-Media Furniture and
Copeland Dining Furniture

Customize Copeland Furniture online or give us a call with your questions. 

Customers have been asking us for a wider selection of sustainable Vermont made furniture so we've been travelling all around our state in search of the next furniture company to feature on our website.  Last week Dennis and Douglas made a trip up to Bradford, VT to meet with Joann Phelps and the Copeland Furniture crew.  We've been admiring the work of this family-owned company for many years and are proud to announce we will soon be carrying their full line of Vermont made furniture including the Frank Lloyd Wright® collection. 

We're working on getting their fine furniture up on our website now and plan to have everything ready by the end of this year.  In the meantime, we are already taking orders so feel free to call us and discuss your (100% American Made) Copeland Furniture needs.  We thank Tim and Ben Copeland for including Vermont Woods Studios in the Copeland Furniture retailer family.

Meet The Green Team: Vermont's Sustainable Furniture Experts

We finally managed to get everybody on our staff together for a photo in our office-showroom at Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture.  Well, most of us anyway.  The student interns (aka our children) were all attending high school and college at the time.  But tthey are an important part of our success so hopefully we'll be able to take another snapshot during Christmas vacation and update you then.  For now, your Sustainable Furniture Team consists of:

First row from left:  Rebecca, Peggy, Manjula, Shannon

Second row from left:  Douglas, Ken, Dennis

We'd like to thank Carey Earle, Chief Idea Farmer at Green Apple Marketing for her help and creativity in penning our new About Us page.  For the most part, everything she wrote is really true ;)

Vermont's Best Shaker Furniture Sale - 100% American Made

This week Vermont's Best Shaker Style Furniture is on sale. Find traditionally inspired, real hardwood, 100% American made Shaker Furniture for every room in your home. Our entire Shaker line is skillfully handcrafted in Vermont and is available in natural cherry, maple, and walnut woods. Solidly built to last for generations of enjoyment and use. You'll receive 10% off one piece or save 15% when you buy 2 or more pieces (plus Free Delivery).

Browse and shop our online gallery for your new Shaker bedroom, dining room, living room, or home office furniture.  Or feel free to contact us  at 888-390-5571 to order by phone or discuss your questions about our Vermont made, solid wood Shaker furniture. Hurry! This Sale ends at midnight on Nov 15th.

Adopt A Soldier on Veterans Day or During The Holidays

We received this request for assistance from our good friends Jody and Betty Lou Deaton today, on Veteran's Day and thought we would share it with our readers:

"As we approach the holiday season we have the tendency to focus in on our own families and not so much on the needs of others, especially in today’s economy.

There are approximately 103,700 US personnel, men and women, over in Afghanistan who are there to protect our freedom and serving our country with out hesitation thus allowing us to enjoy our families and loved ones.

Starting today through November 15, 2011, I am requesting your help in adopting a soldier and his family.  The soldier is Sgt. Peter A. Avila with the 25th Infantry Division.

Sgt. Avila is currently on his fourth tour in the Afghanistan/Iraqi region, temporally assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Afghanistan at a Forward Operating Base.  His wife Crystal Avila is currently suffering from kidney disease and a host of related health issues.  Peter and Crystal's two little boys (Kenan and Kaleb) and a baby girl (Deanna) are located in Hawaii without the love of a father or husband, nor do they have family members living close enough to assist in these times of need.

Sgt. Avila’s first tour was with the 2nd Marine Infantry Division during the invasion of Baghdad.  His second and third tours were with the U.S. Army in Iraq during Iraqi Freedom.  Sgt. Avila was also deployed as part of the U.S. border patrol and construction of the U.S. and Mexican fence line for nine months prior to being deployed to Iraq on December 12, 2007 for an 18 month tour.

This soldier has put our Freedom, Country, Loved ones, and The Right to Practice the Freedom of Religion before his own enjoyment of Life that most take for granted.

Please join us in providing assistance to a soldier and his family this holiday season."

Contributions can be sent to: 

Emanuel Holiness Church
C/O Bessie Todd
20701 Jane Shaw Rd.
Wagram, NC   28396
For Sgt. Peter A. Avila Donations

American Veterans: Thank You For Your Service and Sacrifice

To all of America's veterans, the staff at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture extends our sincere thanks to you and your families for your courage, integrity and sacrifice. 

On Veteran's Day I thought readers might be interested in some of the many interesting volunteer opportunities listed on the Veteran's Administration website.  You can honor veterans by attending Welcome Home events, helping homeless Vets, donating to Wounded Warriors or contributing to any number of activities listed on the VA website. 

Manjula has also created a special 20% Off coupon code for vets to use in our American Made furniture store today, tomorrow and Sunday (November 11, 12 and 13).  Active military, Vets and their families can enter this coupon code (THANKSVET20) into the shopping cart and it will apply the 20% discount, subject to verification of status immediately prior to shipping.

Once again, thanks for your service!

Christmas - Birth Of A New Tradition

Reprinted with permission from a letter by Rita Settle to the editor of the Orlando Sentinel

 

My friend Deana clipped this letter out of the Orlando Sentinel and sent it to me after reading about our American Made Holiday Gift Challenge.  We thank Rita Settle for her creative holiday gift suggestions.

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

• Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?
• Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.
• Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.
• Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
• There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
• How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?
• Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.
• My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
• OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
• Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre? Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
• Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine. THIS is the new American Christmas tradition.

Beautiful, Modern, Indestructible Kid Friendly Furniture

Our kids are older now, but I remember when they were little we were always worrying about them getting hurt around our furniture.  Sharp edges and corners, glass tops, coatings and finishes were all a concern.

Well, now parents are getting much smarter about choosing kid-friendly furniture.  One option is to bring the beautiful, modern outdoor furniture that's become so popular over the last few years-- inside.

Check out this outdoor polywood furniture,  It doesn't look kid-friendly does it?  It looks like (and is) stylish, high quality, luxury furniture.  But guess what it's made of?  Recycled milk jugs.  It's all non-toxic, inert, virtually indestructible, super easy to maintain and guaranteed to last a lifetime.  There's no glass, no finish or sharp edges.  Furthermore, you can choose from dozens of durable Sunbrella fabrics for the cushions without worry about spills and dribbles.  The deep seating mission collection shown here offers a choice of outdoor faux leather cushions or Sunbrella fabrics.

Parents of small children: give it some thought!  Bring the outdoors furniture in.