Vermont Woods Studios - Eco Furniture Blog

Stonehurst: Repurposing Our Trees

Vince Johnson of Johnson Custom Milling in Vernon, VT is milling trees that had to be taken down for safety reasons.   Now we can use them for future phases of construction at Vermont Woods Studios Stonehurst. 

 

Since forest conservation is a big part of my mission at Vermont Woods Studios, it's been a little heart-breaking for me to see some of the 100 year old trees at Stonehurst being taken down.  There were a handful that were leaning over the house and garage and Ken insisted that they were a hazard and had to go.

But lucky for me, Vince Johnson of Johnson Custom Milling in Vernon, VT came to the rescue.  Vince is milling the trees so we can use them for future phases of construction at Stonehurst.  Here's a video of his portable sawmill in operation.

Ken and Jeremy Coleman of J Coleman & Company Architects are looking into building a solar kiln to dry the wood so we can use it as soon as possible. 

And Dennis has plans to siphon off some of the wood to build bluebird houses, owl boxes and such.  It's turning out to be a fun project after all.  Let us know on our Facebook if you have any thoughts or advice for us as we go down this road of renovation at Stonehurst.  We'll be posting photos of the transformation and announcing details of our open house as we get closer to completion.

 

Black Locust Tree Getting a Makeover

Many thanks to the tree service professionals at Turner and Renaud in Dummerston, Vermont.  They worked all day surgically removing this black locust tree that we hope to transform into an ADA accessible ramp into the new Vermont Woods Studios showroom.

It was pretty misty this morning so I'm not sure if you can see the arborist in the top of this Black Locust tree.  But he's there, suspended from a 100' tall crane boom that stretched over the Stonehurst building and into the back yard where you see the locust tree being carefully dismantled.

We are sending our thanks to the tree service professionals at Turner and Renaud in Dummerston, Vermont.  Three certified arborists came to Stonehurst today to remove a couple huge trees that were leaning over the building.  It was amazing (and terrifying) to watch them work.

I was surprised and pleased to learn that each person working in Turner and Renaud's tree care business is a certified Arborist. Certification is an impressive recognition of their professional knowledge by the International Society of Arboriculture. 

I'm going to miss the beautiful trees they took down today but I'm eager to see what our creative friend Vince Johnson of Johnson Custom Milling will be able to transform the wood into. 

Since Black Locust is one of the most rot-resistant woods in the Northern Forest, we're thinking it's best use might be for the ADA accessibility ramp into the new Vermont Woods Studios showroom.  Stay tuned for photos of the complete transformation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Furniture Makes Front Page of Brattleboro Reformer

We're sending our thanks out to Mike Faher of the Brattleboro Reformer for his awesome article on Vermont Woods Studios Wednesday.

We're excited to be able to share the news of our plans to transform Stonehurst (a 200+ year old former farm, ski area and residence) into a destination shopping experience for our community.

Check out Mike's article and see what our Facebook friends are saying about it.  We'll keep you posted on our progress and hope you'll come see Stonehurst once it's renovated-- in early 2013.  Stay tuned!

Pine Top Mystery

Who are these dapper looking ski instructors at Pine Top Ski Area in Vernon, VT, circa 1950?  Let us know, on our Facebook.

When we closed on our purchase of the Stonehurst property (future home for Vermont Woods Studios) last week we were lucky enough to be able to spend some time with former owners Bill and Elaine Ellis who lived there with their family for over 30 years.

Elaine was showing me old photos of Stonehurst when it was the ski area, Pine Top.  She even gave me a VHS tape that the Vernon Historians made to document the Pine Top era.

I'm slowly going through the details and looking forward to meeting with Town Historian Barbara Mosely to learn more.  In the meantime, does anyone know who these handsome ski instructors are?  The photo has no date but Pine Top was in existence from the mid-40s to the mid 60s.

If you have the answer, how about posting it on our Facebook or in the comment section below. 

Thanks and stay tuned for Stonehurst - Pine Top updates as we renovate the property.  We are looking to make it the Northeast's premiere destination shopping experience for beautiful, high end, Vermont made furniture.  But before we open the doors, we want you to stop by for an open house, ESPECIALLY if you ever skied at Pine Top!

 

 

 

 

Here's a closer look but it's not quite good enough to read the names on those pockets. If you recognize these guys, let us know who they are on our Facebook.

 

Are You Smarter Than A Raccoon?

What's wrong with this picture?  If you don't live in Vermont or some other rural place, you probably haven't ever had to use a Have-A-Heart trap like this one.  But even so, you're probably noticing that the cage has snapped closed and the bait (yummy, smelly sardines) can is empty.  So where is the jail bird?

I guess we've been outsmarted, huh?  Here's what's going down at Vermont Woods Studios: 

Dennis saw a young gray fox several times over the last few weeks when he was working at Stonehurst but it started limping.  I noticed the limp had gotten pretty bad and I asked Annette to help me trap the fox so we could bring him to BEEC where Patti Smith, our friend the wildlife rehabilitator could have a look at him. 

 

 

 

We've set the trap every night over the past 3 days.

Interestingly, this character (Rocky) has been showing up.  The trap has been empty (and dragged into a ravine) and the bait has been eaten.  And Rocky acts like he's just won the lottery.

I'm heading over to Stonehurst now to meet Annette and try to plot a new approach to this challenge.  Got any ideas?  Let us know on our Facebook.  Help us be smarter than a raccoon ;(

 

 

Stonehurst Step 1, The Purchase: Complete

 

Ken and I finally closed on our purchase of Stonehurst today... woohoo!

I am happy to report that Ken and I finally closed on our purchase of Stonehurst today... woohoo!  We've got much work ahead in renovating and transforming it into a fine furniture gallery, nature center and destination shopping experience but this is an exciting first step.

Today I just wanted to make a quick entry to thank all the professionals who helped us with the property purchase.  Our gratitude goes out to our wonderful real estate agent, Suzanne King of Masiello Realty in Brattleboro, Peter Carvell our (ever so thorough) banker from, Brattleboro Savings and Loan and Rich Carroll, our attorney from Potter Stewart Law who has managed to keep us in good humor throughout the process.

We are also grateful to Elaine and Bill Ellis the people who stewarded this historic property over the last 30 years and transferred care of it to us today.  We are looking forward to the day we can welcome them back to see the renovations-- hopefully in 6 months or so.

Stay tuned for periodic updates, including reports about our new friend Stoney who (we just discovered) currently resides at Stonehurst.

Countdown To Stonehurst: A Fine Furniture Showroom and More

It's been a long time coming and we've tried to be quiet about it... for worry about everything that can go wrong in a real estate transaction. 

But we're now in the final countdown-- just 3 more days until we close on the purchase of Stonehurst, an historic circa 1800 farmhouse and former ski area located just up the road in Vernon, Vermont.

Stonehurst will be our new showroom, office space and nature center.  It's a traditional Vermont style farmhouse that sits on 109 acres of forest and meadow, overlooking the Connecticut River.  Not your typical furniture store! 

We're excited that we'll finally be able to show customers a wide selection of all the custom and made to order furniture our Vermont craftspeople have to offer.  Even more exciting for me personally is the idea of conserving the property and providing eco-conscious customers a chance to see and experience the land where their furniture comes from. 

Check in after we settle on Stonehurst this Thursday for more details on our plans to make it a destination shopping experience.

 

 

Update On Our Search For A New Home: Stonehurst

 

This is part of the back yard of Stonehurst, the property we're trying to purchase for our new Vermont Woods Studios office and showroom.  The plan is to do a green renovation of the main farmhouse (not shown), creating a unique, luxury shopping experience for customers seeking Vermont's handcrafted sustainable furniture.

It's been well over a year now since we began our search for a new home for Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture. Our amazing realtor, Suzanne King of Masiello Realty in Brattleboro VT has been incredibly patient and helpful.  She's showed us dozens of possible properties and lived through the whole disappointing saga of Skyline, a property we fell in love with last year which did not work out for us.

Now we're working on acquiring Stonehurst, a beautiful old farmhouse property located right here in Vernon VT (that's just part of the backyard shown on the left.  Here's a photo of the main house). It's on 109 acres of forested land with scenic views all the way down to the Connecticut River.  It used to be a ski area, Pine Top.

Our plan is to do a green renovation of the property and transform it into a luxury, destination shopping experience for customers seeking Vermont's handcrafted, sustainable furniture.  What do you think?  Is this the kind of place you'd be interested in if you were shopping for fine wood furniture?  Let me know in the comments section below or on our Facebook.

 

 

Our Search For A New Vermont Home

 

Do you think this farmhouse would make a good home for Vermont Woods Studios Fine Furniture?

Vermont Woods Studios is growing.  Maybe you've noticed that we have a few new faces in our small office/furniture showroom on Fort Bridgeman Road in Vernon.  There are 9 of us now, plus a couple summer interns.  Hard to believe!

Everyone's being a real good sport about the occasional crowding.  On nice days we think up excuses to work outside at the picnic (conference) table and that helps.  But clearly it's time to scout around for a new home.

This is one possibility we're looking at.  It's an old (circa 1800) farmhouse that was transformed into a local ski area in the 1940s.  Great story. 

We're looking at a number of other options as well and I'll share more pictures as we journey through the process of finding the one that works best for us.  Stay tuned and let me know what you think on our Facebook page.

A Vermont Furniture Showroom and Cafe: Co-located at Skyline?

 

 

Part of our feasibility study to see if the Skyline property on Vermont's Hogback Mountain would work for Vermont Woods Studios is anaylzing the possibility of co-locating a cafe or wine bar with the furniture showroom. It's not a real natural combination, is it (furniture and food)?

 

 

But two factors keep pointing to the pairing of these functions at Skyline:

 

 

• The Skyline location, on top of Hogback Mountain, with it's 100 mile view of the Green Mountain Forest offers what I've been looking for to raise awareness about where your wood furniture comes from.  After all, you can buy imported wood furniture anywhere but it's probably going to be made from illegally harvested trees, clear-cut from the world's rapidly disappearing tropical rainforests.  Our customers are interested in acquiring heirloom quality, Vermont-made furniture that's crafted from natural, solid, wood that's been sustainably harvested from beautiful, well-managed American forests (more about green, environmental concerns here). 
  
  
• The other factor is that:  How could  you operate ANYTHING at Skyline without inviting people to come up and enjoy the view?  It would be kinda like that commercial for Ally bank where the guy asks 2 little girls if they'd like a pony. He shows a real pony to one of the girls but only gives her a little figurine instead.  The announcer says something like:  "even kids know it's wrong to hold out on somebody."  That's how I'd feel having a business at Skyline that didn't offer people a place to relax and enjoy the view with a cup of tea or a glass of wine.

So now we're trying to figure out how to strategically pair a Vermont-made furniture showroom with a cafe or wine bar.  Allocating space is the conundrum of the day.  60% furniture -- 40% cafe? Additional seasonal seating outside?  I guess the answers will reveal themselves as we do our research. 

Got ideas?  Suggestions? Interested in running an upscale cafe at Skyline?  Contact us on Facebook and jump into the conversation.  We'll be looking for local help as we navigate through the feasibility study and (hopefully) beyond.

 

 

Vermont Skyline Project: Feasibility Study

Ken and I are under contract at Vermont Woods Studios to purchase the old Skyline Restaurant on Hogback Mountain in Marlboro, Vermont for use as a small furniture showroom, administrative office and cafe.  Right now our emphasis is on conducting a feasibility study to see if the property can be renovated to meet our needs. 

If you're local to Southeastern Vermont, you no-doubt remember eating a delicious, hearty breakfast at Skyline while enjoying the incredible 100 Mile view.  It was the kind of place you thought would always be there for you, the next time you were in the neighborhood. I'm not sure why the restaurant shut down (about 4 years ago?) but it's in pretty bad shape at the moment.

We've been working with Jeremy Coleman of J Coleman & Company Architects on evalutaing the condition of Skyline's heating, air conditioning, plumbing and structure these past couple weeks to see which systems will have to be totally gutted and replaced and which, if any may be partially salvaged.  It looks to me like there will be a lot of replacement. 

If you're in the area or you're interested in green building or the story of Skyline, keep an eye on our project through this blog and Facebook.  We'll be posting progress as we go.  If Skyline is a feasible location for a Vermont made furniture showroom and we do end up purchasing the property, we'll be looking for local help to transform it.  Contact us if you interested in getting involved.

Kringle Candle: A Benchmark for Vermont Made Furniture

We were coming home from Greenfield MA on Sunday after Riley's basketball game and decided to travel home along Route 5, through Bernardston.  I was surprised to see how much progress they've made on the new Kringle Candle Company-- where the old Harley Davidson shop used to be. 

 

 

It is beautiful!  We had been through the candle shop last year but now there are several additional shops across the street-- it's like a little village. 

 

 

The old farmhouse that sits south of the Harley shop has been transformed into an elegant Farm Table Restaurant that extends to outdoor eating areas filled with Polywood Euro Furniture and decorated with colorful Fall mums and pumpkins.

 

In their brochures they note that Mike and Mick Kittredge founded the company on green principles: 

• The restaurant serves all local organic foods
• The candle containers are designed for re-use
• Product packaging is environmentally friendly and recycled when possible

 

 

That's where there is some commonality between the Kringle Candle Company and Vermont Woods Studios-- in our shared green philosophy.  Our vision for our new location (be it Skyline or elsewhere) is one that honors our natural world and serves to raise awareness about the green causes we have always been passionate about:  forest conservation and wildlife protection.  I think Kringle Candle is an appropriate benchmark for us.  We could learn a lot from these folks.

Our Fall Foliage Tour Through Southern Vermont

This past weekend was the most beautiful Columbus Day I can remember.  After suffering through the wake of Hurricane Irene, Vermonters really deserved a break.  And we got one.  Temperatures were around 80F and the sun shined all weekend.

 

Ken and I ventured out to leaf peep and give his new hip a whirl.  He's still a bit wobbly, but he generally gets where he wants to go.

 

This photo was taken at the property we're researching to buy for Vermont Woods Studios.  It's the old Skyline Restaurant on Hogback Mountain in Marlboro VT on Route 9 between Wilmington and Brattleboro.

 

 

After a morning of traipsing around Skyline looking at heating, ventillation, air conditioning and plumbing systems we headed into Brattleboro, stopped at Grafton Cheese and landed at The Marina for lunch.  Can't think of a better place to be on a day like that.

More pictures of our leaf peeping adventure on Facebook.

 

Vermont Furniture: Reaching For The Sky... Line

Remember this photo?  Well, I mentioned in the summer that Ken and I were looking to purchase a property that Vermont Woods Studios Furniture could call home. 

This week we signed an offer to purchase the old Skyline Restaurant property on Route 9 in Marlboro, Vermont (across from the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and Giftshop).  It's just a first step and there are many hurdles to be jumped before a sale can happen but even so, we're pretty excited about it. And nervous.

We looked at dozens of properties throughout southern Vermont (courtesy of Suzanne King at Masiello Real Estate) and liked this one best because of its beautiful location in the foothills of the Green Mountain National Forest.  We wanted a place where we could welcome customers and let them experience the link between Vermont's handmade wood furniture and the forest where it comes from. 

 

 

 

Situated on Vermont's scenic Hogback Mountain Overlook with it's unbelievable 100 mile view, Skyline could provide that.

So today starts our journey to take Vermont Woods Studios to the next level.  We'll keep you posted as to how things go.  We were lucky enough to persuade Brattleboro's best architect (J Coleman and Co) and engineer (Stevens and Associates PC) to help us out by doing some initial feasibility studies to see if the (distressed) Skyline property and existing building are up to the task of renovation and re-birth.  We'll be immersed in that assessment for probably the next couple months.  We'll be asking your opinion as we go-- either through the comment link below or on our Facebook or preferably over a glass of wine in our kitchen. 

We're looking to make this a green project that produces a showroom worthy of the elegant handmade furniture inside and the incredible natural beauty of the Green Mountains outside.  Check back in now and then and give us your thoughts and advice.

Vermont Furniture Store: Expansion Plans

I guess I should say expansion plans, hopes and dreams.  Well at any rate, we are once again very excited to be out-growing our space at Vermont Woods Studios Furniture and we're looking at options for the future.  We love our landlord here in Vernon and we've already rented a second suite from him.  But we're also starting to think that purchasing a property might be smart. 

Here's Ken, waiting for me to climb onto his bike as we cruise around Vermont looking at potential places.  We asked our favorite real estate agent, Suzanne King of Masiello Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate for help and she's been kind enough to show us dozens and dozens of properties, including these:

• Brattleboro, High Street
• Brattleboro, Western Ave
• Stowe, Above the Clouds (not really, but I wish ;)

I feel horrible asking Suzanne to trek around all over tarnation with us, but as we grow our needs keep changing, so the properties we looked at 3-6 months ago are no longer adequate.   We keep needing more room!  Lately we've been looking at an old, historic property in Marlboro, Vermont where the Skyline Restaurant used to be.  The building is dilapidated but it's on a property with a stunning view and it's right in the middle of Vermont's Green Mountain Forest.  It's an interesting possibility as we work to raise awareness about forest conservation and our green mission.

Have any other ideas we should check out for our next move?  Let me know and I'll keep you posted on our progress as we move forward.