- Chelsea J Marshall
Where is Amish Furniture Made?
Amish communities are more widespread in the United States than many people realize. There are more than 30 states with significant Amish population, but the three biggest, by far, are Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.
Most people think of Lancaster County, PA, when they think of Amish people. Not only is Lancaster the oldest and largest Amish community in the country, it has also been made famous, most notably by the movie Witness, and also Weird Al’s “Amish Paradise.” Here in Pittsburgh, we might instead think of Smicksburg, PA, the closest large Amish community. The second largest Amish community is in Holmes County in Ohio.
It’s probably safe to say that Amish furniture is made anywhere that Amish people live. You can probably visit just about any Amish community and find a store selling locally-made furniture. And that furniture will vary from community to community, much like the people themselves. When you find a quaint little shop in an Amish town selling smaller furniture items, usually in-stock pieces, it’s likely selling local items. These shops may feature more primitive styles, or soft woods like pine, or they may offer fine-finished hardwoods. That will depend on that particular builder’s skills, and what they think will sell best in their particular area.
On the other hand, if you are considering a store like The Amish Home – English-owned and staffed, offering fine-finished hardwood furniture for special order – the furniture is most likely built in Ohio or Indiana. Both Ohio and Indiana have cooperative groups of Amish furniture builders that work together to offer the ability to match finishes effortlessly across hundreds of shops.
The major advantage here is that it allows each shop to focus on their particular specialty, like cabinets, chairs, or finishing. This means that the man who builds your bed won’t build your dresser and nightstand, but they’ll work together to create matching styles, and the finish shop will stain everything together.
COVID-19 Update
The Amish Home is ineligible to reopen our showroom during the “Yellow Phase” of PA’s reopening, due to our location within an indoor shopping mall with no outside entrance. However, our builders have reopened their shops, and we’re getting our first truck of furniture from Ohio this week. We’ve been able to fulfill almost all of our orders from January, but some of our customers will see delays up to 4 weeks over our 60-120 day estimate. We apologize for the delay and thank you for your patience. If you are interested in placing a new furniture order, or if you want to purchase any of our Floor Model Specials, send an email to sales@theamishhome.com or leave a message at 724-895-3805. We will work with you however we can.
Also, starting Friday you can shop our satellite location at The Steel Goat Marketplace & Gifts inside Penn Hills Lawn and Garden Center. Make sure you check their Facebook pages for the latest updates on their hours and social distancing rules.
