Our "Busy"ness

I haven't been able to post on our blog for awhile, and wanted to give you all an update.

 Justin Winters and our daughter, Rebecca were united in marriage on May 22. Many of you already have met Justin, he has been apprenticing here for a few years. He hopes to continue building furniture and cabinetry with us.

Bobby and friends have been attending craft shows...in Hamburg, NY and recently took 3rd prize at the Corn Hill Festival in Rochester, NY. His sales are slow coming, but the show managers and staff love them and their products and give them very positive feedback. He is learning much about business and sales.
 Future craft shows include Harborfest in Owego
http://www.oswegoharborfest.com/
and
Fort Klock in September
http://fortklock.org/

 Mike and I became foster parents to 4 children, and they have greatly affected our lives.
Kaydance (age 5)  is going to make something of herself. She just started summer school and is earning good points to get a purple bike. Every day, we tell her what part of the bike she has earned. Progress reports home from the teacher tell us that Kaydance is doing fantastic. This is her first experience in any kind of school, and we wanted to motivate her to do well. She starts official kindergarten in the fall.
Dennis (age 4) is also in school and is enjoying his day. He gets up ready for school, and is trying to earn a new backpack. He is also doing well there.
Twins  Todd and Amber (age  2 1/2) have been having seizures and we are working on getting their conditions stabilized. Once Amber got used to the meds, she has been a different kid and is exploding with learning new things.

Coming soon are pictures of the latest library that we finished. It is breathtaking!

Craft Show Weekend in New England

     Being that our business started in 1963 in Agawam, Massachusetts, we are very excited to return for a craft show on March 13 and 14.  The show will be in the Young Building at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds in West Springfield, a site not too distant in memory.

     In  1980, our family business won an "Award for Excellence" at the Spring Home Show at the Better Living Center on the grounds. Every time we have exhibited at shows there, it has been a joy to run into some of dad's customers. Many still had the furniture that dad built in those early years, and the stories are just priceless.  Please come and stop by if you can.  We are in booth 222 on the outside perimeter.

You can find a link to the show below, with a coupon for $1-$2 off.  You will also read about other features of the show including a show schedule and certificates being given away.

http://www.deerfield-craft.org/

Robert M, grandson of Robert J Delnero( founder) will be showing off his line of handmade furniture.

 

Tiger Maple Server by Robert Delnero

Fun and Creativity

"Some men throw their gifts away on a life of mediocrity, great men throw everything they have into their gifts and achieve a life of success."
Greg Werner

Two weeks ago Mike and Justin were in the woodshop creating a "new but aged" piece of furniture for a customer.  The piece was inspired by the chestnut hidden TV cabinet on our website, and  a returning customer thought it up.  It will be used in a bathroom and serve as a functional cabinet.

We have always claimed that our customers sometimes are joint partners with us in the creative process, especially those with custom made pieces. 

As Mike and Justin were turning our customer's vision into reality, they too had to engage in the creative process as well.  Mike's brother, John came in the shop for a moment to find the two actually having fun as well.  When Mike came home he told me of the story how John had commented that our furniture making was a passion, and that he realized how much Mike and Justin love what they do.

In an age where stress and rushing around is commonplace, I felt it was just noteworthy, or blogworthy if you will.  The effects of fun in our lives have been studied, and therefore, this positive energy is what I hope to pass on to you. Find something you love and throw yourself into it, or create something based on a need to get you started. 

Be creative!

The picture shows the piece being created!

2010 - What's New For Us This Year?

2009 is over!  I love the hope that a new year brings.  We have been watching a rising interest in our furniture, which has been pretty exciting after the economic slump that I think we were all feeling in various ways.

Our son, Robert is joining together with his friend for some upcoming craft shows:
The 6th Annual Cabin Fever Craft Show in Glens Falls on January 16th  and The Country Folk Arts Show in Syracuse on February 5-7. .  They have had some very positive response from other shows.  Bobby has been working with wood since he was about 5 and his woodworking skills are beyond his age.  He seems driven to make and sell his craft (having his own car with expenses is one motivating factor).
See a picture below of one of Bobby's tiger maple pedestal tables.

As many of you already know, our daughter, Rebecca and her beloved Justin will be getting married in May.  Justin will be joining Bobby and Josh at the Syracuse show with some of our furniture as well as the woodcrafts. Justin is looking forward to a successful show.
Justin is also interested in meeting with architects and interior designers.  Our business would be a great resource, especially those looking for anything that needs to be custom built.  Please contact us if you're an architect and are interested in working with us.

We'd love for you to stop by whether it's at a show or our showroom and say Hi. We'd love to meet you.

Furniture Handcrafted in New York State

     Okay, so I am stating what seems to be the obvious. Our furniture is made right here in New York State. So, why am I bringing this up? In truth, because our business is part of the current economic and industrial saga  in our nation.
     I have recently been studying this issue. I think we need to be re-familiarized with some of the benefits in actively supporting businesses first locally and then nationally.  There are many great articles online that give the reasons behind supporting local businesses. I have also visited some sites that  exclusively promote buying things made in the USA. Doing so in today's marketplace requires a committed and conscientious consumer.
     Years ago, we relied exclusively on local sales. Of course there was no internet. Word of mouth was our very best advertising tool. Even the home shows that we exhibited at were mostly by locals for the locals. We had wonderful relationships with our customers. Mom was so good at remembering names, and dad just had this way of giving personal attention to every possible customer. My husband and his brother learned that as they literally grew up watching it. Being a keen observer, dad was the leading proponent of having a website. Our website was first created in the early 1990's. At that time, we could hardly imagine selling piece of furniture to someone that lived outside our local area! As the story goes, dad never saw the fruit of the impact of our website. Now we cannot imagine how companies can be in existence without a website! We try to keep things personal by sending photo email updates on the furniture being made.
     In this ever complicated world, our business is still not. We are a family business building a great product in the United States. Our lumber is a product of the US as well. It's just worth mentioning.
    This Black Friday or Cyber Monday or whenever, please consider supporting at least one locally owned business, or look for items made in USA.  I'm pretty sure local businesses will be eager to serve you,  and there are many, capacious benefits.
     If you are around the Cooperstown, NY area, we will be bringing a few items to the Otesaga Hotel on Saturday, November 28th for a Chamber membership exhibition and sale. Then, on December 6th, we will be at the Van Alstyne Holiday Craft Fair in Canajoharie.

25 Wood Selections

Our new pages are up!
They have some great pictures of the 25 different types of wood that we use
along with some furniture pieces that were created from them.
Check it out...

http://www.delnero.com/custom-made/wood-furniture.html

The Wealth of Wood - Part Two

One thing that we have noticed over the years displaying at shows is that people generally love to touch and feel wood. We'll see browsers come and run their hands along our furniture. Many have no idea that they're doing it, others are very keenly aware. The beauty of the wood just speaks to us.

Michael has often been inspired by the words of Michelangelo...

"Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."

For us here at Delnero Furniture, the wood is the medium, and the sculptor is the craftsman.

In this article, see the progression of table legs being handturned. The legs are made of heirloom grade quilted maple, and the finished project is a computer table.

Mike has often told me that it is very rewarding to be able to do for a living what he loves, and he surely is an artist. We have customers that have told us that we are building the antiques of tomorrow.

In our opinion, the wealth is already in the wood, it is our job to continue to reveal that beauty.

Watch for our new wood pages on our website, showing characteristics and completed projects for each.

The Wealth of Wood - Part One

Left: a line of maple trees that we planted in Southampton, before we moved. Top: a sampling of our reclaimed Chestnut

The Wealth of Wood as a title comes from a linen wall hanging that is in our showroom. This was something that my mother in law had hanging on one of her hall doors back in Southampton. Michael and I have always loved wood and trees, and at one point she gave it to us. The wallhanging shows samplings of different trees and wood with practical applications.
Our desire as a furniture company extends this appreciation of trees, capturing the natural beauty of the tree into an heirloom piece of furniture that is destined to then live on into the next generations.

There is almost nothing as naturally inspirational as a tree. It has sparked many a poem, deep thought and parallel. I'm sure you can remember a few yourselves...


I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
~Joyce Kilmer, "Trees," 1914

We can learn a lot from trees: they're always grounded but never stop reaching heavenward. ~Everett Mámor

and this one that I just found...
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln

My husband and I love studying trees. One such time was when we went to Gettysburg last summer and were awed by the trees displayed at the National Cemetery. We found out that some were what is called Witness Trees, that is they were there during the battle. Others were given by different states through the years. They are clearly marked, and we heartily recommend an outing there.

Carrying on with this sentiment in our business is the reclaimed wood furniture line that we introduced not so long ago. Some of the wood is from barns that were built during the Civil War. That gives me a great sense of appreciation followed by duty. It is our goal to "treat it well."

That in itself is wealth...something of real value, a treasure.

Two Events - One Weekend

Delnero Furniture will be displaying at two separate events September 12 and 13.

The Harvest Festival in Cooperstown
We will be under a tent on the Farmer's Museum Grounds displaying our furniture.
www.farmersmuseum.org/programs/fall/harvest_festival_2

Fort Klock Craft Fair
Bobby will be demonstrating his woodturning abilities. We will be bringing some small items.
http://fortklock.org/2009.html

We hope to meet you there!

Figured Woods

We were talking this past Sunday about the Shaker's use of figured woods. The beauty of the furniture is in part due to the beauty of the wood. The Shakers believed that because God ultimately made the wood, building a piece of furniture with that wood would give credit to Him. This, along with an attitude of "putting our hands to work and hearts to God" created masterpieces that are highly sought.

I thought I would take a minute to write about our introduction to figured hardwoods. There was a dresser made using tiger maple furniture in a Shaker book that we received as a gift from my sister, Sheila for Christmas. This piece just spoke to us. Back then, we had been building Shaker furniture, before it was as popular as it is today, but were limiting ourselves to hardwoods and pine.
I can remember the excitement that we all felt when Mike and John were making that first dresser using details from that picture...the wood itself, the staining and of course the craftsmanship involved in working with figured hardwoods all presented their own list of questions. I know I took many trips out to the woodshop to watch the progress. The above picture is that dresser.

That was the early nineties. Today we offer a full line of furniture using figured woods...Tiger Maple, Birdseye Maple, Curly or Flaming Cherry to name a few. We grade our woods destined for furniture in this way...low figure, heavy figure, heirloom quality and artistic, which has imperfections along with figure. We invite you to browse through our website and imagine the possibilities!

Reconstruction

My kitchen on Fiery Hill Road - completed!

My lovely kitchen during reconstruction!

From http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761556642/Reconstruction_(U_S_history).html
"Reconstruction (U.S. history), the process of rebuilding that followed the American Civil War (1861-1865). Since the United States had never before experienced civil war, the end of hostilities left Americans to grapple with a set of pressing questions over what to do with the South after the defeat of the Confederacy and the overthrow of slavery."

It is commonly noted that remodeling and reconstruction is difficult. Our architect friend, Chris Broda, told us that she was often reminded that her "reconstruction" project was easier because it was voluntary. When we compare our projects to our nation's history, both past and present, this reminder is especially true. As for the results, well, let's just say that this is what makes it all worth the effort. I guess we need to look at more things that way....

Spring Greening Festival

This Saturday we will be exhibiting at the Spring Greening Festival at the Gelston Castle Estate in nearby Jordanville. The Chateau Safflyn is "The ultimate Green facility & resort for truly special occasions." The festival is an annual event to raise awareness towards the environment. Our new line of green furniture, being built of reclaimed wood, fits right in with this theme.

Up to a few days ago, I didn't know anything about the estate,
even though it is only less than 15 miles away.

When we lived in Massachusetts, we were privileged to once attend a musical program in nearby Chesterfield. It was a first class operation, and one thing that remained with me was the introduction given about how someone traveled around the world to find a certain gem, and long story short discovered something in his own back yard. This was the inspiration for that music facility, that being, to create or find something of special value
in your own hometown.

Since we moved here in 2002 we have found many special places.
It is wonderful to find such treasures in the
Mohawk Valley region of New York State.

The link for the Gelston Castle Estate:
http://www.chateausafflyn.com/index.html

Check out our website and the green line gallery!
http://www.delnerofurniture.com/reclaimed-wood-furniture/

What Makes An Heirloom?

According to Webster, an heirloom is " something of special value handed on from one generation to another." We see this often in our business, and also our families.

The obvious heirloom around here is our furniture, not only those pieces made for our customers, but also our family pieces. Our daughter has the first pieces of furniture made by her grandfather. They are special to her because he is no longer with us, yet his workmanship is.

Through time, we receive emails from customers who got their furniture from dad, they still have and love it. Most plan on handing it down.

The pieces made today are all hand signed by the maker and who it was commissioned for, and we fully expect they will be handed down as well.

We also have some antiques and memorobilia that were handed down from our families. We have spoon collections, needlework along with china and lamps. These, too, we are planning on handing down.

But probably the most overlooked heirloom that we were given is our education and business philosophy. The skills my husband learned growing up in the family business is part of our success today. Does it have special value? Absolutely!

Welcome!

Here, you'll find out a bit more about all of us here and the happenings that surround our lives and business.

And so, I offer a very cordial welcome to this blog.

Our family business is so different than most furniture
companies.

I am so often reminded of Mike's mom, Nonny and her way of welcoming customers into their home which was the showroom for our furniture in their Agawam and Southampton homes. She always had a pot of coffee and some kind a cake ready.

In the same regard, Dad always built each piece as though he was building it for himself. Everything was familiar and comfortable.

It is no surprise that many customers soon became personal friends.

In this busy world, I have often thought that shopping or browsing online is comfortable as well. We can easily get our own coffee mug, get some slippers on, and browse to our leisure. No pressure to buy.

I like that.

We try to carry on this philosophy of no pressure sales whether we are speaking in person or through correspondence online. So, browse away...and if you have any questions, you can feel comfortable to know that while we will work hard to answer your questions, we'll treat you right.