Amish furniture offers us more than well-crafted objects on which to place our meals or our prized possessions. It offers us the chance to support the values we hold dear, to support those American workers who believe in quality of life as well as quality of furniture. In these times, as many furniture manufacturing jobs have moved and continue to move overseas, the Amish remain true to their faith in both our country and a way of life that emphasizes excellence and attention to detail as well as self sufficiency.

Within the last several years, imports of home furniture made of wood climbed to over one-third of such furniture sold in the United States. China remains at the top of the US furniture imports list, providing over one-fourth of all imported home-use wooden furniture, as reported by Wood and Wood Products magazine. In just five short years, between 1996 and 2001, Chinese furniture imported into the US increased by over 275%. Each year, the American consumer is offered a wider range of furniture made outside of the United States, and with this comes a challenge for our own furniture manufacturers.

One reason for the expansion in furniture imports is related to foreign production costs. Just a few years ago, Duke University reported that many Chinese workers earn somewhere between $.70 and $.90 per hour. Chinese industry is also motivated by more than profit; as a Communist country, it actively seeks to create employment for its entire work force as well as attracting US dollars for its rapidly-growing population. Even with the inclusion of extensive shipping and handling costs, furniture can often be produced in China as much as 25-30% cheaper than in the US.

According to the news program Frontline, however, trade with China has not been good for everyone in the US. While it may be helpful to large multinational corporations, it has been tough on smaller and mid-sized American companies. It also continues to fuel a huge deficit between the two countries. One example is at the Port of Long Beach, which imports $36 billion in goods each year from China but exports only $3 billion. Overall, US imports from China exceed exports to China by least five to one, and the trend shows no signs of abating. Larry Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, has made the observation that gains from trade with China may have offset losses, but notes that three-fourths of America may be on the losing side. What has helped big business may not have been good for many who work and manufacture in the US.

Quality is another factor that always must be taken into account when thinking of buying an imported rather than a locally produced piece of furniture. Wood is known for having its own unique personalityit takes on its color, texture, and appearance from its growing areas as well as the climates where it is manufactured and ultimately calls its final home. Transitioning climates too quickly can result in lower quality finishes and distortions of size as well. Progress has been made in this area, through concerted effort by both overseas manufacturers and importers, but this is often at the expense of time. Delivery can be almost four times as slow as for American made furniture, and sometimes timetables are unpredictable, being at the mercy of foreign weather, political and economic upsets.

In the past, the only way to obtain quality Amish furniture was to travel to the Amish country, or to journey or call an Amish furniture distributor. This was not always easy, taking the time to shop to find exactly the piece wanted, as well as journeying to a showroom where the furniture could be seen. Luckily, technology has allowed us to obtain such traditional and beautifully crafted Amish furniture from our own living rooms, using the Internet to both view and order such pieces. However, even the ease of searching and ordering are not the most important things when acquiring Amish furniture.

The high quality of Amish furniture is reflected in its attention to detail, detail that many manufacturers, whether in the US or abroad, are sometimes forced to overlook in their own rush to be competitive. For the Amish worker, however, superb quality is their standard, and serves as an ingredient in all they design and build. The gloss and color of the wood that is planed, assembled, and finished in the US, has a certain appearance of excellence that remains with a piece of Amish furniture for its lifetime.

The Amish, who often eschew modern conveniences such as electricity and telephones themselves, cling firmly to their belief in the sanctity and central role of family in our lives [ http://www.amish-furniture-home.com/amish-history.php ]. This recognition of the importance of the family, as much now as in the past, has prompted them to create furniture to accommodate and encourage large family gatherings, to provide an opportunity for family gatherings and memories that will remain with us for a lifetime. To encourage families to reconnect and to share a closeness sometimes overlooked in our fast paced society, they have created attractive dining room tables that will seat up to 22 people. This furniture can set the scene for some of the most memorable dinners and sharing a family may ever experience. The table can also be the one heirloom that is passed from generation to generation, a piece of quality furniture, able to withstand years of wear and capable of holding precious memories for many to enjoy.

Although choices of what we buy for our home may not be easy, Amish furniture affords us an opportunity to support traditional small business as well as traditional values. The purchase of furniture lovingly crafted in the US gives weight to our belief in the value of hard work and high quality American-made products. And such a purchase, made with care and thought of family and its importance, can bring years of priceless memories to ourselves and to those we hold dear. Seen in such a light, perhaps the choice to purchase a piece of America by buying Amish furniture is not so difficult after all.