vermont
Weekend Events: Meet Vermont’s Finest Artists and Artisans
By Heather Barrett
Vermont is
full of artists and artisans, and this weekend is a perfect opportunity to discover
their products and visit their studios.
There are two events, one in Manchester,
and the other in Brattleboro, for
you to explore this weekend.
Craftproducers Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival
September 28-30, 10am-5pm
Manchester is
starting their foliage season with an outdoor event celebrating the local art
community. Over 180 artisans will have their craftwork on display and for
purchase. Art work ranges from photography to paintings to clothing to maple
distilled vodka. In addition to the beautiful array of art on display, the
festival offers food and drink. There will be a food area serving a variety of
localvore items, and a Vermont Beer, Cheese and Sausage tent. Spend the day
meeting artists, purchasing gifts for the upcoming holidays, and eating
delicious food. For more information about this event, visit the
Craftproducers' website.
Brattleboro-West Arts' 4th Annual Open Studio Tour
September 29-30, 10am-5pm
The town of Brattleboro
is Vermont Woods Studios' neighbor, located in the southeast corner of Vermont.
Brattleboro is known for it's
thriving arts community, and this weekend you will have the opportunity to meet
some of the artists. Artists are opening up their studios this weekend to the
public. There will be 13 different locations with 16 artists showing off their
crafts. The tour is mapped out on a brochure that you can print from their
website, pick up at any of the studio locations, or get from the Brattleboro
Chamber of Commerce. At the studio locations you will see where artists make
violins, blow glass, paint, and create many more items in different mediums. In
addition, to conclude the first night of the weekend event, the Chelsea Royal
Diner will be hosting a special dinner on Saturday. The dinner will feature a
selection of locally produced foods.
This is another opportunity to meet artists and learn about their crafts.
The Brattleboro-West Open Studio Tour has been recognized by the Boston
Globe. For more information about the
event, please visit the Brattleboro-West Arts website.
Heather Barrett is a Marketing Assistant at Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture gallery which showcases Vermont's finest wood furniture. Follow our blog to learn about Vermont fine furniture, Vermont happenings, our mission, and our team.
Fall Colors Outside Vermont Woods Studios
Autumn has arrived in Vernon, Vermont and I had to snap this photo today as I was leaving the showroom at Vermont Woods Studios. It feels great to see water back in our pond at George's Mill after the summer's drought left it pretty well empty for several weeks.
We're celebrating Fall with a Shaker style furniture sale that lasts for a few more days (till next Tuesday, Oct 2). Stop by to shop or just check out the colorful maple trees at the water's edge. Heather or Liz will be more than happy to accompany you for an Autumn leaf-peeping stroll around the pond.
Modern American Bedroom Set: This Weeks Best Seller
wood and polished with a hand-rubbed natural oil finish.
Modern Wood Bedroom Set was the Hot Ticket Last Week
This high end Modern American Bedroom Set, inspired by George Nakishima’s designs was our Best Seller last week.
The collection is handcrafted in Burlington, Vermont with real solid cherry and walnut wood. It’s polished with a hand-rubbed natural oil finish. Customers tell us they’re drawn to it’s distinctive mid-century modern look and feel. The clean smooth lines are reminiscent of that retro 1950s Scandinavian style. It’s sophisticated but totally approachable.
The bed, dressers, chests and nightstands in this furniture collection are all made to order here in Vermont and can be customized to meet your needs. The craftsman has also provided dozens of ways to customize easily online. You can easily select your favorite style, hardwood and drawer configuration online. But if you’re looking for further customization give us a call or visit our showroom in Vernon, VT. We’ll look forward to working with you to create a unique modern bedroom set you will cherish for a lifetime.
Going green? This natural, solid wood, American made bedroom set is handcrafted in Vermont from eco-friendly sustainably harvested woods. You can customize any piece online in your choice of solid natural cherry, maple or walnut wood or any two-tone combination of them.
Take A Peak At Vermont Foliage This Fall
This is the time of year when our Green
Mountain State
begins to transform into a world full of red, orange, and yellow hues. The
brilliant colors of autumn attract leaf peepers from across the world, and it’s
easy to see why. Vermont is the
best place to see fall foliage in New England, and
arguably the United States.
With nearly 80% of our state being forested, the opportunities to see the
dramatic hues are limitless.
Additionally, Vermont has
the highest number of maple trees in New England, which
produce the ultimate red leaves during the fall season.
This year the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing
will be producing a Foliage Report that will be issued weekly. Starting
September 18, the Foliage Report will provide a map of the finest driving
routes, an audio update and trail recommendations. In addition to visiting the website, leaf peepers can stay up-to-date on Vermont’s foliage progression by calling 1-800-VERMONT.
When is peak fall foliage in Vermont?
The trees outside our offices at Vermont Woods Studios have already begun to change, but looking at the foliage Forecaster, it appears that Columbus Day weekend will be the best time to see the
dramatic colors cover Vermont.
This is a perfect opportunity to spend a weekend in Vermont
to breathe in the cool, crisp air of autumn, enjoy the outdoors, and listen to
leaves crunch below your feet.
Heather Barrett is a Marketing Assistant at Vermont Woods Studios, an online furniture gallery which showcases Vermont’s finest wood furniture. Follow our blog to learn about Vermont fine furniture, Vermont happenings, our mission, and our team.
Fine Wood Furniture: Bringing Vermont’s Forest Into Your Home
wood such that our furniture is a reflection of the forest it came
from. Did you know that forests
cover nearly 80% of Vermont's landscape? And our forest is growing faster than we are harvesting it– a good
measure of sustainability!
Often customers come to us looking specifically for fine wood furniture that's handmade in America from sustainably harvested wood.
At last! Vermont is becoming know as the Fine Furniture Capital of America. The Green Mountain State has been the home to fine woodworkers for over 200 years. Plus our state provides
the world's finest furniture making material – solid hardwood.
Furniture makers in Vermont create bedroom, home office and dining room furniture using American Black Cherry,
Sugar Maple, American Black Walnut, Oak and other hardwoods from the Northern Forest.
Vermont designs and crafting techniques highlight the natural beauty of wood such that our furniture is a reflection of the forest it came from. Forests
cover nearly 80% of Vermont's landscape and we harvest wood at a rate that's less than the rate at which our forest is growing– a good measure of sustainability!
At Vermont Woods Studios we're proud to live in a place where people cherish and protect their
natural resources – our forests, meadows, pastures, rivers, lakes and streams. And we're happy to be able to bring you the fruits of that green lifestyle: Vermont's handmade hardwood furniture. Like us on Facebook if you agree!
Fine Wood Bedroom Furniture Sets: 3 Things To Know Before You Buy
Manjula just finished posting eight new fine wood bedroom furniture sets in our online store at Vermont Woods Studios. Customers have been asking for customizable, solid wood bedroom sets and we've done our best to make them available online at affordable prices.
If you're shopping for this type of furniture, here are 3 questions to ask your retailer before you make a purchase:
* Is this bedroom furniture made from real solid wood? Authentic fine furniture is handcrafted from genuine solid wood, not mdf or particle board covered with wooden veneers. Most of what you see in America's "fine furniture" (aka Big Box) stores like Ashley or Bob's is made with inferior substrates rather than real wood, although it's often hard to tell if you're not familiar with traditional craftsmanship. Be sure to ask your furniture salesman what type of wood your furniture is made with and whether that wood is a veneer or solid wood.
* Where is this bedroom furniture made? American furniture craftsmanship is considered the gold standard worldwide. Thirty years ago states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania were the fine furniture capitals of the world but then the global market place began to change that. American furniture icons like Ethan Allen, Lane and Thomasville moved their operations overseas and quality plummeted. Luckily there are a number of small American furniture companies who steadfastly remained in the USA with quality and community remaining at the core of their identities. Today these businesses are the world leaders in fine furniture, with Vermont's companies leading the way. They are the only companies you will find that offer a lifetime guarantee on their furniture.
* Can this bedroom furniture set be customized to meet my needs? Most furniture sets consist of 5 items– take it or leave it. Well, I say if you're investing in fine wood furniture that you're going to have for many years you ought to be able to select the exact pieces you need for the space and decor of your bedroom. Make sure your furniture salesperson is flexible so you can purchase all of the pieces you need and no extras (that you'll have to find space for in another room).
And here's a bonus tip: ask for a volume discount. At Vermont Woods Studios we've put together 16 different handmade, solid wood fine furniture sets for your bedroom– all 100% Made in America, fully customizable and on sale for 20% lower discount prices. Have a look and if you don't see exactly what you need, give us a call. We want you to have the high end, fine solid wood furniture you've always dreamed of. You deserve it!
Congrats to Wall Goldfinger: Maker of America’s Finest Luxury Office Furniture
Remember that movie, "A River Runs Through It" with Brad Pitt? Well that pretty much sums up the story of Wall Goldfinger a year ago when Hurricane Irene ravaged through Vermont devestating hundreds of homes and businesses.
WallGoldfinger sat along the Dog River which jumped it's banks, blew out their back door and filled the shop with 7 feet of water in just 10 minutes. Imagine a river– all of a sudden being re-routed through your workshop!
So today we're sending congratulations out to our friends and fellow furniture makers at this premier luxury office furniture company in Randolf, Vermont. They have risen from the ashes and emerged bigger, better and stronger than before. How inspiring!
Check out Wall Goldfinger on the web or view a video about their story on Vermont's WCAX TV.
Editor's note: If you're looking for high end office furniture but you're not calling from the White House or Wall Street, you might have a look at the luxury home office furniture collections at Vermont Woods Studios. Here you'll find the same impeccable Vermont craftsmanship but on a decidedly smaller scale.
Pine Top Mystery
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!
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 ;(
NEW! Copeland Catalina Modern Dining Furniture Set
Manjula just published a new Copeland dining set yesterday: it's the Catalina Mid Century Modern Collection.
If you're looking for authentic, solid walnut, fine dining furniture, have a look at Catalina. This Copeland set is 100% handmade in America– right here in Vermont.
It's designed with mid-century modern style, including clean unadorned lines and retro-modern shapes and sensibilities. Manjula has arranged our Catalina dining set to make it easy to price and purchase dozens of combinations of tables, chairs and buffets. You can use drop-down menus to price out different choices for arm chairs, side chairs, extension table versus solid top table and buffet sizes.
Customers receive free DIY shipping and discounted white glove shipping when purchasing this furniture as a set so the savings can be substantial. We also offer a lifetime guarantee and a low price guarantee. If you're considering Catalina or any other Copeland furniture I recommend you check out our Top 10 Reasons to Buy Copeland Furniture at Vermont Woods Studios. It really does make a difference where you buy.
Drop us a note below or on our Facebook to let us know how you like Catalina and the many other beautiful furniture collections Copeland crafts right here in Vermont.
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