Amish-Furniture-Offers-Us-More-Than-Well-Crafted-O84

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.
affordable furniture

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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 affordable furniture 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 $

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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

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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

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Wood is known for having its own unique personality--it 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

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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

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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

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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 [ ] 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

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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

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affordable furniture

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