Custom orders for our Amish crafted items requires a bit more time than regular catalog ordering. While we often have more than two dozen tables on the floor and many other items such as beds, dresses, hutches and many chairs, we don't keep anything in open stock other than our showroom items, which we mainly use for displays and samples. We are happy to occasionally send one of these items to a new home, most commonly we change each order a bit in size, wood specie or stain to match a customers desire. In our showroom we have dozens of examples of moldings, crowns, woods, color samples, door styles and more incorporated in the various pieces of furniture on display.

If you visit our showroom one time, it makes things a bit quicker when you can see an touch the details we need to get together on for a made to order piece. However, we are constantly in some stage of developing a special order for clients who have never been close to Illinois.

All we need to do is get your ideas into our heads as to the items you are thinking about. If you have seen an items somewhere that is what you are thinking about and we can get a look at it, in all likely hood we can easily duplicate it. Send us a picture or send us to a souce for the picture and we are off and running. We will need overall sizes, and any critical dimensions needed for special uses or to fit into special spaces. If you have a special fondness for a certain genre of furniture style... mission, shaker, country, modern, etc, we can offer assistance on details based on that.  Hardware choices while often influencing the style will not vary the cost by much. Same with colors. Both of these can come a bit later in the development. Wood choice doe influence the cost and we will give you the cost options in various woods when we get the major details ironed out.

This ironing out can be done by phone, email or snail mail. As you are reading this, probably much of our development will be by email to speed up the early stage. Sometimes this back and forth goes quickly, sometimes it takes a bit to evolve the details needed.

When we understand the basics, we will cost out the piece, possibly with general drawings or a detail list, and if we are in the ballpark, we will move towards detailed drawing and specifications for your approval. Colors and hardware will need to be detailed about now. Often, customers will send us a sample of something that we can match to. We'll either select a match from our existing color inventory or mix up a special recipe, put it on the wood of choice and send it to you for your approval. You will see the color as it will look on the furniture.

We're getting close to the shop at this point. We'll be on the same page for cost, look, size, wood and details now. 

With you small deposit of about 10% of the final price, we will work up shop build drawings, and a specification list of all the critical items of your item(s) for your final approval. We have great trust in our Amish builders and do leave some of the details up to them. But if the detail is important to you, we'll spec it out and make sure the builder does it that way. These drawings should give you a comfortable view of the way the item will look, as well as have dimensions on it.

When you sign off on the drawings and specifications list, the job goes to the shop. Wood is ordered if not already in stock, parts like doors, and turnings from the Amish sub shops are ordered, and the assembly is queued.  As we are working directly with small Amish shops, often just one man and maybe a son, depending on the item, when it is built it may be finished in the same shop or we pick it up and move it to another shop up the road for finishing. We keep it close the whole time.

Finally, when it is completely finished and dry,and the builder or finisher likes it,  we bring it into the store to give it a final inspection. We also wish to bring it into a more stable temperature/humidity environmets that the Amish shops can provide. We will contact you now to let you know it is done. If we will be shipping it to you, we will either contact a proven blanket wrapped commercial cariier for longer distance deliveries, or have you get in touch with one of our local delivery people and set up a time for delivery. Again, if you can't take delivery for a while for some reason, we will hold it in the store for safekeeping.

Total elapsed time can range from 11-12 weeks for more standard items to 14-16 weeks for more specialty items. Involved design back and forth can add a bit to this, But you and we want to get it right the first time.

It is made to order.
It is custom work.
It is quality.
We stand behind that.
It will be worth the time and effort!

Final payment of the balance is due when we release it to the carrier or driver.


Search the "Gallery" Link above or www.Amish-Market.com for images and ideas of our fine Amish crafted furniture!