New England Vacation - Add On

The New England area is a major vacation destination during 3 seasons of the year. The skiers flock there in winter, sailors and coastal fans in summer, and the leaf lovers in the fall. New England generally is a beautiful, un-crowded and peaceful area to visit. While visiting New England, there is an often-overlooked activity that can be extremely interesting and possibly rewarding.

What to Do

New England has several hundred years of tradition in woodworking craftsmanship and furniture manufacturing. There are still many scores of woodworking shops and furniture makers throughout the area. Most are small shops and factories, although there are several sizeable ones. It’s possible to visit a number of these shops in the area where you might be travelling almost without adding any time to the trip.

How to Find Them

With just a little time spent on the internet before your trip, you can get ideas for a variety of shops to visit. A few minutes’ time with a state map and the website will allow you to plan an easy trip. A few good websites to review are:
http://www.custommade.com/geosearch/NH.html (New Hampshire furniture and woodworking shops),
http://www.custommade.com/geosearch/MA.html (Massachusetts furniture and woodworking shops),
http://www.mainecraftsmen.org/ (Maine furniture and woodworking shops),
http://www.vermontfurnituremakers.com/ (Vermont furniture makers),
http://www.furnituremasters.org/ (New Hampshire Furniture Masters).
Many of the shops have websites which are usually listed, but some small ones do not. There are also many other sources on the internet.

What You’ll See

The distances in New England are generally short, possibly excepting rural Maine, so in a little time you can visit a number of shops. Your trip will likely be a real adventure, meeting different people in a variety of settings. You’ll have the opportunity to see the shops themselves, and wonder how such attractive furniture and accessories can come from such seeming disarray. You can see very economical pieces, since there will not be a middle-man doubling the retail price. Also, you can do your exploring in a relaxed atmosphere. You will likely see unique pieces that are locally designed and not available to the general trade. Some shops make quite expensive furniture, using hand selected woods, painstaking assembly techniques, and hand finishing. One real opportunity is that a number of shops will custom-make items for you, single pieces or an entire custom set, such a dining table and chairs. These pieces can be extremely high quality, attractive items that you will enjoy for many years. There are also a number of these shops that specialize in period furniture, which is a real attraction if that style suits your taste. If the shops you visit don’t meet your needs, they can refer you to one who will.

During these visits you’ll meet some very interesting and independent people, get some great decorating ideas and possibly some new, unique furniture or accessory pieces that your neighbors won’t have. All made in the USA.