Our venture in handcrafted furniture began shortly after the Mountain Magnolia Inn opened for business in 1999. Brenda and Gary Lowe walked in on a Friday night and asked if we had a room. It so happened that the Walnut room was available and they stayed for the weekend.

A Visit to the Inn Turns Into a Partnership
While we liked Gary and Brenda, little did we know what the future would hold in store for the Lowes and the Nagles.
As it turns out Gary is a well-known furniture designer who has done work for the finest manufactures in the world. Brenda has a B.S. in Furniture Drafting and Manufacturing, has interior design experience, and has been a successful real estate brokerage owner. They operate as Gary Lowe Designs, Ltd. and Genesis Designs, LLC.

Gary and Brenda have been our most frequent guests over the years as they love the feel of the Inn and the beauty my wife Karen has created in it. In 2003 Gary asked what we thought about his creating a line of eco- friendly furniture inspired by the Mountain Magnolia Inn. Of course we were enthusiastic about the idea.

And a Connection to a Wonderful Amish Family
Serendipitously, Gary had been engaged by a group of Amish families in and around Berlin, Ohio to help them expand their markets and break out of the image for the Mission-Style Amish furniture for which the Amish are known.

To make  a long story short, this led to the creation of the Mountain Magnolia Collection, which is a line of wood furniture inspired by our 1868 Inn, the Garden House, and the 100 year old general store which is part of the Inn.  The furniture is designed by Gary Lowe, made by Philip Yoder and other Amish entrepreneurs and marketed by Mountain Magnolia, LLC.

And the Creation of Beautiful Handmade American Furniture
The collection truly is the finest furniture Karen and I have ever seen and is created at a standard consistent with the the Inn itself.The craftsmanship and attention to detail is second to none. The finishes involve 21 steps and are absolutely beautiful. Most importantly, the Yoder family uses American Hardwoods so we are able to offer handcrafted furniture from sustainable forests.