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 Brenda Lowe and Pete and Karen
Nagle.
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.
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