Campbell's baby chick born July 9, 2004
Good Intent Farm
|
Questions we hear from time to time... |
|||
|
click on a question for our answer below... |
|||
|
Is there a real Good Intent Farm? Is there a showroom we could visit? Are there any shops in my area that carry your furniture? |
|
How did Good Intent Farm furniture get started? Can I match a piece of yours I already own? Can I tell my customers the piece they order will look like the one I have on display in my shop? |
|
A. Apologies, but, No.
Somewhere between way back when and a little while ago, things got busy.
So busy in fact that we finally just had to accept we couldn't keep up without focusing on one thing at a time. That meant having to turn down custom work and letting the shopkeepers handle individual orders one on one, face to face, the way it should be. If you do not have a shop in your area that carries our work, please refer them to us (or us to them) and we can help them get started with a catalog of our work. If you just can't find anyone, we can refer you to a dealer near us who can handle the shipping or arrange for you to pick up you order when it is convenient for you to make the trip.
A. No, and, well, yes.
At Good Intent Farm, reclaimed barn wood and architectural details from throughout Pennsylvania are used in making our kind of furniture. Most of the materials have been "rescued" from various styles of barns raised prior to 1900 which have served their purpose well but are felt to be beyond repair. so much for progress, huh? Though it truly is a shame that so many of these great buildings are being dismantled, we are grateful to be in an area where we can turn so much into useful items that will last another lifetime. As of our last estimate, we have saved nearly 121,000 board feet of lumber from the burn piles and landfills. That also makes us feel pretty good about what we do.
If you would like to know more about saving trees and what you can do to plant more in your area, visit the National Arbor Day foundation through this link:
|
Q. Is there a real Good Intent Farm? A.
Yes, there was a time ago...
For more pictures of the Farm, click here If you are planning on a trip to the area and would like specific directions just Email Andy at mailto:andy@goodintentfarm.com?subject=directions, please |
Since we make our pieces just a couple at a time and the materials used are from reclaimed buildings it would be pretty tough to make any two of anything look identical. Now, we can make a pair of this certain something, or a set of four of those other things you see over there, but to make one look exactly like the other, boy, would we go nuts. I can see where some folks would like to have something exactly like their neighbor's, but what's the fun of that?
Some folks want something that no one else would ever have, and we can see the value in that. So if you have something in mind that is truly yours, we can certainly work with you. Then again, if you were hoping we would make you a copy of some other furniture people's original design (especially if you are looking at getting cheap), we would have to decline. that's not a real good way to get along now, is it?
All said, we are not going around trying to fool anyone into thinking they just got the only this or that ever made, but chances are you won't see anything just like yours.
Q. Is there a showroom we could visit?
A. Yes.
We have a small warehouse in an old factory section of Hanover, Pennsylvania and are only open by appointment. If you would like to arrange a visit, please call Todd at 717.634.7802 or email todd@goodintentfarm.com
Please remember that the furniture pretty much comes and goes as we make it and that we are not big enough to keep full inventories of our pieces. We suggest you call before you make the trip to find out what is on hand.
A. Yes, and maybe.
We have found that most companies don't want to mess with individual pieces of furniture so this is a bit tricky. For what it costs it is often best to arrange to meet at a show or make the trip to Hanover. "Uship", an online service, is also a great option, especially since they utilize mostly available space, saving fuel and emissions along the way.
If you know of a good shipping group, please let us know.
If you would like further information about this topic, please contact Andy at mailto: andy@goodintentfarm.com?subject=shipping information
Q. Are there any shops near me that carry your furniture?
A. Possibly.
Good Intent Farm furniture is currently offered by shops in about 22 states. Since most of these folks only buy from us at wholesale markets where they can hand pick the pieces their current inventory changes from month to month. Many of them just might be out completely until they catch us at the next show. The best way to find out would be to contact us with the name of your town or have your favorite shopkeeper get in touch with us directly. It is possible that we have already met them at a show and if they don't offer our stuff today, they just might want to start tomorrow.
Q. How did Good Intent Farm furniture get started?
A. Bob Barbour has always liked this kind of furniture and always seemed to find originals at auctions and out of the way spots. When he couldn't find just the right thing for his retail stores, he started making various pieces out of odds and ends and the response was encouraging. Folks would tell him what they wanted in the way of unique, affordable pieces to use everyday in their homes. Since Bob has always had a keen eye for primitive pieces (and never forgets a terrific color or unusual original) he began sketching his own designs and to this day has literally hundreds of those sketches and photographs of period furniture.
Anyway, the furniture he brought into the stores would go out pretty much as soon as it came in and folks kept asking for more. As word spread and the demand grew, while Bob's available time shrank, he brought on his wife's youngest brother, Andy Grimes, who had tired of running restaurants and had been spending some of his time developing his own finish for fish decoys, folk art carvings and vintage sign replicas.
Bob knew how he wanted the furniture look, and taught Andy how to look at the wear on original pieces. With the aid of a few very talented cabinetmakers, Bob and Andy thought they could keep up with the demand for their furniture. As they met with new clients for custom pieces (some calling for mouse holes and various patches), the furniture got "grubbier and grungier" until it became what it is today.
They learned early on that although not everyone likes this kind of stuff, those who do really like it a lot.
Then, it got busy. We had to face the facts and limit ourselves to wholesale markets where shopkeepers could hand pick the pieces they felt would be best for their own clients. It just seems to work out better all the way around.
A. Wish we could but unfortunately, we are still pretty backed up right now (July 2004) so we are having to hold off on that custom work for now. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we feel obligated to keep up with our current orders. Please contact us with any questions you may have about an existing order or if you have an idea for something that would be a good addition to our current offerings.
Q. Can I match a piece of yours I already own?
A. We can get pretty close, but there are variables in the process that make it awful hard to make duplicates. One of those variables being we would go nuts making the same thing over and over again. Instead, we try very hard to meet your expectations while offering pieces without "twins". Please let your clients know this ahead of time to help avoid any problems at the time of delivery. We will send color and finish samples as well as detailed photos of any special orders so you can help them get just what they want.
Q. Can I tell my customers the piece they order will look like the one I have on display in my shop?
A. We can come pretty close, but side by side they might be able to tell them apart. If they just love the one you've got, why not let us replace it with another one on the next trip.
A. We have, but not again for a while. You can imagine how much time that takes to get it just the way we all would like it and right now, we don't have much time to put our all into those jobs. A few groups of folks we know got out of the furniture business altogether to do those kitchens only to bail out and try to get back to where they should have stayed all along. Something about that lure of big ticket items, I guess. Instead, we offer a number of individual pieces that meet the needs of today's kitchens without having to work on site. If you would like some guidance on these pieces, just give us a call at 717-259-5787.
Q. Do you need any more shutters or windows?
A. Always (if they're good ones..)
If you have some of those good ones or know of some that would otherwise just sit around or worse, get thrown away, please let us know. Email Andy at: mailto:andy@goodintentfarm.com?subject=shutters & windows
If you have replaced your old windows and would like us to make you something you could really use, just let us know.
A. Yes.
If you would like one mailed to you, just click on the link below:
mailto:andy@goodintentfarm.com?subject=brochure, please