Peaceful surroundings are part of the scene at Country Oak Furniture
By Joanne Lehman
Individual service and customer satisfaction are reasons customers may want to seek out Country Oak Furniture. Located less that one mile off SR 241 on a scenic township road, this family-owned business provides quality handcrafted hardwood furniture. Roy Allen Mast and his wife, Laura, operate the store and shop located on the property where they live. Their home and business are built on a piece of land that was once part of the farm where Mast grew up. Customers will enjoy the authenticity they find at Country Oak Furniture where manufacturing and sales coexist in a peaceful Amish neighborhood.
Through the years, Mast has explored many sides of the local furniture building economy, working in different aspects of the furniture business through the years—from furniture building, to wholesale, and now owning a retail furniture store. Over 15 years ago and new retail showroom three years ago, he and his wife, Laura opened Country Oak. Because he constructs products himself, he is well aware of the fine details and important features of well-crafted hardwood furniture. His pieces all feature heavy dovetail drawer boxes. Frames are constructed using mortise and tendon joints to ensure a durable piece of furniture that will stand the test of time. In spite of this attention to quality and detail, he aims to keep prices reasonable and offer a personal touch that may not be easy to provide in larger stores with several employees.
Mast makes many of the pieces displayed in his store. He enjoys the opportunity to sell his handiwork directly to those who will use it. What he doesn’t make himself is constructed in other nearby Amish-owned furniture shops. After construction, all pieces go to a local finisher. This ensures there is no discrepancy in coloror coatings of various pieces that may make up a bedroom suite or pieces in a dining room ensemble.
Mast said people like to know the person they’re talking to is a craftsman. “They can meet the guy and see the hands that made it,” said Mast. A few times, he’s taken customers to his workshop that is located next to the retail store. There he can show them work in progress and sometimes even give them a preview of a piece that will eventually find its way to their home.
One advantage to all this personal attention is that he is able to offer custom-made items that blend with a family’s existing styles and the furniture finishes. “I work in all species of wood,” added Mast. He enjoys the process of getting the ideas together when a customer has special requests. At times, this can mean customers spend a lot of time in the furniture showroom. “A customer might stop in and stay for a couple of hours,” he said.
Whatever the request, he strives to make customer satisfaction his number one goal. “We’ve had lots of very happy customers. We hear from them afterward; they’re so happy with how it turned out.” Mast estimates that most customer orders can be completed and ready for pick up or delivery within about eight weeks. As long as their project hasn’t been started, they can still make changes to the order. He will also be happy to help customers who have special needs such as finding a source for furniture refinishing and repair.
Although the store is relatively small, Mast has a wide variety of styles on display in his showroom. He offers items constructed from oak, cherry, hickory, pine and other woods. One featured item was well-crafted oak loft that would be ideal for a child’s bedroom or for a college dorm room. One piece of furniture incorporates a bed, desk, bureau, wardrobe and book shelves.
Country Oak Furniture also offers upholstered furniture that is made in a local Amish-owned shop. These too can be custom-ordered in choices of woods and upholstery. Other products in the store include gift items, lamps and lanterns, wall art and toys.
Country Oak Furniture is located at 6133 TR 327, three miles northeast of Millersburg. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are closed Sunday and open after hours by chance. Phone Country Oak Furniture at 330-674-2981.
