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Greg and Kellee Wasoka recently relocated their business, the America the Beautiful Country Store, from Collinsville to New Hartford.
Greg and Kellee Wasoka recently relocated their business, the America the Beautiful Country Store, from Collinsville to New Hartford.
NEW HARTFORD – Greg and Kellee Wasoka believe that finely crafted, American-made furniture from native trees is a better value than less durable imported furniture.
At their recently relocated America the Beautiful Country Store, customers often pay less for Amish-made hardwood furniture than for furniture made from inferior materials, co-owner Greg Wasoka said.
“Amish furniture does not just mean expensive furniture,” he said. “You can walk into a big-box store, or you can order from a very high-end online salesperson or website, and it will say that it’s American-grown hardwood. ... And then you click on the details and it says it’s a laminate with particle board.”
Greg Wasoka grew up in Naugatuck, where he helped his parents at their antiques store. The store eventually began stocking Amish furniture, and about 20 years ago his parents made the switch to all Amish-made furniture and home décor, he said.
About 11 years ago, he and his wife, Kellee, moved to New Hartford and opened America the Beautiful Country Store in Collinsville. Now, their new location at 37 Greenwoods Road in the Hurley Business Park has about 3,500 square feet, twice as much as the Collinsville store had, Wasoka said. Like his parents did, they specialize in furniture from Amish and Mennonite woodworking shops in Lancaster and Lebanon counties in Pennsylvania, they said.
Those include Brage, Country Classics, CountryTyme, Forest to Home, Rustic Country, Zimmerman, Village Inn, LuxWood and Eden Craft. They also represent Sonrise Poly, Leisure Lawn and Escape for outdoor furniture and accessories.
“We buy furniture from people we’ve known for 20 years, right in the heart of Lancaster County,” he said. “They’re great people to work with. They have the best work ethic that I have ever seen.”
“We have great relationships with all of our vendors,” Kellee Wasoka said. “I've met so many talented, helpful people, not just our vendors, but other small businesses, other women in business that are very supportive of each other.”
Hutches, dining tables, ladderback chairs, poly Adirondack chairs and assorted gift items are displayed in a large showroom with freshly painted, white walls, illuminated by bright overhead lights. A stockroom holds more inventory, including candles made by Old Candle Barn in Intercourse, Pa., and three other companies. A corner of the room holds furniture that is sold and awaiting delivery.
“We deliver it within 40 miles of our store with a $150 delivery charge,” Greg Wasoka said.
“This is going to Waterbury,” he said, pointing to a maple hutch. “And that cabinet is going to the Highland Lake area.”
In the showroom, a rough-sawn oak dining table made by Fisher Furniture with a dark-stained planked surface stands near a chair made of Morgan maple with a lighter finish. “You can change the finishes on everything,” he said. “It’s all customized completely to your liking.”
Shoppers can select a finish from 20 different slabs of wood of different colors.
“People find us through our website a lot, and Facebook,” he said, adding that it’s better that customers make their final decisions on furniture by visiting the store rather than buying online. “Everybody’s monitor is different,” he said, making color selection difficult online. “And we like to build a relationship with the customer, so that if anything goes wrong, we can be there to help fix the problem."
The interaction is important, Kellee Wasoka said. “It’s just nice to be able to talk to the people," she said. "We can tell them a story of where (the furniture) is coming from and the names of the owners.”
“We really have a different product than what is usual these days,” Greg Wasoka said. Some companies build furniture from illegally harvested rainforest wood, he said. The furniture the Wasokas sell is mostly from lumber grown in Pennsylvania, with some sustainably-grown wood grown in northern New England, he said.
“I’m always proud that we have something for everybody,” Kellee Wasoka said. “They always find something that they could buy and be proud of. I don't bring in anything that I wouldn't have in my own home and be proud of.”
America the Beautiful Country Store is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, go to www.americathebeautifulcountrystore.com or call 860-238-7293.