When a person buys furniture from Chris and Laurie Stutzman, they are not simply buying something to sit on or eat at, they are buying an authentic, American-made product that is supported by a long list of core values and natural material.
Stutzman’s Amish Furniture in Polson is a beautiful showroom of handcrafted bedroom furnishings, dining room sets, living room pieces, outdoor furniture, and much more.
Growing up Amish in Ohio instilled a deep sense of honesty, service, and family in both Chris and Laurie. Chris is from a family of 17 and he was taught at a young age that whatever he did, he was to do it with excellence and integrity. And that is exactly what you will find in his products. Eventually, the Stutzmans left the Amish way of life, but they did not leave their Amish families behind. They continue to utilize Ohio cousins, brothers, and other families for merchandise in their store.
Every morning, Chris faxes his orders and notes to an "English person"—that is, someone who is not Amish—in Ohio. That English person receives his faxes along with multiple others from other people all over the country and then drives to each Amish home delivering those faxes and picking up the Amish responses from the day before, faxing them back. It’s called the Fax Route.
What’s even more fascinating is that a single order will go through multiple businesses. According to Chris, “each family is specialized to make the best of their product.” That means if a buyer wants a custom dining set, one Amish family will make the table, one will make the chairs, and one will do the finishing work. That’s three different families/businesses used in the process of supplying one furniture set.
The Stutzmans are passionate about selling Amish-made products in Polson because they know there is a certain reputation for quality. They personally know their crafters and the skills that have been passed down from generation to generation. They know the eastern hardwoods used for the job are held to the highest standards. Their furniture is solid wood versus particle board, veneer, or other cheaper materials. And they know that their furniture is made to last for generations to come. That is the Amish way.
When something is Amish-made, it also denotes a certain degree of that product being eco-friendly. Amish businesses are typically no more than a simple shop located on a family’s property. It is small scale. Usually, the employees are parents and children (after the eighth grade) working together. This means less waste, less land use, less energy consumption, and less pollution.
Even the Stutzmans remain true to their Ohio roots, they also value the Amish right here in Montana. If a customer wants log pine furniture, that means working with Amish families in Rexford, where Montana’s first Amish arrived from the east and where quality pine is of plenty.
Customers of Stutzmans Amish Furniture often times want personalized pieces. In fact, ninety percent of what comes in on each truck is already sold. Any of their hardwood furniture can be customized by wood species, stain, color, fabric, hardware and for the most part, size. Their outdoor furniture is available in fifteen different colors. For the buyer who would like to sit down, look at samples, and talk in-depth about possibilities there is no shortage of knowledge, and creativity.
For instance, Chris and Laurie remember a customer who came into their store with a large and irregularly shaped marble piece they acquired from Spain. They wanted it inlaid to a table. The Stutzmans took measurements, traced the stone onto paper, and mailed it off to their Amish table maker in Ohio. The table was beautifully made and shipped to Polson where the Stutzmans then inlaid the marble. The customer was thrilled.
To browse the Stutzmans’ showroom is more than just an errand in furniture shopping. It is a multi-sensory experience. You will smell the hardiness of the larger wood furniture but you will also notice the attention to details in some of their smaller items, like the canes that are somehow miraculously made of two different woods entwining into tiny geometric shapes. You might pick up a jar of St. Ignatius jam and feel pride for our valley. If you happen to be coming from out of town, know that however far you are traveling, it is surely worth the trip.