We are enjoying life these days on our secluded forty-five-acre farm in Preston County, WV. We met in 1984 while working underground in the coal mines. Out of a job in 1985 with the shut down of the mines, we were forced to seek new professions. Both of us dreamed of one day working for ourselves in some kind of a woodworking business, knowing the natural resources were so abundant locally, it seemed not too far fetched of an idea. With several dead-end jobs taking us nowhere we finally decided to bite the bullet and take a shot at our dream in 1990. Success came from the beginning. Soon we were traveling all over West Virginia exhibiting and demonstrating at fairs and festivals. As our quality improved and the product line became more focused on the treenware, awards and recognitions for our work started coming in. We are proud to have had our work accepted into the 1995-96 West Virginia Juried Exhibition at Charleston, WV. Further recognition was received when Sue won first place and Stan got “Best of Show” at our state’s premier show, The Mountain State Arts and Crafts Fair at Ripley in 1996. September 1997 found Stanley winning the honor of “Best Demonstrator” at the Yankee Peddler Festival at Canal Fulton, OH. Also in 1997 both of us were juried into the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. We were also included in the 1999 Early American Homes Top 200 Traditional Craftsman Directory. This listing resulted in an invitation from the White House to make an ornament for the White House christmas tree and a visit to the White House to see the tree. Today our shows have us traveling over much of the eastern United States taking part in some of the nation’s finest juried Art Shows and Folk Art Festivals. Our wares can also be found across the country in some of the finest gift shops, galleries, and private collections. Within West Virginia, our treenware is sold through the Tamarack system and may be found in many of the state park gift shops. In 1999, we were commissioned to build and stock a private label for “The Greenbrier Gourmet” at the Greenbrier Hotel and Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV as well as for The Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs, CO. These venues have opened a whole new market for our work. Several days a week, we are joined in our woodshop with several neighbors and family members who have helped to form the base on which we have built this amazingly successful business. To these folks this couple is forever grateful and extremely blessed.
– STAN AND SUE JENNINGS