From Lemonade to Log Furniture

Cari Haus and Carla McPherson first started up a business and began serving customers as children in the 1960's--at a lemonade stand in their front yard. And while a lot of things have changed since then, many are still the same.

"My sister Carla is still my business partner," laughs Cari. "We sell rustic furniture now instead of lemonade, but the basic principles are still the same. If you have great lemonade, good prices and even better customer service, people love to buy it. Same with rustic furniture."

Cari and Carla, who grew up on the dead end of a country gravel road, now travel country roads for a different reason.

"A lot of our customers are extremely busy," says Carla. "They don't have time to travel the country, looking for Amish craftsmen who have no phone, fax or website. We find quality furniture for them, so they don't have to."

"One of our Amish craftsmen does have a phone," offers Cari, "a pay phone outside his building."

Log Cabin Rustics offers a mix log furniture options, some made by the Amish and some not. While many of the Amish furniture builders keep their items in stock, there are the issues of pick-up, packing and shipping.

"If you want your furniture to go out in 48 hours or less, we have some suppliers who can do that--especially with unfinished furniture," explains Carla. "But if you want Amish furniture, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. Our Amish suppliers keep their promises and do what they can to meet our deadlines, but they don't like to be hurried--that's part of their culture."

Cari, who has been selling rustic furniture since 1998, says she has learned a lot about log furniture options--and what looks best where--over the years. While some customers already know what they want, others appreciate some thoughtful advice.

"This summer I helped one gentleman pick out furniture for his new hunting lodge," says Cari. "He built an incredible log cabin for himself and his buddies, on 350 acres with a drive a mile long. We spent an hour together, looking at different furniture options and planning out each room. In the end, he bought $14,000 worth of furniture. We made two deliveries to his home, and I've always kicked myself for not going to see his place. The delivery people said it was really incredible.

Later in the summer Cari did go on a delivery to Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit, "just for the fun of it", she says. "Those people had a great home, too--on a lake--but they failed to mention that the queen-size log bunk bed needed to go up two flights of stairs. There were close to 40 logs to carry up--and there was a prized grandfather clock planted right in the way on the landing."

"The grandfather clock survived without a scratch, I got my exercise that day, and they liked the bed so well they ordered another," says Cari. "That was one of our more challenging deliveries, but if you want to read about our funnest delivery ever, check out my log furniture blog."

Log Cabin Rustics specializes in American-made rustic furniture, delivering log beds, rustic night stands, rustic dressers and chest of drawers anywhere in the continental United States with FREE SHIPPING. The company also carries log bunk beds, log futon beds, living room furniture, dining room furniture and outdoor patio furniture.

"Our goal is to make our customers happy," says Carla. "When we give our word, we practically stand on our heads to keep it."

"Of the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of log furniture I have shipped over the years, I have only had two orders ever come back to me. One was for shipping damage which I couldn’t control, and one was from a customer who didn’t understand that the slight cracks which arise in cedar logs, which are called checking, are a natural part of the wood rather than a defect."

How does Log Cabin Rustics maintain such a high degree of customer satisfaction? "By treating the customer the way I want to be treated," says Cari. "That’s the ultimate key to customer satisfaction. I am really quite picky about the quality of both finish and log furniture. If I wouldn’t have it in my house, I don’t think my customers would either. Sometimes things do happen that really are outside our control, but we do our best to deliver quality furniture, reasonable prices and smooth, speedy delivery."