Get your own private craftsman.

When I started ClearLake Furniture in 1992, I wanted the company to be different. I decided that it was important to have one craftsman handle a project all the way from wood selection to the final touches, rather than having an assembly line process where one person does the cutting, another does assembly, and someone else handles the finishing. This approach helped with quality control, but I also found that a craftsperson takes pride in creating a piece this way. They enjoy being hands-on, using their various skills, and not pigeon-holed into a single task that can get monotonous. Every ClearLake Furniture piece is a unique creation because we customize our furniture and craft every item to a customer's specifications. So, every project is a little different than the last. Some have more challenges, but our woodworkers tell me they enjoy that. I've watched them pick through the wood with a customer to find just the right pieces, with the grain or color they want. They get excited knowing that this raw material will become an heirloom in their skilled hands. When a piece is finished, the craftsman signs and dates it, adding the customer's name, because he has pride in the family heirloom he just completed. How many businesses are confident enough in their work to sign it? And I don't mean "Inspector 17". Wouldn't you feel a connection to that individual whose hands created your product? Doesn't it feel better to know that a person, not a machine, is on the other end? I thought so, and I still do.