Brandenberry Furniture, a custom furniture specialty store, is proud to be part of Shipshewanas annual Chocolate Day on November 19th, in which a group of sponsoring merchants will host a Chocolate Walk where for a nominal fee, one can purchase a special Christmas box at Aunt Millies Candy and Nuts, then collect free chocolate sweets at over 20 stores in town. In addition to offering sweets, many local businesses are offering special sales. Chocolate Day has been a much-anticipated tradition in Shipshewana for years and continues to grow in popularity.

Shipshewana is located in the heart of Amish country in Northern Indiana and is a popular destination for craft and gift shoppers, furniture-lovers, flea market shoppers and those curious about the simple folk and the Amish way of life. The summer season sees a steady stream of foot-traffic through the many wood furniture and craft shops, bakeries and meat shops and the 100 acre flea market.

The Amish continue to live a life of simplicity in Shipshewana, as they have for over two centuries, often living on small homesteads and practicing a trade. Horse-and-buggies are a common sight throughout Shipshewana, as these remain the means of travel for most Amish. Over the last three decades, more and more Amish have begun offering their quality craftsmanship and culinary skills to visitors.

Chocolate Day is one of many special events in Shiphewana during the holiday season, including the Light Parade on November 12th, the Christmas Tree Walk on December 3rd-30th, Kids Day on December 10th, and the Shipshewana Ice Festival on December 28th-30th.

About Brandenberry Amish Furniture:

The Weaver family established their first Amish furniture store in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, before opening Brandenberry Amish Furniture in 2008. They maintain two family-owned and operated businesses offering a full line of solid wood Furniture at affordable prices. As part of their client services, Brandenberry Amish Furniture provides furniture design consultation services, exclusive furniture, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences in the United States from their furniture showroom in Indiana’s Amish Country.

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On November 19, Weaver Furniture Sales, an Amish owned, Shipshewana furniture store located in Shipshewana, Indiana will be offering guests free chocolate candies and other chocolate treats as part of an annual tradition started four years ago. There is no need to say Trick or Treat. Visit Shipshewana for an adult version of Halloween without any need for costumes or tricksjust treats. While strolling through the aisles of mission furniture at Weavers or through the streets of Shipshewana, chocolate aficionados will be pleased.

The chocolate treats will be offered on the same day as Shipshewana, a quaint little Amish Country town in Northern Indiana, celebrates Chocolate Day with its annual Chocolate Walk. Many Shipshewana retailers will be offering special discounts and chocolate treats all day long as part of the annual event. Chocolate lovers can find more information about the Shipshewana Chocolate Day event at Shipshewana.com.

I cant eat a lot of chocolate so I really hope the shoppers that show up on the 19th are ready to eat some chocolate! quipped LeRoy Weaver, owner.

The Chocolate Day event features a local Chocolate Walk in Shipshewana where one can purchase a collectors box for a small fee and then visit numerous local retail merchants to fill their chocolate box with a variety of locally made chocolates. The chocolates are free and proceeds from the event help to meet the needs of a disadvantaged person in the community.

About Weaver Furniture Sales:

Weaver Furniture Sales was established in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, and is an Amish, family-owned furniture business that offers a full line of solid wood, Amish Furniture at affordable prices for both residential and commercial purposes. As part of their client services, Weaver Furniture Sales provides furniture design consultation services, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences and businesses in the United States from their quiet country showroom in Shipshewana, Indiana.

LeRoy and Ida Weaver have owned and operated Weaver Furniture Sales for over twenty-two years, beginning with a 1,500 square foot showroom and expanding to over 15,000 square feet today. Previously, they owned and managed LeWana Dairy Farm where they milked cows and raised corn and hay.

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During the busy Holiday season, Shipshewana is hosting a variety of relaxing, family-friendly events, during which Brandenberry Amish Furniture, a custom furniture and gift store, will have open doors and special sales for holiday shoppers.

Chocolate Day takes place on November 19th where shoppers can walk and drive around Shipshewana to shop and a chance to collect sweets at every stop. Stop by Brandenberry for some delicious chocolate treats! Then, the annual Christmas Tree Walk runs from December 3rd-30th and features beautiful decorations and a special Santa Day for children from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

In the heart of winter, come check out the Shipshewana Ice Festival on December 28th-30th and watch teams of talented ice-carvers crafting holiday themed sculptures from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. This event must be seen-to-be-believed!

Also, the original musical The Confession, has been impressing audiences since its opening in the summer. Come check out this one-of-a-kind production showing exclusively in Shipshewana.

Finally, stop by the Shipshewana Town Center on December 30th and watch the snowmobile races and the tasty chili cook-off! Visitors can purchase a special collectors pin designed by students from Westview High School and gives FREE admission to the chili cook-off.

Other events in November and December include a Wana Night out shopping experience, Holiday Pops with Fort Wayne Philharmonic at the Westview Wilson Auditorium, a variety of special horse auctions and many Holiday Sales promotions.

As always Brandenberry Furniture looks forward to meeting the holiday travelers and introducing them to the beauty of authentic Amish-crafted furniture. For a full listing of Christmas season events in the Shipshewana area visit http://www.Shipshewana.com.

About Brandenberry Amish Furniture:

The Weaver family established their first Amish furniture store in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, before opening Brandenberry Amish Furniture in 2008. They maintain two family-owned and operated businesses offering a full line of solid wood Furniture at affordable prices. As part of their client services, Brandenberry Amish Furniture provides furniture design consultation services, exclusive furniture, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences in the United States from their furniture showroom in Indiana’s Amish Country.

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Brandenberry Furniture, an Amish Furniture business located in the heart of Amish Country in northeastern Indiana unveiled its new line of furniture called the Brandenberry Creek Collection. Designers on staff use the extensive knowledge and experience of working with real world furniture clients to test and create new designs on an ongoing basis. Jason Keiser, the lead designer and artist, is excited about the opportunity this creates to utilize his artistic passion for the benefit of his clients. Mr. Keiser and associates will work directly with the furniture and their clientele to create new designs.

Mr. Keiser states, the Brandenberry Creek Collection will help Brandenberry Furniture serve its clients better by utilizing an ever expanding unique line of furniture.

Weaver Furniture Sales is bringing in the New Year with a special sale on their entire selection of Amish-crafted furniture. Since 1989, Weavers has specialized in offering a wide selection of Amish furniture. Twenty-two years later, Weavers has become a fixture in Shipshewana, recognized for quality furniture, reasonable prices, down-home service and charitable giving in the community.

We are grateful for another year of business and support from the community, so we figure a year-end sale is the best way to show our appreciation, stated Leroy Weaver, founder of Weaver Furniture Sales.

Weavers has not only been an active part of Shipshewanas retail and furniture industry, but has participated in a variety of seasonal events. 2011 saw Weavers and their clients support important causes in the community such as collecting and donating food to the local food pantry and raising money for a local Amish church to help those in need. The Weaver family also supported the Arts in their own unique way by designing, creating and maintaining a quilt garden onsite. The quilt garden is part of a larger, local Quilt Garden Tour initiative to enhance the value received by visitors to LaGrange and Elkhart County, Indiana.

Brandenberry Furniture is inviting visitors to dress comfortably as part of a special February Pajama Day sale. Shoppers wearing their pajamas will receive discounts on in-stock and custom furniture as early as 7:30 A.M. on February 4, 2012. The Pajama Day sale is in conjunction with the many other Shipshewana retail shops where shoppers will be able to shop in the early morning hours, enjoy many complimentary treats and discounts while wearing Pajamas.

Since opening in 2008, Brandenberry has earned a reputation in Northern Indiana for offering local, Amish furniture (including dining, bedroom, living room and office furnishings) with many custom options and exclusive solid wood furniture selections.

LeRoy Weaver, owner of Brandenberry Furniture, states, Weve always been interested in serving the community, whether through service events or a fun event like Pajama Day. But our emphasis has been and always will be on offering fine Amish furniture. LeRoy, himself born and raised in Shipshewana, knows the value of commitment to the community. He raised his family on their small dairy farm before opening a furniture store in the familys converted dairy barn. Today, his grown children offer their various skills to make Brandenberry a destination for furniture-lovers.

For more information on Pajama Day or for directions to Brandenberry Furniture, check out http://www.BrandenberryAmishFurniture.com (or Shipshewana.com) and discover for yourself why this family-owned and operated store continues to inspire furniture-enthusiasts from across the country.

About Brandenberry Amish Furniture:

The Weaver family established their first Amish furniture store in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, before opening Brandenberry Amish Furniture in 2008. They maintain two family-owned and operated businesses offering a full line of solid wood Furniture at affordable prices. As part of their client services, Brandenberry Amish Furniture provides furniture design consultation services, exclusive furniture, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences in the United States from their furniture showroom in Indiana’s Amish Country.

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Brandenberry Amish Furniture store is welcoming the warm weather with a special Spring Sale. From March 12-17, Brandenberry will offer steep discounts on a wide variety of their Amish-crafted home furnishings. Furniture-lovers and novice shoppers alike can appreciate the large selection of solid wood furniture built by local Amish craftsmen. Free food will be offered and visitors can sign-up for a special prize drawing.

Shipshewana is located in the heart of Northern Indianas Amish country and has become a popular site for furniture-enthusiasts, bargain hunters, antique shoppers and travelers interested in the simple folk. Each summer draws a large number of shoppers to Shipshewanas variety of furniture and craft stores, bakeries and delis, and 100-acre flea-market.

For over a century, the Amish have pursued a life of simplicity in Shipshewana, often living on small homesteads and practicing a trade. More recently, local Amish have gone to work in LaGrange and Elkhart county factories. Horse-and-buggies are a common sight throughout Shipshewana, as are groups of blue or black-clad Amish walking. Within the last three decades, a greater variety of Amish craftsmen have begun offering their goods to visitors.

The Brandenberry Spring Sale is one of a variety of special events in Shiphewana during the spring season. Check out the unique Shipshewana area and be sure to stop by Brandenberry Amish Furniture to see fine Amish-crafted furniture first-hand.

About Brandenberry Amish Furniture:

LeRoy and Ida Weaver established their first Amish furniture store in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, before opening Brandenberry Amish Furniture in 2008. They maintain two family-owned and operated businesses offering a full line of solid wood, Amish furniture at affordable prices. As part of their client services, Brandenberry Amish Furniture provides furniture design consultation services, exclusive furniture, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences in the United States from their furniture showroom in Shipshewana, Indiana.

Though the chill of winter is in full force and the warmth of spring is still weeks away, Weaver Furniture Sales, a large Shipshewana furniture store, encourages intrepid travelers to brave the cool temperatures and come out to Shipshewana for a variety of events, classes, clubs and sales. For those who wish to avoid big crowds and heavy foot-traffic, now is a great time to explore the heart of Northern Indianas Amish country.

March and April are busy months in and around Shipshewana. The Winter Craft Retreat (running from Feb. 3-May 12) offers a chance to scrapbook, sew, quilt, knit, stamp, weave and make great friends. Dont worry if youre not a quilter! The Beginners Quilting Class offers a five session class to bring you into the fold.

Shipshewanas own Toy Auction will be held at the Shipshewana Antique Auction Building in conjunction with the regular antique auction and will feature a variety of collectible and antique toys from Americas past.

The popular Maple Syrup Days event held at the Maple Wood Nature Center lands on March 17-18 and allows visitors to tour the maple woods in horse-drawn carriages, watch maple syrup being made, visit traditional sugar boilers and top it off with a platter of pancakes with fresh maple syrup.

For music lovers looking for something to do on March 16 the Whisnants, a Southern Gospel vocal group that has been together since the 1970s, will bring their beautiful vocal arrangements all the way from Morganton, North Carolina to Shipshewana. Then April 13, be sure to check out the McKameys, a Southern Gospel group formed in 1954 and dedicated to spreading the Gospel through sweet harmonies.

Weaver Furniture Sales is a proud part of the Shipshewana Amish community and participates in a variety of auctions and charities throughout the year. Stop by and visit our Shipshewana furniture store to view our Amish-crafted home furniture. For more information about these and other Shipshewana area events see backroads.org. Discover all that Shipshewana has to offer this spring!

About Weaver Furniture Sales:

Weaver Furniture Sales was established in 1989 in Shipshewana, Indiana, and is an Amish, family-owned furniture business that offers a full line of solid wood, Amish Furniture at affordable prices for both residential and commercial purposes. Weaver Furniture Sales features shaker styles, traditional and mission furniture. As part of their client services, Weaver Furniture Sales provides furniture design consultation services, custom furniture options, furniture quotes, layaway options and various delivery alternatives for residences and businesses in the United States from their quiet country showroom in Shipshewana, Indiana.

LeRoy and Ida Weaver have owned and operated Weaver Furniture Sales for over twenty-two years, beginning with a 1,500 square foot showroom and expanding to over 15,000 square feet today. Previously, they owned and managed LeWana Dairy Farm where they milked cows and raised corn and hay.

Because of their old fashioned, traditional style of making crafts by hand and usually without help of modern machinery, Amish Furniture has come to mean furniture that is handcrafted, made of 100% natural materials, durable, with great attention to detail. In short Amish made furniture has almost come to mean furniture that is a work of art in itself!

The unique quality about Amish handcrafted furniture is that is has a heirloom quality, I timeless look that never goes out of fashion and designs that are not held hostage by fickle trends which are here today and gone tomorrow. This kind of furniture is built to last, so that reinforces its heirloom like quality. Most pieces of Amish furniture are handcrafted from solid oak, cherry, and maple. When crafting Amish furniture solid wood boards are used in an arrangement that enhances the look and durability of each furniture piece.

The Amish people live by a set of beliefs that prevent the use of modern conveniences such as electricity, so it follows that the tools used for Amish handcrafted furniture usually do not use electricity. They are often powered by hydraulic and pneumatic power. While the aid of some mechanization may sometimes be used, most often the detailing and finishing is done by hand. This ensures the finest quality of workmanship.

There are certain distinctive styles of Amish made furniture. For instance there is the Mission style which has uncluttered, even lines and exposed joinery. Then there is the Shaker style which is recognized for its simplicity, innovative joinery, quality, and functionality. A more ornate style for Amish furniture is the Queen Anne style which is very different from the earlier mentioned styles which are plain and functional in nature. By contrast the Queen Anne style is more traditional, often rendered with ornate carving and detailing.

With few Amish children obtaining higher education, Amish woodcraft skills are often passed on from generation to generation, with father teaching son the tricks of the trade.

Since their beliefs usually preclude modern marketing and selling practices there are other non-Amish people who commission and purchase the furniture pieces from the Amish themselves and then make them available to the public at large. Increasingly now, online sites offer people the option of buying Amish made handcrafted furniture which is known for its superior quality, traditional methods of making and a timeless beauty. Now anyone can take the advantage of buying Amish furniture, which is beautiful, will last for generations to come in styles and designs that go beyond both time and personal style preferences.

Amish dining tables are especially valued for their longevity and classic and timeless styles. Many Amish craftsmen offer dining room furniture in different styles such as traditional, contemporary and mission styles as per one’s preferences and tastes.

Unlike other varieties of furniture, Amish handcrafted furniture uses no particle board or laminate; natural and unprocessed wood is usually used to hand craft furniture using a minimum of technological aids. The wood is generally selected specifically keeping in mind the piece of furniture to be made. Also the kind of wood used is very important; generally hardwoods are used for the purpose of making Amish dining room furniture, because these varieties of wood grow more slowly and have been found to be more durable and thus furniture made from this kind of wood (such as oak, cherry and maple) is more long lasting.

The history of Amish made furniture goes back nearly a hundred years when dealers as well as historians noted that this kind of furniture was of very high quality and was also aesthetically very pleasing. There is the Jonestown School of furniture which is characterized by floral designs on the panels. Then there is the Soap Hollow School of furniture, so named because it originated in Soap Hollow, Pennsylvania.

Henry Lapp was one of the first to design Amish furniture in the manner that we find so distinctive and easily recognizable today. It was he that started to make furniture that was undecorated and plain in the manner that so characterizes Amish furniture.

There are some articles of Amish made dining room furniture that have a historical connotation, such as the jelly cabinet or the jam cupboard, which are generally used for storage in the dining room or the kitchen. There is a historical significance to these articles of furniture first used in the early 19th century, which reflect the rural tradition of preserving fruit from the summer harvest into and for the long winter months ahead. These cupboards, earlier made to fulfill the requirement to store, jams and other fruit preserves would now evoke a sense of nostalgia and are very much in demand.

Part of the reason that Amish furniture is so distinctive is because it is largely handcrafted. So while some automated aids may be used to make a dining table, the detailing and the finishing of the table will usually be done by hand, which is why there is an assurance of the highest quality.