Serving with excellenceFor Three Decades

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Crafted To Serve

BY KATHARINE STEVENS

Homestead Furiniture is a multi-generational business that has spent three decades desicated to crafting high-quality, personalized furniture.

Our commitment to serving with excellence means we’re devoted to exceeding client expectations. “Be it that one custom piece, a living room or your entire home, we have the abilities with our factory, store and design consultants to serve your needs at whatever level you want,”v says Lavern Hershberger, store manager.

With the ability to furnish entire rooms, Homestead is uniquely positioned to help you bring your personality and style into every piece of furniture of your home. “We have our own factory on site, which gives us the ability to respond to any needs. We can change the size, layout and function of any piece,” says Lavern. Leather and upholstery, metal work, hardwoods and even outdoor furniture can meet your dream specifications. Your inspiration is our blueprint.

Store manager Lavern Hershberger is the oldest son of Homestead Furniture’s steward and founder. He’s been learning the ins and outs of the company for many years.

How are we able to make any dream a reality?

Our team works hard to stay on the cutting edge of furniture design. “Part of that is simply paying very, very close attention to what customers are asking from us. Because of our willingness to listen and then respond to customers, we’re able to track where trends, styles and fashions are going. We use that as a leading indicator of what direction we should be moving in,” says Ernest Hershberger (Ernie, for short ), steward of Homestead and father of Lavern.

Elaborating on his position, Ernie explains, “I'm a steward for Christ with generational goals in mind, and a steward of something that He wants me to set up and take care of so that it can survive for generations. I want us to be great, not large. If the company grows to be a large company while it’s great, wonderful. But we don't have a goal to be a large company.” To us, setting goals gets in the way of continuous improvement. We instead work hard to build systems that allow us to constantly better ourselves and serve our clients at a high level of excellence. This mindset has culminated in the first-ever licensing contract between Homestead’s sister company, Abner Henry, and New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to create collector edition furniture inspired by art.

We bring the same level of inspiration and creativity to each of our clients, whether they’re looking for that one special piece or are trusting us with their entire home. “The best compliment we can get is that we have earned the client’s trust, and we deliver on that. If something does arise, we will make it right,” says Lavern.

Meet Ty Hamsher Design Consultant

What drew you to Homestead?

The company culture and the leadership. Homestead has a standard of excellence and a vision to always be improving, and I wanted to contribute to that as much as I could.

Can you talk a little about the Designer Program you manage?

We’re designer friendly here. If a client has a designer, we’ll work together to develop pieces. Collaborating with designers and helping build trust with both them and their clients is so rewarding — people know that our excellence is something they can count on.

What's the best feedback that you can get from a client?

The amount of options available can be overwhelming at first, so after helping someone design their piece, our goal is that they can say, “You made that so easy.”

What's yor favorite book?

I enjoyed Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It examines examples of successful people and why they’re successful.

Meet Ronan Bochart Design Consultant

What sets Homestead apart?

The overall company culture, the customer service and the experience the customer gets. There’s just nowhere else in the country that has what we have.

Wat's your favorite thisn about interracting with clients?

It’s super fun to work with clients that are just starting out — they have floors and walls picked out and they're ready to furnish their space — because we get to help them envision something unique to their style, their personalities and their home life.

What does someone need to get started at Homestead?

Really all we need to start is their thoughts and ideas. Of course, it always helps us envision the atmosphere they're creating if people bring in floor or paint samples or pictures of their space.

What's your favorite way to spend a day off?

Definitely time with family. But I also love to mount a bike when the weather’s nice.

We Do Our Best To Fulfill Your Dream And Vision.

Equally important is giving our employees an environment where creativity and excellence are able to thrive. A healthy work-life balance is vital for our staff. “We're constantly looking to provide a stable and solid company culture while also having staff that are willing to push the boundaries and be uncomfortable, because good things happen when you're uncomfortable,” says Lavern. Ernie adds, “Part of my job as a visionary is to supply the tools — be it culturally, the physical tools, or the mental or spiritual tools — that an employee needs to fulfill their dreams and visions within our culture. I think that's very rewarding.”

As a founding member of the Sustainable Furniture Counsel, Homestead is committed to doing our part to help this world be environmentally stable for our children and our legacy. All our woods are harvested in the Midwest region through local sawmills, and we source as many of our materials as possible from within a 30-minute radius of our showroom. Each product is crafted with care and treated with the highest quality varnish so your pieces will last for generations to come. As the sign above our showroom door reads: You never actually own a heirloom from Homestead … you merely take care of it for the next generation!

“We do our best to fulfill your dream and vision. When the piece comes back and you can say we’ve hit the nail dead center, that’s the most satisfying thing,” says Ernie. The team at Homestead places care and love into each piece we craft because we know that your furniture isn’t just a place to sit, or sleep, or eat — it’s a way to express yourself. Let us help you make your house a home, at Homestead.

Meet Sharon Miller Color Lab Technician

What do you think is the coolest thing about what you do?

My favorite part is just kind of digging into a color and figuring it out. I like exploring different tones and styles and working out how to bring it out in a piece of wood.

What can be challenging about developing colors?

One of the hardest but most rewarding things is to take something that shouldn’t be done (in terms of chemistry) and finding a way to make it available. That’s how the Color Lab helps us stay innovative and push boundaries.

Are there different levels of color to choose from?

We have our standard series of colors, our designer series and our high-definition series, and each is based on the time and the complexity it takes to create the color.

What's ypur favorite season?

I like fall, because there’s a lot of vibrancy. It’s cold and crisp, yet lively.

Meet Dave Hostetler Lead Engineer

Tell us about your Homestead journey.

I started out doing deliveries at Homestead and managing the warehouse, then also worked in purchasing. After that, I managed the factory for two years before moving into this lead engineering role. I’ve moved through the entire organization and gotten to see it from a lot of different angles.

What's the most challenging part of your job?

Finding the balance between production and the integrity of the piece, so we can make sure the customer gets the best price possible without compromising on quality.

What's your favorite part of development?

The fun part is going out to the shop and creating prototypes. If I have a question of whether something's going to work, I can just go into the shop and try it out.

What's a hobby of yours?

I enjoy trout fishing because I like to be out in nature where it’s quiet.

What To Expect

When you book an appointment at Homestead, trust that you will be in good hands from start to finish. Whether inspiration strikes as you browse the showroom or you’re ready with a sketch, photo or description, all you need to get started is an idea.

At your appointment, your design consultant will help you map out your vision. From single pieces to furnishing full rooms, every project gets the same tender care and attention to detail. Select your desired wood species, color, fabrics and more — everything can be personalized. Next, Homestead’s designer will create a visual proposal for each room that will bring your visions to life with sketches, dimensions and other details, and together you’ll nail down the look of each piece. Once you’re satisfied, the design will be shared with Homestead’s master craftsmen, who will fashion your dream into a reality. Finally, when your new furniture is completed, we’ll white glove deliver each piece to its new place in your home. From dreams to done, Homestead helps you make the perfect furniture.

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