The Story of the Star Mill Furniture Collection: An Amish Woodworker Story

The Star Mill Furniture Collection is among the most popular collections of Living Room and Entertainment Furniture at DutchCrafters, with a wide variety of products! But it was a long road to get here.  

The Origins of the Star Mill Furniture Collection

The story of the Star Mill Furniture Collection begins with an ending—when Joe Schwartz was laid off from his job in an RV factory. As he and his family struggled with the layoff, he started looking for a new line of work.

His father, one of the 6 founding members of the Northern Indiana Woodcrafters Association, or N.I.W.A., owned a woodshop making bedroom furniture 

He offered Joe an opportunity—to start a new line of Living Room and Entertainment furniture 

 A Family Enterprise

As the business grew from a hayloft in a barn to the ten thousand-square-foot shop they work in today, it’s become a family enterprise.  

Starting in the 4th grade, each of Joe’s six children began to work in the wood shop before and after school, sweeping the floors and doing light chores. Their workload increased as they grew up and several of the kids are now co-owners in the business.  

“In the evenings, when my sons get together, all we talk is business,” Joe told us. “Because that’s all we know. That’s what we do.” 

And, in 2022, Joe passed management of the Star Mill Furniture Collection to his son Loren, making the Schwartz family the first family with 3 generations of woodshop owners in the N.I.W.A.  

 Furniture in the Star Mill Collection

Today, under Loren’s leadership, the shop builds a variety of furniture styles, including Traditional, Mission, and Transitional furniture. Joe told us, “Transitional pieces are nice because you can make them look modern or you can make them look like a shaker piece. Just been doing the wood, the color, and the hardware and you can make it look completely different.”

Shopping the Star Mill Furniture Collection

The quality is exceptional; the designs are beautiful. And we can’t wait to deliver your new Star Mill Furniture to your home!  

Explore all the options from the Star Mill Furniture Collection right here at dutchcrafters.com 

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