Business Spotlight
Amish Touch is a One Stop Shop for All Things Old World
When people visit the Amish Touch in Washington, Pa. for the
first time, they expect a showroom full finely-made furniture. And
that’s what they get. But newcomers are often surprised by the wide
range of other Amish-made products for sale.
That includes select deli items like Amish meats, candies, jams,
and jellies; handmade jewelry and baskets; and a wide assortment of
country-style home décor and gift items.
“The store has a little bit of everything,” says owner Chris Potts.
Amish Touch – located just off Route 19 in the Tower Golf
complex — opened in 2006, when Potts, his wife Lena and their two
daughters were looking
for something to do with
a tract of open land they
owned near their golf
course. Chris used to
refinish furniture, and
had visited Amish
communities in Ohio,
and thought it would be
the perfect fit.
And it was. The store
attracts visitors from
around the Tri-State area, the big
draw being the vast array of handbuilt
Amish furniture. “The Amish
are among the few remaining groups
that make solid hardwood furniture,”
Chris says.
Only a small sampling of the
catalog is available in-store, however,
because the 3,000-square-foot space
would have to expand to about five
times its current size to hold every
individual piece. But the Amish
Touch makes ordering a custom piece
of furniture easy. Customers peruse a
catalog of basic pieces, from tables to
beds to roll-top desks, then choose the type of wood, usually oak or
cherry, stain color and additional features or ornamentation. Nearly
every piece sold is a custom design.
“There are about 3,000 different styles of things to pick from,”
Potts says. “Any type of bed you can imagine, they can make. It'll
end up being an heirloom.”
About 600 Amish artisans hailing from Wooster, Ohio, the
largest population of Amish in America, handcraft each item. The
entire process takes between six and eight weeks.
Décor and products change with each passing season and
holiday. “This store, because of the way it's designed, changes five
or six times a year,” Potts says.
While Amish Touch gives Potts more than enough to keep busy,
he is still looking to the future. There’s still some available land at
Tower Golf, and he’s considering adding another retail building or
even turning some of the land into an Amish village.
“It's as close to exclusive as you can get,” he says.
Amish Touch can be reached at 724-228-2771.
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