If you’re looking around for new furniture, you’ve probably already had some people suggest that you look into an Amish furniture shop or re-seller. But unless you’re familiar with the Amish furniture tradition, you may be wondering why so many people get excited about it. Here are a few fun facts about Amish furniture that you may not have known

• Amish furniture became very popular in the U.S. in the 1920s as a trend toward American folk culture, although the Amish had been working as indoor and outdoor furniture specialists for decades before.
• Amish furniture includes both indoor and outdoor furniture, and many stores also sell larger structures like Amish storage sheds and Amish horse barns. These larger structures are occasionally sold after production, but many furniture stores offer customers the option to buy custom-made structures.
• The tradition of Amish furniture is strongly rooted in handmade techniques. Not every Amish woodcrafter refuses to use electricity, but many furniture specialists still swear by the techniques that original furniture crafters used a century ago. Regardless of whether the furniture is made with electricity, Amish crafters are known to produce high-quality products which are made to last decades.
• There are actually many different styles of Amish furniture, many of which differ depending on location. The most popular styles are often considered to be the Mission and Shaker styles, but there are countless others that have evolved and gained popularity in certain regions. Whether you want a classic style or a more modern style, you can find whatever fits your fancy with a bit of research.
• You don’t have to live near an Amish community to buy Amish-built furniture. Some Amish communities have taken advantage of modern technology and are able to connect with customers over the internet; alternatively, many furniture stores will act as the “middlemen” and sell the furniture for the crafters (convenient for Amish builders who want to expand their customer base but live in rural communities and/or prefer not to use electronics). Many furniture shoppers initially feel skeptical about stores that advertise “traditional Amish products by outdoor furniture specialists” or “Amish barns for sale,” but many stores do sell legitimate Amish furniture, so it’s worth doing some research.

Shoppers like to do research for big purchases to make sure that they’re getting the best quality for their money, and buying furniture should be no different. Good outdoor furniture specialists will make sure that you can buy not only what you need, but also what you want.