TDC Trips – Pennsylvanian Furniture Trip 2025
The Designers Collaborative (TDC) kicked off its first TDC Trip this March with the Pennsylvanian Furniture Tour! It was an all-inclusive trip with two nights at a historic Inn in the picturesque village, meals, tours, and local transportation all included. Our goal was to have a great time and learn about the unsung heroes of furniture in America, the Amish and Mennonite furniture builders. In a time of tariffs, this seems especially important.
The historic Lititz Springs Inn was the perfect combination of contemporary and classic. The town of Lititz offered boutique shops, many fabulous restaurants, and lots of charm all within walking distance. It was also centrally located for all the tours we had planned.
Our first tour was a guided tour of the 1792 Johannes Mueller House that let us explore the history of the people who lived there in the 18th century. The house was built way back in 1740, then rebuilt in the 1790s, and restored over the years to capture what everyday life was like for Moravians who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania. They really preserved this home and the things that made up daily life. I have to say, people were made of sturdier stuff back then, I can’t imagine I would have done well.
The PA Furniture Builders Show is one that I have attended for a bunch of years now, and I wanted to bring the value of what I learned to all our TDC members. The vendors that show there are all Made in America furniture vendors who make solid wood furniture with tons of stain and paint options, as well as a variety of outdoor products that use recycled plastics. A bonus to these vendors is that most are open to selling to designers directly without big open orders and yearly minimums. Plus, with high tariffs driving costs up, the value of their offerings is unmistakable.
After wrapping up the trade show, we headed to another charming town to do some antiquing. Followed by a quick visit to Hershey’s Chocolate World, the largest chocolate store in the world. We felt like kids again discovered the unique brands and flavors sometimes only offered at that store. Dinner was at Hershey at The Chocolatier Restaurant whose menus boast many delicious chocolate-inspired items and the most incredible shakes I have ever seen in my life.
Our last day of the trip was getting a tour of a manufacturing facility to see how furniture is made in all of its steps. The good folks at Country Classic Collection showed our group their process from start to finish. There is nothing like the smell of freshly cut wood and hearing the sounds of machines that give you a whole new perspective on how furniture is made.
The members who attended came from as far as Texas and Chicago and as close as New York, New Jersey, and PA. They can now impress their clients with their experience and knowledge after this tour. The trip was a smashing success, and we will be planning it again next year as well.
