Spending a day with the Duggar family

Our company spent the day with the Duggar family of TLC and Discovery fame. They are a great family from Northwest Arkansas with 19 children. They brought two camera crews and toured Stone County Ironworks. The episode that they filmed will likely air sometime in May. It was a lot of stress to prepare for…but a lot of fun! We had bluegrass music on the square and the Duggars sang I'll Fly Away. We served a fine BBQ lunch to the Duggars and our Blacksmiths...catered at the forge by Mikeys Smoked Meats…and then we all watched as one of our master blacksmiths built an incredible tree complete with textured bark and one of those squirrel holes in the trunk.
It was so beautiful and realistic. The Duggar kids, dressed in way-too-big blacksmith aprons and gloves, helped bend and shape the hot iron to make that tree. They also learned all about blacksmithing, a tradition that’s pretty important around here! Then the kids each got a shot at some part of leaf-making. The leaves ultimately ended up hanging on the tree that we made…The Duggar Family tree. One leaf for each child. It was amazing. 19 leaves…plus two more. One more for Joshua’s wife Anna, and another for their first child (grandbaby number one of many I am sure) McKenzie.
We had a wonderful time. The tree was mounted to a beautiful cedar wood base with an inscription…Children are a blessing from the Lord. You know what? I really believe that! Yeah.

Corky Baker
President and Chief Leaf Maker

We do custom designs

I love the fact that we do custom designs for people and projects. It has a way of keeping us sharper. We benefit from all of the creative energy...we get to work with great designers...we develop new ways to approach the iron business and it make it a lot of fun. We have a large customer who has a role...and individual who travels the globe looking for interesting objects as inspiration. They found an ancient iron clock face...yes a clock face...kind of like a Big Ben clock face. It was old and rusty...the white paint discolored and chipped with age and exposure to the elements.
Well, they decided to make a headboard from the old clock, and then approached Stone County to see if we could replicate it for them. Wow...what a challenge. Not the iron so much. That was doable...but the finish? Well we did it. And it is AWESOME! Our finish artisans were able to replicate wear, cracking, chips, rust... I am so fortunate to be surrounded with great people who love the craft. We want to use our skills to make people happy. When we make the complete bed I will try to let you have a peek!
Corky Baker
President

Our Custom Business is Making a Difference for our Partners

In times of reduced market activity and economic uncertainty, it is more important than ever to make every contact with our clients and customers count. The same is true for our retail and designer clients. We all simply have to be in a position to deliver exactly what they want…when they want it. Our business depends on it. I feel like our job at Stone County, is to be a resource for our customers and clients...and our custom shop is that resource because there is very little that we can't figure out how to make. I guess this is why we continue to invest in our custom capabilities.

I was thinking of the top three or four things we try to do:

· Spend time with you understanding the custom needs of you or your client

· Provide quality concept sketches that will help instill confidence and vision

· Create heirloom quality hand-made furnishings at reasonable prices

· Complete your order in 2 to 3 weeks…or sooner if we can

Our custom business is thriving. And whether we are altering an item from our product portfolio, or collaborating with you on a one-of-a-kind masterpiece…our single focus is to make it work for you! So thank you! Thank you for allowing us to serve you!

Corky Baker
President