It Pays to be Kind

I was floored when I saw the finished piece yesterday! It is a hand carved wooden bowl from a burly hardwood, nested in a hand-forged branch that follows the contour of the bowl. It's absolutely stunning. The images here don't capture just how beautiful this piece really is. What is interesting about this piece is the circumstance under which it was made. We made it for a man and his wife. We have never met them. They didn't ask for the piece, but I know they will love it. You see, last summer we created a large custom order for a new commercial property in California. After we shipped we were informed that the new development lost financing during the banking crisis and had no way to pay the balance owed...which was a large number!

It was painful for our company and we were advised to go after them with any legal remedy at our disposal. We didn't. We stayed in contact as best possible. Theresa (our accounting manager) was very complimentary of the man who is at the helm. We believed him when he said he was trying to pay us. They loved the work we did. So, for good or bad, we trusted him. His response was so impressive that I Googled this man to find out more about him. What I found was that he had recently married! So, I searched and found a gift registry for their wedding, and saw that they had an unfulfilled request for a carved wooden bowl which was no longer available. It took some time, but I found a beautifully carved bowl and commissioned the hand forged base in our shop. I gave it to Daniel...who is a wonderful master blacksmith...and I just let him go with the project. His work is amazing!


Today we will add gold to the delicate leaves, and I will write a note thanking the man who owes us so much money, for the promise he has made to pay...And I will send the bowl and base as a gift from Stone County Ironworks. Some would question my approach. But this economy has presented a tough ride for many business people. A little grace extended...goes a long, long way. Next time, it might be me.


Corky Baker
President, CEO

Duggar Family Tree

Tonight the Duggar/Stone County episode airs on TLC...It's called Duggar Heavy Metal. Everyone around our small town (Mountain View, Arkansas) is pretty excited. Some of us will gather at the Inn at Mountain View to watch the show together. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. We had a great time when the Duggars were here. I have known them for 5 years. Great friends and a wonderful testimony to the value and importance of family. We built a Duggar Family Tree that day...Hand forged with a wonderful organic shape. It was truly a piece of art. The roots of this magnificant tree sit on top of a wonderful hardwood base which has an iron plaque with the family name. Each of the kids played a part in making a gold leaf for the tree. We had a really special friend (who knows how to write small) come over to the forge...and she sat with each one of the children and wrote their names and birthdays on the back of their special leaf. After all of the leaves were hung on the Duggar Family Tree, we presented Jim Bob (dad) with a few more leaves...just in case!


Well, we were so inspired by that tree that we decided to create two different tree styles for other families that wanted to display their family tree. You can see them here at http://www.stonecountyironworks.com/categories/Shop-Products/Family-Trees/.


Every detail is hand-forged by one of our gifted artisans making every tree unique! The limbs are textured, twisted and shaped by experienced hands to replicate the majesty of an established old hardwood tree with enough character to lean against the wind. This is an heirloom quality piece that will be treasured for generations to come. Each tree comes with a twin-leaf pair to serve as a family starter mounted in the highest place of honor on the tree. We will also include a gold pen, for capturing the names and birth dates of each family member. There are 30 mounting places on each tree. Additional hand forged leaves are available individually as doubles (for couples or twins) and singles (in sets of ten). Each leaf is unique like the person it represents, and tastefully finished by hand in beautiful gold tones. This tree is truly work of genuine hand-forged artistry made right here in the hills of Arkansas by renowned Stone County blacksmiths.


My wife and I have six children. We plan to build our own family tree! It's the most important thing I do.


Corky Baker

President and Chief Keeper of the Tree