Fully Functioning

One day a lady walked into our store and came across an old baker’s cabinet that she said was perfect… but it was the wrong color… and the wrong size… and didn’t function. Although she loved the piece, it was just not going to work for what she needed.

Thankfully we were able to talk with her about the piece and what she needed out of it, and she was able to see the vision. We were able to add to the length of the cabinet, reduce the depth, and get all of it functioning well. It was a little tricky to retro fit the self closing glides onto the large bellied bottom drawer, but we made it work! We changed the color of the piece for her, without losing the affect of the old look she wanted to have with it.

We love to do rustic and primitive pieces, and do it very well. However, we also strive to make our pieces function with all the modern conveniences available today. You no longer have to wrestle with the drawer to open or close it, nor have to worry about slammed cabinet doors. Your piece will still look like its authentic self, but be fully functioning.

Why reclamation is so important to us

As I, Mark, was talking to a farmer once about the fate of his 1940’s granary, he explained that plans had been made to burn and bury it. It was in the way, and more space was needed. A friend of mine who tore down old structures for a living was kind enough to make the long trip with me to see the barn. Once looking it over, he confided that this particular structure was only a 3 (out of 10) and not worth coming back for.

I was disappointed. I thought there were many unique pieces in the barn that held value. Besides that, I had already promised to tear it down and haul it off!

As I descended from the desecrated top, down a narrow, muddy shaft, I heard from the Lord, clear as day. He showed me how many people were on their way to a fire, just like this barn was. Because they were offensive no one would pick them up.

So, with the help of a great friend, we tore the barn down piece by piece.

The trusses of that barn made what is known as the “river table.” It has been featured in three publications. It is located in a pretzel shop in Goshen, IN.

Reclamation is not just what we do professionally; it's who we are. There is something attractive about the down and outer, who is overlooked and discounted continually, but who will hustle and toil until they are an over comer. They are diamonds in the rough. While human value is intrinsic, many are lost among the busy masses and unconsidered. They are the poor in spirit, the meek and the mourning. We believe the greatest thing on earth is the reclamation of people. We believe that our work and our product here at Cherry Pickers is a prophetic image and reflection of what God is also doing in people.

Who We Are

While a man plans his ways, his steps are ordered by the Lord. For us, those steps led us directly to Shipshewana in 2012 to start Cherry Pickers. It is not by accident that we grew from door-to-door scrap gathering to one of the midwest's premier furniture builders. Like everyone else, we've modeled our business after what we know. We have seen and experienced that the rubble of past lives can be used to build anew. We take the rejected, discarded, and overlooked materials and salvage them to make fine cabinetry, flooring, and household furnishings. God has given us over 24 years of building experience and an incredibly unique designing ability. Our products are only limited by our collective imaginations. A lot of people are surprised at what they find here. We have a mix of salvaged items, antiques, reclaimed lumber, hand hewn beams, doors, tables, and cabinetry. Whether you're bringing your own ideas, wanting to pick our brains, or are just curious, we'd love to have you stop in for a visit!