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Cletus Lambright has been fascinated with woodworking since childhood. He was inspired as he watched the creations produced by his grandfather, as well as an uncle who had built a desk he always admired. But it wasn't until 1975 that he went out on his own, starting with a small business in the basement of his Amish home. He created custom furniture, including chairs, tables, cabinets and anything a customer might want. Today Lambright Woodworking specializes in custom designs, from dressers and desks to individually created kitchen cabinets. "Our slogan is 'Your dreams become reality'," Cletus says. "Even though most of our customers come from a 200-mile radius of our shop, we've put furniture in every state of the U.S. and have designed kitchen cabinets installed in Iowa, Connecticut, Florida and many other states." Before he started the business, he met his wife, Lorine, from Kalona, Iowa, when they were both on youth trips to Florida. "There was a little church in Sarasota and I guess Cupid's arrows just took over," he says with a chuckle. He and Lorine have six children, three boys and three girls, with five of them involved in the business. Lambright Woodworking is located out in the country, halfway between Topeka and Shipshewana, just six miles from each town. It's easy to find and you'll learn the history of wood when you stop by. Cletus cut down a cherry tree in the woods surrounding his home and now has it in his shop. The display shows visitors how quarter sawn and regular plain sawn wood is produced, and they can even count the rings on the tree to see how old it is – Cletus says about 45 years. After that, it's time to wander through the showroom. When he started his business, Cletus made everything himself. As other Amish artisans opened shops, he began to specialize in kitchen cabinets, desks, dressers and larger furniture. Today he features his own creations in the shop, as well as those created by other area Amish artisans, too. You'll find wooden farm toys that a neighboring business, Owl Toycraft, makes, as well as kitchen linens and gadgets. But if you have a divine kitchen in mind and want custom-made cabinets created with love and care, Lambright Woodworking will make it happen. You may just have a concept in mind that you can talk through with them. Or bring in a picture of your dream kitchen. These artisans will work with you on the perfect design. Then they'll create it and deliver, no matter where you live. "We've done so many different things," Cletus says. "Some of our kitchen cabinets have been made of high-gloss zebra wood and others of traditional oak. I think we've done everything in between." The type of wood is entirely your choice – cherry, oak, walnut, maple and more. Cletus' personal favorite is cherry, but he enjoys working with any type of wood. It's a chance to see the timeless craft of an Amish artisan with a shop right on his homestead, as well as the opportunity to transform your home with treasures that will endure a lifetime. Lambright Woodworking |
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Supreme Works in Wood
