While Apple Furniture was officially incorporated in 1929, the seeds of my passion for solid wood furniture were planted over a century ago in upstate New York. My grandfather, a French-Canadian named Ambrose Levesque, settled in a little town called Saint Surpanier. After building a house for himself and his young family, he built a business making handmade, solid wood furniture from the abundant birch, oak, maple and cherry trees nearby. My father inherited his father's talent for carpentry and, eventually, his tools and his business.
My own path into the furniture business was a little more circuitous. Like most young people in the sixties, I knew that California represented freedom and opportunity. Compared to the ten-day road trip from upstate New York to northern California, it was a relatively short flight from San Francisco to Thailand, where I fell instantly in love with the simplicity of the culture, the people and the food. Within days of my arrival in Bangkok, I'd formed a partnership with a friend to create handmade furniture in Thailand. Our first foray into global furniture sales was an immediate success, as the Japanese appreciated our unique, practical designs, our insistence on solid wood and our highly personalized style of service.
Over the years, Apple Furniture has developed a reputation for service that's as solid and polished as our products. Looking back at old photographs of my grandfather, I realize that I've inherited more than his love of wood. As I work, I often remember my grandfather saying, "Each customer is as individual as a tree. As a carpenter, your job is to work with your customers to create a relationship that lasts as long as a piece of fine furniture."
As a young man, I never dreamed that one day, I'd be carrying on my family's French-Canadian heritage in California and Thailand. As I reflect on the incredible circular nature of life, I'm grateful that wisdom, like the patina on a piece of solid wood furniture, only improves with age.
I look forward to working with you one day.