Woody’s Furniture, a labor of love, reflects the owner’s deep-rooted connection to the furniture industry. With over 50 years of experience in the industry, Bernis Martin brings a wealth of knowledge and a personal touch to his store. Specializing in hand-crafted Amish furniture, Woody’s sets itself apart with unique, solid wood pieces that eschew the mass-produced feel of contemporary furniture. Each item in the store tells a story of meticulous craftsmanship and dedication to quality.
The store’s journey began in Fayetteville, North Carolina, before finding its home in Apex. Over the past eight years, Woody’s has become a beloved part of the local community, offering a range of customizable furniture that caters to the diverse needs and tastes of its customers. From sitting down with patrons to sketch out their dream piece to providing expert advice on wood types and finishes, the team at Woody’s goes above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction.
In the interview that follows, Bernis opens up about his life, passions, and the ethos behind Woody’s Furniture. He shares insights into his family, hobbies, and what makes the local area a special place for both his business and personal life. His dedication to his community, both in and outside the church, shines through, painting a picture of a man who values hard work, faith, and family above all else.
Q&A With Woodys Furniture Owner Bernis Martin
WL: How would a friend describe you, if they were making a personal introduction?
They would probably say that he loves to work. He works too much. But it’s not working, if you love what you do.
WL: Do you have any hobbies?
Well, I’m very involved in my church, Fuquay Varina Baptist Church. I love the Lord, and I get a lot of pleasure out of serving the Lord, working in the church, and working in the community there.
WL: Tell us a little bit about your family, wife, kids, pets.
My wife and I have been together for over 50 years. We have two daughters that are grown, and they’re both married. We have three grandsons, and now they’re grown. And, I’ve got one great grandson.
WL: Any of the children or grandchildren in the furniture business?
None of them are in the business, but everybody’s had a day or two of it. I think It inspired them to do other things.
WL: How long have you been working in the Apex, NC area?
We’ve been in this location for about eight years now. We started in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Initially we couldn’t find a location in the Raleigh/Cary/Apex market, so we found a spot in Fayetteville, and that’s where we started. Once we opened here, where we are today, it really kind of took off.
WL: Any favorite local restaurants?
It’s probably not what my daughter would want me to say, but I get to Chargrill a couple times a week. Yeah, I love those guys! And, I go to Tazikis Mediterranean Cafe quite a bit too.
WL: What do you like most about the Apex, NC area?
Well, this area still has a small town charm even though it’s grown so much. I suppose the small town is gone, but relative to where most people are coming from, it still has a lot of charm and character.
WL: Do you have any pets?
I have one dog. He’s a golden doodle. We got him about 6 years ago, and he’s really taken over our lives. He loves to see me get home, no matter what time that is. As soon as I walk in the door we have to go play ball. Rain, sleet or snow.
WL: Do you have a favorite book?
From a business perspective I would have to say Good to Great by Jim Collins. That’s a classic. I’m currently reading I Surrender, which is about surrendering cultural christianity for spiritual christianity.
WL: What’s one thing on your bucket list?
My wife and I are pretty simple. We don’t have any big aspirations. I would like to spend more time with her and travel, maybe get back down to the Florida Keys.
WL: What did you do before opening the store?
I’ve always worked in the furniture industry. I started in the furniture business as a part time summer job. It was a privately held 50 store chain based out of Charlotte. I worked there for 43 years, retired from that, and started this.
Retirement, it’s about the hardest job I’ve ever had. So I needed to do something. I set out to find a niche, and I quickly realized that there’s enough of all the other stuff. The last thing any market needs is another furniture store, if you’re going to do the same thing everybody else does. I looked at what’s under represented or not represented at all. Well I was doing research, I had some friends in the industry that kind of pulled me towards the Amish furniture show in Ohio. So I went up there, and kind of fell in love with what they do and got introduced to a couple small furniture builders, and it just kind of took off from there.
WL: How would you describe Woody’s Furniture?
Obviously we’re furniture retailers. But what we do differently is we specialize in solid wood furniture. We don’t do the particle board, veneers, or fiberboard products. Everything is solid wood. It’s the real stuff. And really what sets us apart, is hand-crafted Amish furniture. That’s really our specialty. None of the Amish pieces are mass produced. Each one is individually crafted. And because of that, each piece is unique, and can be customized when we order it.
WL: A lot of Amish furniture stores offer unfinished furniture, but you don’t. Why not?
Full disclosure, when we started out in Fayetteville, we did a lot more of that. The original store in Fayetteville, it was more of a sweat-equity, hands-on, willing to to do that kind of thing, and save a lot on price. But moving into the Raleigh market, we quickly realized nobody has time to do that anymore. Yeah, I mean, everybody needs to do a piece once in their life, but after you’ve done one, you don’t want to do anymore. We moved away from that a long time ago.
WL: Do you offer custom orders and designs?
Absolutely. Of course we sell off the floor. But, we have a lot of customers come in, they don’t see what they want, but they kind of know what they want. We’ll spend some time working with them, and together figure it out. In fact, we have a design center in the store where we can help a customer look at different finishes, colors, and styles.
For example, maybe you like that top, but you don’t like this kind of leg, or you want a certain type of wood, or you like this finish. We can put the pieces together and create the table you’re describing.
We even work from drawings. It doesn’t have to be to scale; draw it out on a paper bag and bring it to us. People bring us photographs and ideas all the time, and we work with them to create what they’re imagining.
WL: What’s the origin story behind the name Woody’s Furniture?
We wanted something that implied or expressed ‘wood’, and was simple and easy to remember. ‘Woodys’ is just where we landed; good or bad, I don’t know. But there is no ‘Woody’ as a name or person. It’s just a concept, and we hope that it speaks to ‘wood’ furniture.
WL: What’s been the biggest surprise about the business?
How unique our concept of selling hand-crafted furniture is relative to the industry. And, there’s great demand for it. It makes us very unique. We try to keep our ear to the ground and listen to the market, and separate ourselves and not be like everyone else. That’s unheard of in the furniture business.
Everything these days comes out of China. And I’ve been over there in a previous life, you know, working for a chain store. I was a buyer, and we made trips to China to visit manufacturers. Stuff comes down the line, and in a lot of cases gets put in a box going to brand A, or a box going to brand B. It’s all the same thing. It’s just got a different name on the box. What we sell is completely unique.
WL: What do you wish your neighbors knew about Woody’s Furniture?
Well, I wish they knew more of what we do. We’re in a great location, great exposure, but it’s a little industrial. Previously, for 30 plus years, this building was a cabinet shop, and it doesn’t have a lot of showroom windows. It’s more of an industrial setting. And when you drive by and see us, you see the polyresin outdoor furniture that sits out front. We keep it out there because it’s durable.
So unfortunately, a lot of people don’t even realize what we do. It’s like we’re a little outdoor shop. But when they come in and see our showroom, there’s a wow factor. All of a sudden they realize we offer a whole range of products for the bedroom, dining room, living room, office. We cover the entire home, not just outdoor products.
WL: What do customers tell you they love most about Woody’s Furniture?
The fact that our furniture is actually made of real wood, and it’s made in America. Now, to be honest, we do have some imported pieces, but predominantly what we do is Amish, Made in America. And it’s customizable, or you can buy it and take it home today.
WL: Do you have any exciting expansion plans, new products or services you want to share?
Well, we would love to expand into the Wake Forest area, if we could find the right location. And as far as our products, we’re always listening to our customers. What are they looking for? What are they not finding in the market? We want to be the place for them.
We just launched our new website too. We’re really excited about that. We worked with a company based in Ohio that’s really familiar with the Amish community. And that’s been our challenge, up to this point our website was everything but Amish. As we evolved, the old site wasn’t a good fit anymore. The new site is much more representative of who we are. It’s more reflective of who we’ve become.
WL: What do you like most about being an entrepreneur?
Well, I probably like the challenge more than most folks. But it’s very stimulating to see your business grow, see your people grow, and see consumers who are happy. We’re proud of what we’ve built as a team. We take a lot of pride in ownership, and when you hit the mark and customers give you good reviews, you know you’ve done what you set out to do, and for us that’s to outserve the industry
WL: What is it about the Amish community that’s important to you?
First of all, of course, the craftsmanship. They’re not huge corporations. The’re family businesses, particularly the builders. We’ve built relationships with these small businesses. A lot of them have a shop right by their home, and they also have a farm. And above everything, they’re involved in their family and their church and their school. They’re a very close knit community. They’re not philosophy driven as much as they are quality driven. We say, “They do. a lot of great things, but they don’t do fast.” You have to be patient, you have to, but it’s worth it every time. In the end, we’ve developed a lot of close relationships, and that has been absolutely tremendous both for our business and on a personal level.
Woody’s Furniture: Handcrafted, Quality Wood Furniture In Apex, NC
Woody’s Furniture, located in Apex, NC, embodies a commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and community rarely seen in today’s furniture industry. Under the passionate leadership of Bernis Martin, a veteran of the industry with over 50 years of experience, Woody’s has carved out a niche as a retailer of hand-crafted, solid wood, Amish furniture, setting a high bar for quality and customer satisfaction. As they look forward to expansion and continually evolving their product line, the core values of Woody’s Furniture remain steadfast: providing unique, durable, and beautiful furniture that tells a story and becomes a part of the customer’s home and life. This dedication to excellence, coupled with a keen understanding of customer needs, ensures that Woody’s Furniture will continue to be a cherished destination for those seeking quality, authenticity, and a personal touch in their furniture choices.
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