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If you feel like the world is speeding by and everything seems to be in fast-forward, I have just the thing for you — Sheffield’s Gallery and Fine Handmade Furniture at 710 West Front Street in Traverse City (just a few steps down the street from Ace Hardware). You honestly feel like you’ve stepped back into an era when furniture was hand-crafted in America with care and skill and patience — and that’s because you have.
I stopped by Sheffield’s and talked with owner (and OMP resident) John Fisher, who gave me a little tour of the store and showed me some of the most beautiful furniture I’ve ever seen. Amish-made beds in solid cherry, quarter-sawn oak, or maple featuring Craftsman-style inlays. Live-edge dining tables made from walnut, tiger-maple, cherry and elm. Quarter-sawn oak chairs crafted with gorgeous leather and intricate inlays.
And my personal favorite — furniture made with reclaimed barnwood. That’s probably because I spent a good portion of my childhood tending to my horse, Copper, in our 1800’s barn north of Mapleton. Whether they’re centuries old or built more recently, barns have a lot of stories to tell. Maybe bringing the wood from those old barns into our homes brings the stories, too.
John and I talked about the role of furniture in our lives, and how memories are made around specific pieces of furniture. I told him about the quarter-sawn oak table that’s been in my family for 132 years. How our family gathered around the table for meals and homework and crafts when I was a kid.
During the holidays, that table — hauled back to the Old Mission Peninsula from the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 — could fit 14 of us if we put all the leaves in and stretched it out. And best of all, after everyone had gathered and was about to eat roast turkey and mashed potatoes, my dad took just that moment to remind us that he was born on that table on a snowy January 12th in 1923 at the old farmhouse in Mapleton. It was so snowy that the doctor could only make it to Bowers Harbor, and my grandpa had to take the horse and sleigh down and fetch him.
Here’s the table (the scrunched-up version without the extra leaves) after I cleaned Mom’s house out in 2016. She had dementia, so we were in the process of moving her to Orchard Creek, an assisted living facility in town, where she spent the last four years of her life, passing away in 2020.
I am so honored to be the caretaker of the table now. Each week, my family comes over for “Friday Night at Jane’s.” We are still gathering around that table.
This is the furniture you’ll find at Sheffield’s. Furniture that will last through generations, carrying all those stories from one generation to the next.
And as mentioned, the furniture at Sheffield’s is so well built and exquisite, but it’s also Earth-friendly. Crafted from solid hardwoods, it’s sourced from forests managed for sustainability and the health of the trees. This provides the best possible wood, while guaranteeing the future of the forests.
Learn more about Sheffield’s furniture and styles here, including the classic lines of “Prairie” and “Craftsman,” the simplicity of “Mid-Century,” and the gentle curves of “Traditional” design.
Sheffield’s also offers custom workwork for your home and office, including beautiful fireplace surrounds, innovative kitchen cabinetry, bookcases, conference tables, and free-standing pieces in dining tables, bedroom furniture and entry cabinets.
Along with furniture, they have a variety of accessories, including the glasswork of Simon Pearce. These one-of-a-kind pieces showcase a uniqueness that only the human hand can create — glass and pottery that makes food and drink look and taste better, in designs to fit any home. Read more about the legacy of Simon Pearce glasswork here.
John loves talking furniture. Whether you have a clear vision for your home or just a few ideas, he’s happy to help you bring them to life. In a few generations, maybe your family will be like mine, still gathering around that big dining room table steeped in memories and family history.
I am proud to have Sheffield’s as an Old Mission Gazette advertiser. To learn more, stop by the shop at 710 West Front Street in Traverse City, email [email protected] or call (231) 933-0960. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10-5 and Saturday, 11-3. Mondays and after-hours by appointment made during business hours.
It’s a beautiful place to browse and let your imagination roam free.
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SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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John donated a beautiful coffee table crafted with reclaimed antique wood to Peninsula Community Library. It sits in front of our fireplace with its mantel crafted from an old beam that once was a part of the Johnson barn.
So cool! I didn’t realize that coffee table came from John, but I always eye it when I’m in there because it’s my kind of table. And yet another connection with the Johnson barn/mantel!