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About Apple Furniture
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.
Sincerely,
Gregg Levesque
Founder
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