China Woods
Furniture is a common and often
neglected part of our everyday world. We take for granted
the chairs we sit on and the dressers that store our
clothes. Is it possible to elevate the status of a simple
chair to something that can be admired? At China Woods,
where the furniture may be 100 years old, hand-crafted,
hand-painted and delivered to Montana from half way around
the world, it certainly is.
The furniture in China Woods does more
than meet the specific purpose for which it was built. A
chest will still hold your blankets, but can also become the
focal point of any room where it is located. The object
itself, which may be hand-carved and covered in a stunning
red patina or adorned with a traditional Tibetan painting,
is really art with a useful side to it. Therein lies the joy
and wonder of a visit to China Woods; the art can be enjoyed
for its provocative beauty and timeless craftsmanship, but
still satisfy a practical use.
China Woods was founded in 2002 with
the delivery of a railway car full of handcrafted furniture,
textiles and art from mainland China to a warehouse in East
Missoula. Owners David Anderson and Susan Gilmore anxiously
awaited the arrival of the car just weeks after completing
their first buying trip. Every item in the railway car had
been individually selected and purchased by Anderson and
Gilmore during one of their marathon days in China. Since
then the couple has completed eight more trips to China and
two to Indonesia, each time purchasing a railway car full of
treasures to be sold to an excited western Montana
clientele. Since that first container and their first
warehouse they have settled into their current location at
716 Dickens St. where customers can immerse themselves in an
impressive collection of oriental furniture and art.
Starting such an adventurous business
would appear to be an extremely challenging task. The usual
challenges of opening a small local business are compounded
by the fact that all the merchandise has to be purchased and
shipped thousands of miles from a country where everyone
speaks a language other than English. Then everything needs
to be carefully packed into a freight container and placed
on a ship. Several weeks of anticipation go by waiting for
the ship to arrive. Once delivered to the United States the
container is x-rayed by US customs agents, and if all goes
well, passed through and sent to its final destination. At
this stage of the journey a container can be chosen for an
intensive inspection. Although not common, this time
consuming and expensive process delays the shipment and
involves removing all the carefully packed items in the
container so customs agents may inspect them individually.
Only after all this is completed is the merchandise
repacked, albeit not as well as the original packing, and
placed on a truck for the trip to Missoula. There may not be
a more complicated system of stocking a store with
merchandise anywhere. It certainly helped that Anderson and
Gilmore had a friend, Patty Merrill, with her own import
business in Portland, Oregon. She already had the
connections in China to help them get started. Anderson
explained, “On one trip she had taken my older brother with
her and he had bought some stuff and brought it back to
Missoula. We fell in love with it and Patty offered to help
us get going over there.”
Gilmore added, “Without somebody
helping you get your foot in the door, I can’t imagine
getting launched with as little difficulty as we’ve had—and
with as much success as we’ve had—and so we are very
grateful.”
The collection at China Woods ranges
from miniature to enormous, from simple peasant woven
baskets to highly ornate canopied beds. Treasure seekers can
find a selection of hand carved roosters or a chest of
drawers so well crafted and decorated that it is still
sturdy and beautiful after several hundred years. Large pots
traditionally used in the making of vinegar are sought after
items and delicate porcelain saucers can be found tucked
onto a bookshelf for display. The variety of items available
is as impressive as their age; most of the pieces found in
China Woods are over one hundred years old.
What’s most impressive about the
entire collection is how striking it is to gaze upon.
Everything has been richly decorated with paint, varnishes
or lacquers to enhance the beauty of each object. Some
wooden pieces have been ornately carved from top to bottom.
Others have simpler geometric shapes that draw attention to
the bold form and strength. Gilmore states, “They are pieces
that I don’t get tired of looking at. You know how you can
get blind to some things around you, but these seem to have
a depth or an interest to them. Whether it’s the patinas or
the colors or the shapes, there is something about it that
keeps you engaged.”
Anderson and Gilmore plan two buying
trips to Asia per year. When they go they don’t have a lot
of preconceived ideas of what they are going to buy. When
they arrive in China a buyer’s agent takes them to
warehouses where “finders” have brought thousands of items
from throughout China for them to view and purchase.
Shopping this way allows the couple to maximize their time
and efforts by not having to travel from town to town across
the entire country looking at individual pieces. They plan
on spending 12 to 14 hours each day looking. After they have
seen everything at one location, their agent moves them to
the next. They decide, on the spot, which items they are
going to purchase and which they are willing to leave
behind, knowing it won’t be there next time they visit.
“Trust your instincts and buy what you like, you won’t make
too many mistakes that way,” says Anderson.
The charm of visiting China Woods is
being able to ask questions and hearing the stories Anderson
and Gilmore are happy to share. With their experience and
knowledge they can help explain the difference between a
butterfly chest from Gansu province and a uniquely
ornamented Mongolian dresser. Listening to their stories and
seeing the appreciation the owners have for all the
furniture they import adds to the joy and value of every
purchase.
China Woods is located in an old
granary at 716 Dickens St., Missoula, Montana, and is open
from Thursday to Sunday 11 - 5pm. The store can be reached
by calling (406) 543-5405 or (406) 550-2511, or by visiting
their website at
www.chinawoodsstore.com.
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