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Customer Photo Gallery 
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Gallery Information As you look in the windows of The Wood Merchant it is easy to imagine relaxing within the gently sweeping curves of the hand crafted rocking chairs or seating your guests at one of the custom made dining tables that the gallery offers. Once inside you can feel the velvety smooth finishes that have been accomplished by hours and hours of meticulous sanding and finishing. By offering our visitors a specialty gallery of finely crafted furniture and gifts, The Wood Merchant has become a true destination spot. Situated on the Swinomish Channel, La Conner once flourished as a fishing and shipping village until the early part of the century. Today, the community retains a small town charm that draws visitors from all over the world. Nestled between the shops, cafes and dozens of historical buildings The Wood Merchant represents over 200 of the finest Northwest and nationally known woodworkers. Quite possibly the reason the gallery continues to be the town’s most frequently visited destination. The gallery was opened in 1983 by Stuart and Laurie Hutt. Originally it began in a small 300 square foot space just off the main shopping strip on a side street with only 3 artists showing their works. It quickly became apparent that more room was needed so in 1986 they moved the gallery to the much busier First Street and built a showroom that included two stories along with an entire wing devoted to custom built furniture. Now there is over 3500 square feet of showroom space. The gallery offers an incredible selection of wood products including heirloom quality jewelry boxes, lathe turned bowls, kaleidoscopes, decoys, clocks, hand crafted rocking chairs and a wide variety of the most beautiful custom furniture you will find. Although The Wood Merchant specializes in offering quality hand made furniture and accessories, value is also an important factor in determining if The Wood Merchant will offer an item to its clients. “Based on my background in sales, I have always been very price conscious,” say’s Stuart. “I want to make sure people walk out of our store with products that represent lasting value and quality while still being affordable.” In October of 2007 the Hutt’s made a hard decision to retire and sold the gallery to long time La Conner residents and gallery owners Bob & Jennifer Cole. The Cole’s have owned Courtyard Gallery in La Conner since 1993 and have been close friends to the Hutt’s for many years so when they heard that Stuart and Laurie were looking to retire it was an easy decision to step up and take over. The high quality the Hutt’s are known for will continue with even more unique items being introduced and the launching of this web site will enable our customers to shop with us no matter where they live.  All the products sold at The Wood Merchant are made by American Artists along with a few select Canadian artists. There are NO IMPORTS. You are supporting American Craftsmen with every purchase. We hope you enjoy the web site (it’s long overdue) and we look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon! Bob, Jennifer and Teddy- The shop dog |
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