Nine years ago, James Smith made a coffee table in his garage. That simple act of craftsmanship has grown into a locally owned and operated custom furniture operation that has developed a huge fanbase with customers across the nation. Employing 20 carpenters and a robust online business, James + James ships custom furniture everywhere in the U.S. However, us locals are the lucky ones. With the newly opened showroom in downtown Springdale, the public can visit the gorgeous James + James showroom to experience the craftsmanship of their furniture and watch carpenters at work. We checked in with Christina Wilkerson, Director of Customer Experience at James + James, to learn more about the showroom and the gorgeous furniture being made there. Our conversation is printed below.

The Scout Guide: Tell us about your new showroom!

Christina Wilkerson: We just moved into a new retail space, which is a big deal for us. We are now closer to the revitalization efforts of Springdale, which is really growing right now. This is the first time we have been able to offer a showroom where people can see our furniture examples and see firsthand the different wood species we use. Visitors will also be able to see some of our carpenters building pieces in real time in our demo workshop. Actually, right now I’m looking at our carpenters building some porch swings.

TSG: We’ve heard about these famous porch swings. How can we get one?

CW: Porch swings have been really popular right now. I think because of everyone being stuck home for social distancing, plus with the gorgeous weather, porches have been getting more use than ever. We are really proud of our porch swings, and there are four different designs you can even purchase off of Amazon and Houzz, or we can work on a custom design.

TSG: What are some of your other products that have become really popular?

CW: Desks! A lot of people are working from home now, and re-evaluating their work spaces there. We have a whole new line of personalized, customizable desks and have been spending a lot of time updating people’s home offices. We understand that desks are a personal space and we want your desk to fit your specific needs, and nearly everything about our desks can be customized. With a custom desk, you get to choose the design, size and color but also, you can choose additional features, like drawers, power grommet options, and wireless chargers, to make it unique to you.

TSG: What’s the process for ordering a custom desk, or another piece of furniture?

CW: First, you decide on the style. We have a handful of timeless styles. Next, we move to size. There are a lot of standard sizes we offer on our website. But, from the ground up we can really work with unique spaces to fit your needs. Then, we choose finish colors. Eighty percent of our sales are online, and we make custom furniture for people all over the country, so the website makes the process extremely simple.

Check out the James + James website for yourself to view the gallery of custom furniture collections or start your design process. Better yet, stop into the showroom at 111 South Main Street the next time you’re in downtown Springdale to experience it all for yourself. Be sure to tell them The Scout Guide sent you!