Ninety-five percent of the selection at the new furniture store in downtown Rhinelander was made in the tri-county Northwoods area, and vast majority comes from within Wisconsin.
Rhinelander Furniture is their name, and local furniture is their game. Joyce Fredrickson, manager and part owner of the business, said they started the business because there was a need for locally-produced furnishings.
An offshoot of Tomahawk Furniture in Tomahawk, Rhinelander Furniture opened its doors in February. It was started by the same owners of the Tomahawk branch, with the addition of Fredrickson—a twenty year Rhinelander local who ran a Tomahawk Furntiture store for two years before being asked to become a partner in this new venture.
“We concentrate on Northwoods furniture—and local furniture, that’s a huge thing. Made in Wisconsin, made in the USA,” Fredrickson said. “We actually even have some local artists that have made some stuff for our store. End-tables and coffee tables, right out of Gleason, we do have a couple of people out of Tomahawk… We like to buy locally.”
Before working at Tomahawk furniture, Fredrickson worked at Foster and Smith for nine years, then started her own marketing business. Today she brings all those skills and experiences to a business right in downtown Rhinelander.
“Isn’t this a great piece?” Fredrickson said of one handmade stool. The stool is a laquered tree cross-section with branch pegs, one of many hyper-local creations the store sells. “My favorite is WolfCraft,” she said, pointing to a heavy dark-panel wood dresser, with wrought-iron ornament, from one of their many Wisconsin sources.
Most of the furniture in sight as you glance across the wide space is either wood, in every shade and grain, or dark, earthy-colored sofa and chair. Looking across them you can almost feel that you’re in a cabin by the lake, surrounded by effects straight from nature. The Northwoods feel.
Rhinelander Furniture can be found next to Subway at 25 N Brown Street, or you can call 715-369-7378 for more information. The store houses everything from chairs and couches to beds, mattresses and dressers. And the best part: they’re all local.