The smell of pine, wood and scented candles greet customers with a sense of home as they cross the wooden threshold to the Amish Craft Barn in Seaford. There they will find dolls, birdhouses, quilts, ceramic turkeys, hand-painted Christmas trees, oak furniture and other seasonal and holiday tchotchkes.
Massapequa natives Frank and Pam Hoerauf started The Amish Craft Barn & Gift Shoppe 20 years ago after an inspiring visit to Pennsylvania.
“When we started having kids, we were just getting by, so my in-laws helped us out and took us on vacation to Pennsylvania,” said Frank, who became enamored with the quality and craftsmanship that he couldn’t find back home. “I talked to some of the Amish, made a few connections and drove back there with our van a few weeks later. I wanted to buy everything.” That’s just what he did.
The Hoeraufs loaded their car and sold their new purchases at a garage sale. They bought the property of their current home and business and have remained there to this day.
“When we bought the house, it needed tons of work,” said Frank, who purchased the original 1887 farmhouse that graces what is now Hicksville Road. “We actually met the people who owned this property and we have a historical marker in front of the garden because it was farmland and the last remaining farmhouse.”
As the installer, Frank is responsible for the building, making deliveries and organizing and unloading he truck. Pam runs the store and the house, does all of he scheduling, orders the stock, puts it out and prices it.
“We couldn’t do it without each other,” said Pam, who has been married to Frank for 26 years. “It’s a family business; my father, George, Frank, and our three sons Cody, Tyler and
Jesse. My father’s dog, Maggie is even our greeter every weekend. The kids love her.”
The bulk of the barn’s business is from sheds and gazebos. The Hoeraufs also sell lawn furniture, which is made of 100 percent pure poly and stainless steel screws. All of the wood items, furniture and indoor outdoor are all Amish made.
“A lot of the wood-which is 80 percent Amish made-is poly because it’s maintenance free. Once you treat it, you just have to wash it maybe once a year and you don’t have to worry about it,” said Frank, adding that his most popular item for sale is the Adirondack chair. “The guy that makes it, Moses, is Amish and he has a little shop on his farm. It’s a beautiful design; there’s no pads, just a curved back and seat and it’s very comfortable to sit in.”
“We have the best price for the best quality and we like to keep it simple,” said Frank of the furniture that is sturdy, solid oak and cherry and is built like it was in the old days. “We have a garden and we sell vegetable in the summer and pumpkins in the fall, but the main thing that people come in for around Christmas time is our homegrown, organic garlic.”
The Hoeraufs credit there customer service as the main grace that has carried their business to success.
“We do the right thing as if it’s our own house that we’re buying and decorating. We take care of our customers above and beyond,” said Pam, who added that the store offers free gift wrap and gift certificates.
“You know what you’re getting when you buy from us. We wouldn’t want to sell you anything we wouldn’t want sold to us,” said Frank, of the craftsman’s golden rule. “If someone orders a hutch—which we build right on your property—and they don’t like it, we give the money right back. That’s our guarantee.”
The only drawback of the The Amish Craft Barn & Gift Shoppe is it’s placement on the property. The original barn has not been moved, so it is still set very far back off the main road.
“People drive by and since we’re not right there, they can’t see us, so that works against us,” said Pam. “But 20 years later, we still have people who live a block away that have never come in and they can’t believe we’re here. They later come back as regular customers.”
The Hoeraufs have mailing lists, take out print ads and have a Facebook page, but it is word of mouth that draws in most business, especially during the busy season.
“Mother’s Day is probably our busiest holiday because everyone has a mother,” said Frank. “It’s our season too because everyone is ordering sheds, gazebos, pavilions and playhouses. We also do Mother’s Day flowers.”
“Our next busiest time would be the holidays. That’s when we have our holiday open house the weekend before Thanksgiving because it’s the start of holiday shopping here,” added Pam.
During the autumn season, the Amish Craft Barn does something a little extra special for local nursery schools.
“A lot of nursery schools cannot bring the children on a field trip because each child needs a car seat and you need a lot of chaperones, it’s a real nightmare, so they end up never going anywhere,” said Frank who came up with the idea to set up a pumpkin patch at the nursery schools. “We spread hay out, set up corn stalks and scarecrows, and some schools take as many as 100 pumpkins. The kids sit on the bales of hay, the teacher will read a book and they’ll pick out their own pumpkin.”
As far as the local community, the Hoeraufs could not have picked a better spot.
“We’re together all the time and living on the property, we never shut it off. People are always here, but it’s a good neighborhood and it’s always safe,” said Pam, who has never had any issues. “It’s relaxing, that’s why people come back. Once you’re off that main road, it’s quiet and people love the smells of the wood and candles.”
“We always try and help out the community. We have built so many gazebos around the town, especially for our Eagle Scout projects,” said Frank of the many public gazebos scattered around the town including one at the Seaford train station and another at the Veterans Park on Broadway.
The Hoeraufs are confident that the Amish Craft Barn will remain a family business for many years to come. You can’t go wrong with kind people, excellent customer service and quality craftsmanship that is made in America.
The Amish Craft Barn & Gift Shoppe is located at 1080 Hicksville Rd., Seaford. Visit www.amishcraftbarn.com for more information or call
516-799-8917.
