CONTACT:
Julianne Yurek
Hardwood Artisans
703.643.1044
julianne@hardwoodartisans.com
www.hardwoodartisans.com

Old Furniture Gives Some a New Lease on Life

Local Company Proves One Man’s Trash is Another’s Treasure, Safety Net, Shelter

WOODBRIDGE, VA. – September 15, 2008 – If you’ve ever struggled with retiring your old furniture—you have a small car, a bad back and limited hours in the day—Hardwood Artisans has a solution. The Woodbridge, Virginia-based retailer is pleased to announce a new partnership with Action in the Community Through Service, or ACTS, whose first collaboration is a furniture drive.

The premise is simple: Hardwood Artisans will pick up furniture in good condition that its customers want to donate and deliver it to Dumfries-based ACTS at no additional charge. ACTS will sell the furniture in its thrift stores, and the proceeds will be used to support its many community programs and projects, including help lines, transition houses and shelters, and Prince William County’s only domestic violence intervention and prevention program.

“I have a great aversion to junk and waste,” said Hardwood Artisans’ founder Greg Gloor. “What pleases me most about our partnership with ACTS is that all of the furniture we collect will have the opportunity to have a second life. As a furniture builder, I design my pieces to last a very long time, and am never more proud of my work than when I learn it has been passed down, creating multiple generations of fans.”

Hardwood Artisans owner Mark Gatterdam adds, “Since pick-up recycling is not available where I live, I go drop off my recyclable items at the county dump each week. When I’m there, I see so much furniture that’s still in great condition. I can’t imagine that folks would be so recklessly wasteful, so I think that many people simply do not have an alternative to throwing away useable items. I’m excited that our partnership with ACTS means we’re giving people another option.”

Customers will become eligible for the furniture drive when they place an order for furniture— including furniture delivery—between now and December 31, 2008. Upon delivery, customers will be invited to donate their old furniture to ACTS. Willing customers’ furniture will be loaded onto Hardwood Artisans’ trucks and delivered to ACTS on behalf of the customer. A tax receipt can be provided at the customer’s request.

For more information or to arrange an interview, call Alison Heath at 703-643-1044 or e-mail her at julianne@hardwoodartisans.com.

About Hardwood Artisans

Hardwood Artisans has been building furniture by hand in Virginia for over 30 years. The company, which started with two men building loft beds out of birch, now employs over 70 people and features a catalog of over 800 items. For more information, visit: www.hardwoodartisans.com.

About Action in the Community Through Service (ACTS)

ACTS was founded in 1969 and serves the communities of Prince William County and Manassas Park. ACTS’ programs have evolved as the Prince William area has increasingly suburbanized. ACTS’s staff is a mixture of employees and dedicated volunteers. To learn more about ACTS, including other ways you can help, visit www.actspwc.org.