It’s New to Us by Jean Stratton

FAMILY FURNITURE: “Custom work is our specialty. Someone can come in and say they want 2-door shelves in this wood, this color, painted or stained, with this hardware, and this height, and we can make it for them.” Phil and Owen Cane, owners of Cane Farm Furniture, are proud of their company’s reputation for high quality early American and Shaker-style reproduction furniture.

Early American and Shaker-Style Furniture Are Specialties of Cane Farm Furniture

“It’s just like going to a farm in the country. You feel you’re in another world,” says a Cane Farm Furniture customer.

In fact, a visit to Cane Farm Furniture in Rosemont is a trip to the country and to what was once a poultry farm. Owner Phil Cane’s father, Charles Cane, started the poultry farm in 1927. Phil grew up on the farm, and the family lived in a stone farmhouse dating to 1822. The house still stands and is currently rented to tenants.

In 1965, the family changed direction and began to make furniture. “My father had the idea to go into the furniture business, and I had always liked to work with wood,” says Phil Cane. “We liked early-American, Shaker-style, and it seemed to fit, since we’re located in the country.”

Situated on 88 acres (50 are farmed), just off Route 519 in Rosemont, the company manufactures and sells furniture, and also rents a number of buildings to other businesses, including a frame shop and the U.S. Post Office.

Large Selection

The workshop is located near the showroom, which features a large selection of the Cane handcrafted furniture, as well as lines from other manufacturers. “We also carry hand-crafted pieces from D.R. Dimes and Warren Chair, and the English country-style of Jonathan Charles,” points out Mr. Cane. “Our upholstery lines are from Johnston-Benchworks, Pearson, and Taylor-King.”

It is now a 3-generation business, adds Carol Cane, Phil’s wife. “Our son, Owen has joined us, and he also builds the furniture, as does Phil.”

Tables, benches, cabinets, hutches, desks, and bookcases are their specialties, and much of the work is custom. “Typical wood for early American furniture is pine,” notes Mr. Cane, “and we also use cherry for tables. A lot of the furniture is painted, as it was in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Black, brick red, mustard yellow, and dark green were prevalent then.

“We also carry Windsor chairs, which are very popular, and the long, narrow Windsor benches are in demand too, especially the double loop ones.”

Pencil Post Beds

Mr. Cane explains that a Windsor chair will often have more than one type of wood: pine for the seat, and perhaps oak for the arms. “You want a wood that can bend for the arms; and then a hard wood for the slats.”

Dining room tables are favorites with customers, as are Van Courtland cupboards, pencil post beds (with a frame for a canopy), butler’s tables, hunt boards, and narrow console tables suitable for a hall piece or as a sofa table. In addition, computer desks and entertainment cabinets are available.

Upholstered furniture includes a variety of sofas, love seats, and chairs in different styles and sizes. They can be customized as to fabric and color. A “chair and a half” is a popular choice for children or for “a man and his dog!” points out Mr. Cane.

The handsome and conveniently designed showroom (featuring five attractive sample rooms) also offers an array of accessories, such as lamps, wall art (including framed paintings of all kinds), and interesting decorative pieces. A handsome Shaker-style grandfather clock catches the eye, and vintage military prints, numbered and signed airplane prints, authentic models of World War I bi-planes, and model sailboats are all popular with customers.

“Small Hotel”

“We’ve met a lot of interesting people in our work,” reports Mr. Cane. “They come from all over the area, including Princeton and beyond, and many are repeats and have become friends over the years. We have also done a lot of commercial work for banks and restaurants.”

The nearby Colligan Stockton Inn (famous for the well in the Rodgers and Hart song: ‘There’s a Small Hotel’) is a long-time customer, he adds.

After 45 years in business, the Canes continue to enjoy their work and take pride in providing customers with quality furniture. “I especially enjoy the creativity of building the pieces,” says Mr. Cane. “When you make something for customers, and they are pleased, it’s a big pleasure for us.”

Cane Farm Furniture is open Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 to 5, and by appointment. (609) 397-0606.

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