Local Swing Set Business Is a Family Affair
Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided
Stanley and Eldora Shock, owners of Family Fun Swing Sets, are celebrating their sixth year of building and selling swing sets to the Middlebury community and beyond. Each stained wood set with its colorful swings is handcrafted with pride and built to last. They are constructed to provide hours of entertainment and fun for children and even adults.
I bought the business in April of 2016 from my brother, who had purchased it from someone else the year before, Stanley Shock says. I get the lumber from Pennsylvania in large bundles of 120 or 240 pieces. The wood comes as two-by-fours, two-by-sixes and two-by-eights. I have a jigsaw and use my own designs.
Shock uses treated pine lumber. He offers swing sets in basic designs but each can be tweaked and changed. The resulting swing sets have variations based on input from the customer.
I can make them small or big, but I do work with three standard designs, Shock says. People want certain things on or off, like a curly slide. Im still learning as I go.
Each of Shocks three set designs are variations of each other. The first model consists of a 5x5 tower with a sandbox underneath, a roof on top and a slide coming off of it. The 14 body of the swing set has room for four swing types.
The second version is the same as the first model, but instead of a sandbox, customers can choose either a 5 picnic table or a 24 picnic table. For all the designs, customers can pick any combination of swings, a plastic glider or a trapeze bar. One option is an adult-sized swing.
Customers can choose different tower options. Rock climbing grips, a ships wheel and tic-tac-toe decorations are available. Another feature is an open space shaped like binoculars for children to look through.
The third model has an A-frame instead of a tower and steps. It is open and without a roof. It has space for four or five swing options depending on what the customer wants. Prices for any of the swing sets generally range from $1,400 to $3,700.
The materials used in constructing the sets are heavy duty and built to last. The swings and tower roof come in four colors including burgundy red, green, yellow and blue. Each is made from plastic polyurethane and the colors are bright. Customers can go with just one color or choose several for different swings on their set. The chains on the swings have a soft grip halfway up, are the same color as the swings, and are between 24 and 30.
The wood on each set is stained a classic reddish brown. Shock dips each wood piece in stain as he is building it. The stain coat will last about three years and customers can buy a gallon of stain for future maintenance.
Most of Shocks customers hear about Family Fun Swing Sets by word of mouth. People can stop by his shop most afternoons to view sets in the process of being built. His busiest time is April through October.
We deliver all over the area, he says. We will bring the finished swing set right to where the customer wants it. We have gone north into Michigan and as far as Chicago. In the future I hope to build a bigger barn to allow more space for the shop. Eldora, the kids and I like to work on the swing sets together as a family. Our 6-year-old and 4-year-old love to help and bring us the parts and pieces.
Family Fun Swing Sets is located at 13628 County Road 8 in Middlebury. For more info, call 574-825-7999.
