Crafted To Last
A home has a way of telling its story before a word is ever spoken. Sometimes that story is found in the warmth of rich wood beneath your feet, the graceful rise of a staircase, or the custom trim that frames a room with quiet elegance. In Shipshewana, Stoney Acres Woodworking has built its reputation on creating those details for families who want something real, lasting and distinctly their own.
Stoney Acres Woodworking has served the community since 1998, but the beginning of the business came from a very personal need. Leon Beachy explains that after he married in 1997, he wanted hardwood flooring in his own home. Then his brother wanted the same kind of floor in the house he was building. The problem was that no one in the area was truly specializing in that type of work. The company that had made Leon’s floor was too busy with other projects to do another.
That is when Leon’s father saw an opportunity.
“My dad decided if nobody else is making hardwood flooring in this area, he will,” Beachy says.
What started as a desire to put hardwood flooring in one family home soon grew into a thriving family business. Leon’s father, who had been farming on a dairy farm, used an empty furniture shop that had belonged to Leon’s grandfather and began making hardwood flooring there. Leon helped after hours before joining the company full time in 2002. Over the years, the business grew steadily. Staircases were added in 2004. Sanding and finishing flooring on-site, along with trim and doors, followed in 2007.
Today, Stoney Acres Woodworking employs 29 people and continues to grow while remaining grounded in family and craftsmanship. Leon serves as president of the company, while his brother, Levi Jr., is co-owner. Family involvement runs deep throughout the business. Leon’s son leads the installation team, his son-in-law oversees the finishing operation, and Levi Jr.’s son leads the production team. Leon’s daughters contribute through staining and finishing, while other family members support the business through clerical work and home shows.
It is clear that family means a great deal to Leon. It is also clear that he sees that support as a blessing. “Behind every successful businessman stands a very good wife,” Beachy says.
That family-centered spirit carries over into the way the company serves its customers. Stoney Acres Woodworking specializes in custom hardwood flooring, but its work also includes engineered flooring, staircases, rails, trim, interior doors and barn doors. What makes the company especially distinctive is the level of customization it offers. Customers are not simply choosing from a narrow set of preselected options. They are invited into a process that allows them to shape the finished result according to their own taste and vision.
“We are a custom hardwood flooring manufacturer,” Beachy says. “I can make flooring out of basically any species of wood, stain it to whatever color you want. The same thing goes to staircases, trim and doors.”
That kind of flexibility is a major reason Stoney Acres has found its niche. Leon says he is not aware of another flooring manufacturer in the area offering that same kind of custom work, especially when it comes to colors and wood choices. Customers can visit the company’s public showroom in Shipshewana and explore wood species, textures, stain colors, stair parts and design possibilities.
Beachy says the heart of the business is found in listening carefully and helping homeowners create what they have imagined.
“Meeting with homeowners in our showroom and identifying what they are looking for and trying to get in my vision the dream they’re looking for and providing the homeowner with the dream they’re trying to accomplish,” he says.
That dream may take many forms. Some customers are drawn to the beauty and character of hickory, which Beachy says is the company’s top seller and also his personal favorite because of its appealing variation in color. Others are interested in white oak, hard maple or red oak. Some want a more natural, flatter sheen. Others are fascinated by texture, including hand-hewn, wire-brushed, hand-scraped and a reclaimed circle-sawn look that gives flooring a distinctive aged character.
There is beauty in that level of detail, but there is also practicality. Beachy is passionate about the long-term value of real hardwood flooring. He explains that a quality 3/4-inch solid hardwood floor can last for generations because it can be sanded and refinished multiple times over the life of the home. For homeowners, that means they are not simply choosing something attractive for the moment. They are investing in a floor designed to endure.
That commitment to quality extends beyond appearance. The company sources kiln-dried lumber from providers within about a 100-mile radius of northern Indiana. It also makes thoughtful use of byproducts. Sawdust and shavings are baled for animal bedding, and wood scraps are used by a charcoal manufacturer. Leon notes that all wood coming into the company leaves as a green product.
Stoney Acres Woodworking also reflects the values of the broader Shipshewana community. Leon says the area is rich with craftsmanship, and that spirit of working well and helping one another has benefited the business. There is a sense of connection among woodworkers in the region, with referrals flowing back and forth as customers seek different specialties for their homes.
That combination of craftsmanship, honesty and service has earned Stoney Acres a great deal of trust over the years. Much of the company’s business comes through word of mouth, something Leon clearly finds rewarding. He also values the opportunity the business gives him to provide jobs in the community and to build something that can be passed on to the next generation.
When asked what he hopes people remember about Stoney Acres Woodworking, his answer goes deeper than hardwood, trim or stain colors.
“Integrity means something to us, and there’s one person we’re trying to serve and that’s the good Lord above us,” Beachy says.
That spirit may be one of the most beautiful things Stoney Acres builds. From custom flooring packages for homes and offices to staircases, doors and trim, the company is creating more than products. It is helping bring beauty, durability and meaning into the places where people live their everyday lives.
As Beachy puts it, Stoney Acres Woodworking tries to “bring life to the customer’s dreams.” In Shipshewana and beyond, that is exactly what this family business has been doing for decades.
Stoney Acres Woodworking is located at 2695 S. 1000 W. In Shipshewana. For more information, call 260-768-4367 or email stoneyacresacc@gmail.com.
