Covered Bridge Furniture

Photo: Art Sidner

Mankato: Covered Bridge Furniture

Davy Kreider is a long way from the Pennsylvania farm he grew up on. But what he learned there in the middle of Amish country, has traveled with him throughout his life; starting as a worker in his parents’ retail greenhouse business, to teaching at a Mennonite Parochial school in Pennsylvania, then to Haiti as part of a Christian aid organization.

Kreider says, “ When I finished in Haiti and was ready to return to the United States, I was trying to decide what to do with my life. I had long toyed with the idea of opening a retail store of some kind. I had enjoyed the retail aspect of the greenhouses and I thought I would like to start my own business.”   

Now he is in Mankato combining all of what he’s learned over the years, by opening Covered Bridge Furniture. Opening in March of 2016, Covered Bridge Furniture sells bedroom, dining room, home office and living room furniture crafted by Amish artisans in northern Indiana.

“Our furniture is all solid hardwood meaning that nothing we sell will be a cheap particle board covered with a wood veneer. It’s beautiful and built to last a lifetime,” Kreider says.

He chose Mankato to open his business after meeting a few Mankatoans while working in Haiti.

Kreider explains, “Even though Mankato was a smaller town I quickly realized that it was a major retail hub for southwestern Minnesota and northern Iowa, drawing much more retail traffic than just Mankato. About the time I was looking for a retail space, my current space became available and was a perfect fit as it was formerly the site of a  furniture store.”

Kreider says although he is a Minnesota transplant, he has found the local community to be friendly and supportive.   

Covered Bridge Furniture

Address: 500 Raintree Road, Raintree Mall
Telephone: (507) 380-3843
Website: coveredbridgefurniture.com