What attracted people to the Arts and Crafts movement one hundred years ago still offers the same allure in the 21st century.

Handcraftsmanship over mass production was a tenet of the era that produced such furniture as the clean lines of the Mission style, which has roots in the early Spanish missions of the southwestern United States, in contrast to the more ornate Queen Anne, complete with intricate ball-and-claw feet.

That's what fascinated Paul Reiche,owner of Northern Crafts Furniture Makers™ of East Stroudsburg. "It was more for the common man," said Reiche, who has been making furniture for 19 years and has focused on the Mission style since the mid-1990s. "It was great workmanship and was comfortable. How can you make a piece of square wood look comfortable? But it is," Reiche said. Mission-style furniture is distinguished by incorporating quarter-sawn wood, which offers a tight grain, into a square silhouette softened by end slats.

"It has to do with the lifestyle of the people purchasing it," said Reiche, who suggested it fits just about every home. "You can put your feet on the table and it doesn't hurt it."

Reiche's line of Mission tables include ceramic tile, marble or slate inlay, which adds a modern touch to the century-old style. He creates coffee, side, foyer and hall/sofa tables using this technique, which began with the Chinese hundreds of years ago and has evolved over the years. "No one else is doing it. I can have four or five different kinds of tile that fits their decor," he said. He can thank an antiques dealer who was wondering out loud about the affect that a slate-and-Mission combination would produce.

A few years ago, Reiche noticed something was missing from his displays — a proper lamp. So for nearly three years, the idea rolled around in his head and he then introduced Prairie lamps, table and floor size, into his line in March. "It's stacked to look the part of the Mission look," Reiche said. These, too, include inlays.

Reiche was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. As a child, he watched his dad, who was a commercial photographic printer, spend his free time trying his hand at furniture making. "He was a great teacher, I loved to watch and help." said Reiche, whose first love was working on automobiles.

He studied welding engineering during college and eventually worked as an engineer with three automotive companies: Renault, Fiat and Volkswagen. "Even when I was at Renault, I was conjuring up ideas what I could do," said Reiche, who longed to be self-employed. When Volkswagen moved its facilities out of state, Reiche didn't follow them; instead, he formed Northern Crafts Furniture Makers. "It gives me the opportunity to work a 14-hour day, 365 days a year," he quipped. "I enjoy what I do. I like the shows, talking with new people, learning new names (and their origins)."

His youngest son, Tim, was born during this transition. "I got to see my kids grow up. I don't think in a 9-to-5 job one ever realizes that. I spend 30 days at shows — the rest I'm home with my kids," Reiche said.

A few years later, while checking out the homes in the Poconos, Reiche and his wife found a house with a workshop and barn. They purchased it on the spot. "It's a great place to live and work," said Reiche, who is about three miles from the saw mill where he buys his wood and about two or three hours away from most of the 15 shows he attends each year.

In his spare time, he restores antique cars and maintains the Web site for the Pocono Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. "We are similar people. We are independent, interested in raising our kids and enjoy our craft shows," Reiche said.

Reiche who is self-taught, uses locally grown red oak and meticulously matches the grain of each wood section for a pleasing effect. The furniture is assembled with mortise and tenon construction. "It's a great wood to work with. It looks good, and people like that," said Reiche, who also works with cherry. "It finishes well, has a good pattern and is a renewable resource."

"I don't have a lot of exotic equipment," said Reiche, looking around his sawdust-strewn workshop. Some of the machines, such as a shaper and ballon sander, he built himself. "They work well," said Reiche, who can produce a table in about two weeks. He is working about three to four months out on orders.

He has been careful with the construction of his furniture so that in another century, a whole new generation can enjoy not only the original style but the influences of that style on furniture makers. Reiche said, "I want you to leave it for your grandchildren to enjoy!"

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