Berne, Baby! Berne! By Martha Hall

It’s everyone’s hometown. People are friendly. People are genuine. Berne, Ind., is a small, charming town with a Swiss background and a big heart.

When Bonnie Smith, Life in the Midwest researcher, visited Berne, she was impressed with the whole town. She was taken on a tour by Kris Cisney Haines, former Chamber of Commerce director.

"She loves living in Berne because it is a safe place," Smith said of Cisney Haines. "Everyone looks out for each other. People leave their doors and cars unlocked. When you walk down the street, ‘Everybody knows your name.’ There is great pride in the community."

Berne is known as the furniture capital of Indiana. Clyde Augsburger, a retiree from Berne Furniture Co., took Smith on a tour of the furniture company. Though retired, he will take the public on tours.

"You never know when someone may want to buy a sofa," Augsburger said laughingly.

Walking through the factory made Smith want to buy a new sofa.

"The company takes great pride in its workmanship and in being a family-owned, non-union shop," Smith noted. "They try to take good care of the employees by letting them start at 6 a.m. so they can get out early and have the rest of the day for themselves, by hiring someone who just goes around and sweeps so that the work areas are keep clean – better quality work from a clean shop – and by offering a Thanksgiving dinner for management/owners and employees together."

The company is very proud of its reputation for creating quality furniture. Every piece is guaranteed for life.

There is extra care in the production process, such as selecting leather from Germany where they use wooden fences instead of barbed wire, so it doesn’t scratch the hide," Smith said.

They use hand shears to cut the fabric. "We try to incorporate Swiss craftsmanship in our work, and we’re very proud of it," Augsburger said.

The company is very accommodating to the customer. For example, you can custom order the furniture to fit your needs: i.e. custom order the length of the sofa, the density of the cushion, the style of the legs, and fabric.

"You can even buy your own fabric and have them put it on their frame and custom purchase pillows," Smith noted.

The company also cares about the environment. Since 1988 the Berne Furniture Company has been making a positive impact with its restoration program. For every piece of furniture purchased, the company plants a tree. More than 130,000 seedlings have been planted so far.

The pride in the community extends to the Swiss Heritage Village and Museum, where Lanetta Christener, a trained docent, shares her own Swiss heritage. Her grandparents, as well as her husband’s, came from Berne, Switzerland.

"What struck me about her was the immense pride she felt in her ancestors’ wisdom and knowledge that they brought with them to the new country," Smith said. "She marveled at their skills and workmanship in being able to meet all of their own needs –food, machinery, farming, clothing, earning a living – with their own hands and ingenuity, and willingness to work hard.

The museum is being developed similar to Conner Prairie in Noblesville, with old buildings and historical artifacts being added. The settlement reflects the life of the early Swiss settlers.

CLOSING REMARKS

"If there is one common thread woven into the fabric of life in Berne, Indiana, it’s pride," Smith said. "It’s pride in the quaint feeling of ‘community’ I felt as we walked down the street –now equipped with two traffic lights – and saw everyone waving to each other and stopping to chat. It’s pride in the workmanship and reputation of the company where workers popped a mouthful of nails into their mouths and grabbed them rhythmically one by one with a magnetic tool.

"Maybe it was the element of pride in one’s heritage described by so many of the people I talked with," she continued."It doesn’t seem so common in the mainstream of today’s bustling mobile world to understand and appreciate your ancestors and their contribution to the town in which you live.

"It was refreshing to slow down the hectic pace of my normal life, and by invitation, experience a small glimpse into the life of an Amish family, at the home of the David I. Schwartz family. As different as our outer worlds may be, at the heart of it all, I discovered a common thread of pride that joined us together: pride in one’s home and family, pride in one’s beliefs and chosen way of life and pride in this country of ours where we can choose how we wish to live."