Shoptalk by Sturbridge Yankee Workshop

Not Your Typical Birdhouse

Heartwood, a company based in Florence, Mississippi is the amazing manufacturer of the beautiful birdhouses offered here at Sturbridge Yankee Workshop. Originating as a small Saturday craft show business in 1992, Lynda and Jerry Glass began making nature inspired products to sell at various “festival days” across the state. After much demand from the community, houses much like the ones pictured below became the only thing they made. With interest from a local merchant and encouragement from friends, Heartwood commenced on a journey to market their products nationally. In 1998, their hard work proved to be a huge success, as orders started filing in from numerous stores and catalogs all over the U.S. for these unique and stylish birdhouses.

For almost 20 years, Heartwood Architecture for the Birds, has been committed to innovation within the nature products industry and providing 100% satisfaction to their customers. At Sturbridge we are proud to carry these gorgeous, made in the USA birdhouses, that could become the favorite new home of birds in your backyards and gardens some day soon.

Colorful Homes

Pictured here to the left is our collection of Bluebird Birdhouses, which offer a simple design for the small bluebirds. Truly American (they range only on the American continent), bluebirds suffered a decline in the last century after the introduction of European starlings and house sparrows; larger competitors that steal bluebird nest holes. Thanks to bluebird trails and other efforts, bluebirds have made a comeback. Our Bluebird Birdhouse features a front sloping shingled roof and a distressed paint application in your choice of a rainbow of colors. **The standard shingled roof created by Heartwood is designed with special machinery that is distinctive from any other worldwide.

A similar design though slightly more petite in style, is found in our collection of Fruit Coops Birdhouses. The sweetest little birds in the world deserve nothing less than the sweetest little houses in the world and we do mean sweet. Our Fruit Coops are an artful gathering of all the best features that attract birds and bird lovers: natural beauty and comfort, in a bountiful harvest of fruit colors. Adorable alone, these little beauties are even better displayed together. So collect them by the bunch and have your yard or garden blooming with color and bursting with song.

Taking credit for the bulk of the designs is none other than Jerry himself. His focus throughout the early stages is to focus on quality and longevity. The majority of Heartwood birdhouses are constructed of heavy, deep swamp cypress wood. They use this type of lumber because it is the most naturally rot-resistant wood growing in America. The entire process of design, cutting, fabrication, painting and finishing is all done in the the Heartwood office and factory in Mississippi.

                                                                             A True Love for Nature

Heartwood prides themselves on their ability to maintain an environmentally friendly facility throughout all of their production. The cypress wood used is also a naturally regenerating wood; when a tree is harvested, the stump automatically regenerates a new sapling. In addition, Heartwood only purchases cypress wood that has been harvested in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council and wood that is within a 2 hour drive away from the factory. Furthermore, Heartwood recognized an opportunity in the furniture manufacturing business. To be of standard perfection, wood used for furniture is typically required to be exactly 16 feet long and any leftover could go to waste. Heartwood uses the excess salvage wood to create their birdhouses; thus not ever cutting a single tree!

Within the Heartwood factories, the cutting and drying process is low carbon. The zinc coated fasteners, brass screws and exterior adhesives have a dual purpose of support and protection from harmful weather elements. All of the paint used to give the houses their beauty is 100% acrylic latex; which is completely non-toxic. Even more impressive is their use of local paint store’s stock of mis-tinted paint to form their own medium gray color; a result that occurs naturally from mixing all colors together. And you guessed it, their shipping is eco-friendly too. The boxes used to ship their product are made from post consumer fiber and inside are packed with clean and recycled unprinted newsprint, salvaged from a local daily newspaper!

Pictured above is perhaps a more traditional style birdhouse, our Cape Cod Birdhouse. Featuring a rich semi-transparent stain, you have a choice of Blue Pickle, Celery, Redwood, Smoke Grey or Whitewashed. The Heartwood experience and commitment is exemplified in all the birdhouses mentioned here, as well as these others listed below. We’re proud to offer this amazing birdhouse architecture exclusively on our website, Sturbridge Yankee Workshop:

Classic Birdhouse

Rock City Birdhouse

Wrental Birdhouse

~Thanks Heartwood, keep up the good work!