I second that recommendation. I will be making the 2+ hour trip this fall from MA to Broken Arrow

There are a few ways to find a custom designer. One requires that you have a pretty good-sized budget. The other requires an unlimited budget. If you've got an unlimited budget, look at places like the Veneer Tech Competition, Philadelphia Invitational Furniture Show and other high-dollar exhibitions and look for a style that you appreciate then make contact with those artisans. You'll be shopping style and not price if you go that route. Some of those guys are selling to presidents and oil barons. The less expensive (but pricier than buying from a store or catalog) approach is to try finding a talented local artisan. I'm not a member of Angie's List and can't look for you but you may find something there. Custom Made is a website that will have a lot of custom work displayed and even some reviews. Perhaps check with notable woodworking schools such as College of the Rosewoods or Marc Adams School of Woodworking to see if any of their alumni are practicing professionals in your area. It can be hard to locate a good artisan because most of them don't do much advertising. Instead, they rely upon word-of-mouth referrals from one happy customer to another. Try poking around public places that have unusual furniture or custom cabinetry and see if you can find out who made the pieces. The woodworkers in my area have stuff in churches, funeral homes, chiropractor offices, homes, bars and restaurants. We also tend to make connections with each other so we often pass work around depending upon everyone's specialties. You could also try a simple Google search such as "[Biggest City Near You] Custom Furniture" and see what pops up. Once you find someone, check up on his references and visit the places his work is displayed. Not everyone is reputable or does good work. Is custom designer a good route? If you have enough money to spend on something you want that can't be found in a catalog it sure is. A good artisan can do just about anything whether it be a specific style or fancy lights or hardware or secret compartments. For a simple, no-nonsense piece of furniture that's a decent balance between budget and quality, the local Amish retailer seems to have a decent offering. I don't know how the quality varies from one place to the next but I do live near Amish country.

Vee -- I'm sorry I didn't visit this site earlier, so that I could give advice ... since I live in NY City ! Anyway, Trinity Church is waaaay downtown; but, since your daughter's friend works on Wall Street, she'll know exactly where to go -- and I'd assume -- how to get to it. Trinity Church is usually open -- so maybe your daughter could go inside and find someone connected w/ that church who would know about a map of the graveyard -- something which shows the names of all the people buried there, and where their gravestone is placed. West 83rd Street is a very lovely residential part of the upper west side of Manhattan. It's right by Central Park ... and only 20 blocks north of Lincoln Center - home of the Metropolitan Opera, the NY Philharmonic, New York City Ballet (of George Balanchine fame)). The weather this weekend is going to be sublime - it was 72 degrees today! -- So your daughter couldn't have picked a better weekend! ... I would definitely recommend a long stroll through Central Park -- maybe even rent a row boat on the beautiful tree-lined lake ... Afterwards - go to the nice restaurant that overlooks it ... right next to the boat rental. If she loves art -- besides the Museum of Modern Art -- the Metropolitan Museum of Art ... On the fabulous upper East side -- most posh part of Manhattan. This museum is set into Central Park. There's everything there -- Ancient Egyptian to European Old Masters to Abstract. My personal favourite -- the Medieval Hall w/ armor, chapel rooms imported from Europe and reconstructed, etc. Oh -- almost forgot -- in far-upper Manhattan is the fabulous Cloisters Museum -- an adjunct to the Metropolitan Mus. It's totally Medieval. Really beautiful old castle brought over stone-by-stone by a Rockefeller -- Sits atop a hill overlooking the mighty Hudson River, facing the magnificent Palisades across ... the setting inside the lush verdant (this time of year) Inwood Park is fabulous! I could go on and on, but these suggestions (not just mine, but everyone else's) are enough for one weekend! Let us know what she saw and did ... I'm curious.

Gary Gee is the other nurseryman of America (after Bob Fincham) whom I met. It was in Cesko, he came there from Holland with dutch colleagues to Mr. Malik. Gary is a low level mailing person, by this way we have no more connection. He takes part in the Minnesota Broomhuntings as grafter and finder. The Minnesota broomhuntings were started in Duluth MN by 2 gardeners, who discovered 534 brooms with GPS in and around Minnesota. This story started about 2010 as Joe Braeu and Josh Horky used their GPS for discoverings. Since that time year to year many nurserymen are garhering in Duluth in February for the broom harvest. Dennis Hermsen USA Dennis is a well known nurseryman, who is also taking part in the Minnesota Broomhuntings. Joe Stupka USA Joe Stupka is a member of the 80's generation, as Chub Harper and a bit later. He found sometimes together with Chub, but mostly separated of him. His cultivars are over 100. Randy Dykstra USA Dave Horst USA Randy and Dave were working in Bickelhaupt with Chub Harper, sometimes cooperated with Jerry Morris. Their hands are on the Bickelhaupt collection. Dax Herbst documented their conifers in the last 10 years. The Conifer Master Diploms were posted by Dax Herbst some years ago. Tom Cox USA I met with Tom Cox in 2008, as he visited the Holata nursery in Cesko with ACS President Lady Kelly and members. I introduced them a vision about my conifer plans. This was a big ACS database, the Breeders Hall and other possible ways. I think I was bad or they didn't understood what I'd like. Maybe they thought, that I want money of them... After a while it was clear to me, that I must make myself, what I suggested to ACS presidents. That was the burn of the Conifertreasury.org. I made what ACS not wanted. Opened an org portal, based on my payments, hired servers for my portal. Jean Iseli USA The name Iseli is a good fame in America. I linked many facts about the Iseli selections. I sent him the Conifer Master Diplome personally. I tried also to build a connection to Don Howse, the former conifer propagator there, but I was not successful. I asked a guy to connect to him, but he closed the way before me to a man, who had a great knowledge of conifers. This guy was an ACS officier. Thats why Don Howse may be not well represented in the american conifer book. I'm very sorry of this, but its not my problem. Rich Eyre USA I always liked the conifer videos of Rich, but he realized his own conifer world. Sometimes alone, sometimes with other friends, like Jerry Morris. The Picea pungens RM series is their common find, 60 brooms in one place. His own selections are available in the book. Brent Markus USA Sam Pratt USA And finally lets have a synthesis of the previous news. Anyone can find the conifers on Conifer Kingdom. Brent started with a new concept of conifers. He collected a wide sortiment of the american conifers. There is the best of them. Every important ancestors are represented there. The Conifer Kingdom is so deeply american, that you cant imagine. If anyone say, that he doesn't sent any scions to Brent, simply eat them guys. Brent and Sam are the future for America in the next 50 years. Any problems, Dave?