Talk about taking your rocker seriously. Master craftsman Gary Weeks spent the whole decade of the 80's researching and designing the perfect, most comfortable, most beautiful rocking chair a parent could ever want, and since 1991 he's been carving and building them from a range of hardwoods that includes cherry, maple, mahogany, mesquite (who knew?) and some wild tiger- and bird's eye-maple, just for fun.
Since it's Earth Day, it's worth pointing out that the Cherry Weeks uses is from a Forest Stewardship Council-certified managed growth source. The exquisite chairs are designed to last several generations, and they're guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner.
Unsurprisingly, "cheap" and "quick" have no meaning in the Weeks Rocking world. But by the time you digest all the behind-the-scenes woodworking geek info on the site you'll understand why Weeks Rockers start at $1,600 and go up from there [Personally, I'd do the mahogany for $1,700, although the dark, intricate grain of the mesquite would give you a great story to tell. One that ends with, "and it only cost me two grand more than the regular ones."]
As far as timing goes, they give you an estimated delivery date when you order: "We work to keep rocking chairs in stock or in progress. (Often I can hear babies crying in the background when people call.) Time between the order and the delivery of rockers, other than mesquite, is usually less than six weeks, sometimes they are ready to ship."
[Oh, and study up on the shipping charges, I'm sure the "$50 'high cost service area' charge" for NYC-region zip codes has nothing to do with red state/blue state and everything to do with classic NY "problem-solving."]
If you're sold on the concept of a handmade rocker but want something slightly different than what Weeks makes, he conveniently lists other craftsfolk, too. What more do you need, besides a spare two grand?
The Gary Weeks Rocker, from $1,600 [garyweeks.com, via treehugger]
