Tired of the latest gizmo gifts and instead looking to the past for inspiration? Berlin Wood Products still makes things the old-fashioned way, from wagons to heirloom cedar chests.

"Our company philosophy has been, is currently, and always will be that we don't want to be the biggest, we only want to be the best," says Art Yoder, president of the family-owned company started by his father in 1965.

"Today's Berlin Flyer wagon is virtually the same wagon that rolled off our production line over 30 years ago," says Yoder, whose company is based in Berlin, Ohio, the heart of Amish country. "My father was originally Amish, and most of the folks in our shop have an Amish background."

Trucking Background

Yoder's father started as a truck driver, hauling logs for a saw mill. He saved up and started his own trucking company, running that alongside Berlin Wood until the 1980s. Yoder joined the company full-time in 1986. Today, the company has 20 employees.

Plain and Simple Lives, Products

The Amish belief in simplicity and integrity carries over into Berlin Wood's products. You won't find their wagons or chests in any major retail store, because the company didn't want to substitute less expensive materials to meet their price points, Yoder says.

"We aren't interested in mass-producing or substituting cheaper materials just to make a sale," Yoder says. "Our products are much the same as we conduct our business and live our lives - plain and simple. The craftsmanship speaks for itself."