Where’s the Best Place to Shop for Zen Garden Furniture and Accessories?

This article is a shameless plug.  Plain and simple.  And it’s shameless for three reasons.  The first reason?  I, personally, have no shame.  The second reason is, admittedly, that it’s an “all in the family” kind of thing.  But the third reason is really the one which you should give any weight to at all, and that’s the fact that you would literally need to visit the other side of the globe to find the items which Customs Imports in New Buffalo, MI offers to the buying public.  Like the sign says, “Strange & Wonderful Things.”  To say the least.  Yep, the real reason I’m shamelessly plugging Customs Imports, or “Customs,” (as the place is referred to by the locals) is because you just can’t find this stuff anywhere but at Customs Imports.

And what “stuff” it is.  Wow.  But I’m getting to that…  

Let me give you a little background on the place first.  The business is owned by Dee Dee Duhn, an honest-to-goodness New Buffalo celebrity.  A real local legend.  She’s also an  incredibly savvy and hardworking entrepreneur, having started Customs back in 1992 in Miller Beach (Gary), IN and extending its operations to Durango, CO, Chicago, IL, and New Buffalo and Union Pier, MI.  But I don’t want to give you the idea that Customs is some giant, impersonal chain, diffuse in location and impersonal in service.  The shop’s current and sole location is at 139 North Whittaker Street in downtown New Buffalo, MI (and it’s been in New Buffalo for 22 years).  The shop’s relatively small footprint belies its incredible selection of not only garden and outdoor items, but interior furnishings, fine and decorative arts, apparel, and much, much more.  And the atmosphere is transporting, intimate, tranquil, and incredibly friendly.  The air in this little shop is redolent of the lands of the South Pacific and the American Southwest.  The sights are unforgettable.  A feast for the senses?  You better believe it.  And Dee Dee likes it that way.  She conceived this little gem, and has nurtured it.  And it has become exactly what she’s always envisioned: both a sanctuary and mecca for the adventurous of mind and of spirit.  Trust me, I’m not laying a bunch of New Age crap on you.  This place is one of a kind.

Did I mention the whole outdoor display area thing?

Which brings me to the “stuff.”

All of the outdoor furniture (and most of the indoor furniture, furnishings, etc.) are either handmade/hand carved, or carefully molded/cast in Bali, Indonesia by artists and artisans that Dee Dee knows personally and works with directly.  She makes a buying pilgrimage every year to that far away south sea island and personally selects and inspects every item she buys.  She also organizes a charitable donation drive for the women of Bali (which I’ll discuss in another article).  Dee Dee Duhn has been making her annual trip to Bali and bringing the magic of that tranquil and idyllic land back to American shores for 29 years.  She knows what she’s doing.  And this expertise shows in the items she purveys.

So, back to the “stuff”…   

This merchandise needs no embellishing from me.  The quality and the singularity of design of these treasures speak for themselves.  What can these objects do for your garden or outdoor space?  The best thing I can do for you here is show you the stuff and let it do all the talking.  So, without further ado, a sampling of the treasures of Bali as presented by Customs Imports…