About Us

When Lisa Armstong stepped into ownership, she carried forward a legacy deeply rooted in her family’s history and the local lumber industry. That story begins back in 1981, when Lenny Armstrong entered the workforce and took his first job at a historic furniture company in Jamestown, NY. Just a year later, in 1982, he moved into a position at a hardwood sawmill in Conewango Valley—a mill that had been owned and operated by Lisa’s family since the 1930s before eventually being sold to a Jamestown furniture company.

Those early years shaped everything that came next. Over the following fifteen years, Lenny developed a deep respect for trees, lumber, and the craft of milling. Working in nearly every part of the operation, he gained hands‑on experience that would become the foundation of his career. And as one seasoned coworker told him early on, “Once you get sawdust in your blood, you can’t get it out.” That sentiment proved true.

Despite the number of sawmills in the region, none offered kiln‑dried lumber—a gap Lenny recognized as a real need for local woodworkers. In August of 1997, he launched Custom Country Woods, providing kiln‑dried hardwoods to hobbyists, small shops, and the many Amish furniture and cabinet makers in the Conewango Valley, home to New York’s largest and oldest Amish settlement.

As the business grew, so did the product line. What began with kiln‑dried hardwoods expanded to include exotic species, flooring, molding, and live‑edge flitches and slabs. Today, under Lisa’s ownership, Custom Country Woods remains a true family endeavor, with their sons involved in various parts of the operation.

What started as a single sawdust‑covered opportunity has become a multigenerational commitment to quality, craftsmanship, and the enduring beauty of real wood—values Lisa continues to champion as she leads the business forward.