Our History
Dale Mitchell, the founder of Antique & Vintage Woods, grew up in rural Wisconsin in the decades following the Great Depression. During this time he learned the great value in saving and reusing items so as to conserve the financial resources for his family. Dale has applied these lessons to all his endeavors by trying to preserve the limited natural resources that we are facing today.

It was 25 years ago that Dale Mitchell built his first environmentally friendly home. Dale didn't know it at the time, but this was the beginning of a journey that has brought him from the Housatonic Valley and New England Wholesale Hardwoods to Pine Plains, and the creation of Antique & Vintage Woods of America.

It all started for Dale in the 80's. Dale, a former teacher in Kent, Connecticut, had a precedent of knowing what is needed and then doing what was needed to meet the demand. He had always been a visionary, always looking for new directions in which to expand.

Dale Mitchell found a beautiful piece of land in Kent, Connecticut, with the intention of building a house. It was an old gravel mine site next to an abandoned railroad track, adjacent to the Housatonic River. The State of Connecticut had already done an analysis of the Housatonic River and found that the water was polluted. Therefore, the State decided it would be a perfect site to place a hazardous waste dump.

Dale joined with the Housatonic Valley Association and came up with a brilliant idea. He would develop cluster housing that was so expensive that the State of Connecticut would not be able to force Dale to sell the land to them only to then condemn the property. BROOKWOOD HOMES began construction in 1984. It contained 30 units on seventeen acres. The units contained passive solar applications, panelized wall sections, wood floors, wood cabinets, trim and other custom millwork. While Dale was building the units, he searched for Oak and Cherry wood that he could not find locally, but consequently found these products in Pennsylvania.

The opening of the model units in 1984 received a big write-up in the New York Times. Many people came to buy the homes. They had never seen such beautiful wood floors, wood cabinets, wood countertops, fireplace mantels and other custom millwork. Upon completion of the project, he used the excess inventory he had from the units to start New England Wholesale Hardwoods (NEWH) in Kent, Connecticut. The business later moved to Pine Plains, New York.

After working for many years with over 5,000 general contractors within a five state region, Dale had many requests for antique wood products. He began to sell Vintage Heart Pine. Very soon after, he decided to expand to the selling of wood from the 18th & 19th century, which he procured from old barns, factories and gristmills. Then in 1997, his son, Brad, continued to run NEWH and Dale and his partner, Marilyn Miklau started Antique & Vintage Woods of America, Ltd.

Owners Dale Mitchell and Marilyn Miklau arrived at this point in their lives from different paths. Dale Mitchell graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a major in Mathematics, and then obtained a Masters Degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona.

Marilyn graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Nursing Administration. She became an Administrator and Marketing Consultant in acute care and diversified health care facilities in NYC, while obtaining her MBA with a concentration in Marketing. Her responsibilities at AVW include advertising, interior design for inside projects and Human Resource administration.

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