Welcome/intro

With the launch of our store on Main Street in Buena Vista, Colorado in August of 2019, Little Elk Trading Company is our first brick and mortar store and the culmination of 4 decades of experience mastering the craft of furniture design and building.

Little Elk’s primary story is the western and mountain styled handcrafted furniture, which is the beating heart of the store. It is made and sold exclusively at Little Elk Trading Company by the founder and co-owner, Jon Frykholm.

In addition to the furniture, we are delighted and proud to sell a broad collection of beautiful and high quality, locally handcrafted home accessories and original art, all of which is made by 6 members of our family; three of whom are our grown children. This collection includes hand turned bowls in aspen, juniper and Doug fir, serving platters in varied wood species all indigenous to the area, turquoise inlay coasters, hand burned wildlife coasters, artistic railroad spike peg racks on gnarly aspen, original watercolors of local flora and fauna, botanical earrings, rings and necklaces, hand needle felted framed fiber landscapes, hand wood burned serving trays, CNC carved topo maps and much, much more.

We are also proud to be a distributor of Pendleton® blankets and accessories!

History

Little Elk Trading Company is the latest chapter in a story that started over 40 years ago. Founded in 1984 by Jon and Annie Frykholm, Beaver Works Inc. began a decades’ long journey of designing and building classic mountain and western style furniture. Frequent visits to Jackson Hole, Teton National Park, and Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park, cultivated a love story with the West and inspired this collection of authentic mountain furniture. Inspiration from the “Greats” of Western furniture design including Thomas Molesworth and John Stark, among others, has contributed to this creative process.

The journey of the Beaver Works furniture company originated in Colorado Springs with its start in an artisan furniture store named Country Classics. From this beginning, Beaver Works grew by selling to other premier furniture stores throughout Colorado and across the nation for over 25 years. The trajectory of the business followed a path of producing for multiple stores, with an assembly line style business model with numerous employees, to the current model of a one man operation. The present day model now allows Jon to be the hands on furniture artisan/builder. This provides a superior and far more unique product with all furniture being handcrafted by the craftsman himself; collectors’ pieces for the generations!

Mission Statement

Little Elk Trading Company’s story is deeply rooted in a love for nature, a pledge to be good stewards of this Earth, and a passion for historic western design. These principles inspire us to create unique items that are beautiful and meaningful to us and our customers.

Our methods across the board, including harvesting, processing and finishing our products, are sustainable and low impact, with an intentionality towards environmentally sensitive and responsible practices.