In 1984 the Schrack family opened Wicker Works in Brownsburg. It grew into one of the better known casual furniture stores in Indiana, and it stayed in the family for decades.
Then the family was ready to retire, and there was no third generation to take it on. That is the point at which most long running local businesses simply close.
This one did not. RG Decor bought it, moved it into a space beside its own showroom on 96th Street, and the founders’ daughter stayed on with the company.
About RG Decor and Wicker Works
RG Decor operates from 4341 West 96th Street on the north side of Indianapolis, with Wicker Works in the adjacent space. The business is owned by Karen King. In an interview with Haven, King described getting a call that Wicker Works was available, deciding it would complement the interior design side of RG Decor, and having it under contract within a fortnight.
Kelli, the daughter of the Wicker Works founders, stayed with the business through the transition. King has said publicly that Wicker Works retains its own identity rather than being absorbed into the RG Decor brand, which is why the two names still sit side by side on 96th Street.
Between them the showrooms cover interior furnishings and design on the RG Decor side and casual and outdoor furniture on the Wicker Works side. The business is also a Summer Classics dealer listing, and both showrooms offer complimentary design consultation including virtual consultations.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 4341 W 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268, with Wicker Works adjacent |
| RG Decor phone | (317) 873-6139 |
| Wicker Works phone | (317) 852-1509 |
| Wicker Works founded | 1984, in Brownsburg, by the Schrack family |
| Ownership | RG Decor, owned by Karen King, acquired Wicker Works in 2023 |
| Services | Complimentary design consultation, virtual consultations, White Glove delivery |
| Typical hours | Closed Monday and Sunday. Tuesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Note | Closed two days a week. Confirm hours before travelling. |
On price, plainly
This is a specialty design showroom rather than a value retailer, and the pricing reflects that. Reviewers who arrive expecting warehouse prices say so, and they are not wrong about the numbers.
Whether that is the right trade depends entirely on what you are buying and how long you intend to keep it. For a piece you will replace in three years, it is not. For a set you expect to still be using in fifteen, the calculation looks different. Going in with that clear saves everyone’s time.
Four Things a Photograph Will Not Tell You
Outdoor furniture is one of the hardest categories to buy online, and the reasons are specific rather than vague.
The fabric point is the one that catches most people. Solution dyed acrylic has colour built into the fibre itself, so sunlight does relatively little to it. Printed fabric has colour applied to the surface, and an Indiana summer works on it steadily. Two cushions can look identical in a photograph and diverge completely by their second season.
Cushion cores matter almost as much. An outdoor cushion needs to shed water and dry out. One that holds moisture is where mildew begins, regardless of how good the cover fabric is.
American made options
In their interview, King and Kelli noted growing demand for American made pieces, and listed four brands Wicker Works carries that are manufactured entirely in the United States: Lloyd Flanders and Woodard in Michigan, Telescope in New York, and Lane Venture in Alabama. If domestic manufacture matters to you, it is worth asking about by name.
What the Trends Actually Say
Asked about outdoor furniture trends, King and Kelli described clients wanting upscale relaxation, a backyard that feels like being on holiday. In practice that translated into high quality furniture, outdoor rugs, water features, fire pits and outdoor cooking, plus sustained demand for environmentally responsible and American made pieces.
Most of that is about layering rather than about the furniture alone. A deck with a dining set on it is a deck. A deck with a rug, a lounge grouping, lighting and a fire feature is a room. patio trend directions this year have been moving in that direction for several years, and the practical consequence is that the furniture budget stopped being an afterthought.
Coordinating with the deck itself
One thing worth doing early: pick the deck colour and the furniture direction together rather than in sequence. color options for composite decking range from pale greys through warm browns to near black, and a surface tone that fights the furniture is difficult to fix afterwards because the surface is the larger of the two areas.
Sample boards help enormously here. Take a decking sample to the furniture showroom, or fabric swatches to the deck. Judging both from memory across two separate trips is how mismatches happen.
Location, Directions and Access
RG Decor and Wicker Works, 4341 W 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46268. RG Decor: (317) 873-6139. Wicker Works: (317) 852-1509.
The showrooms sit together on West 96th Street on the north side of Indianapolis, in the corridor between Michigan Road and the interstate.
From Interstate 465 on the north side
Take West 96th Street and head east. The showrooms are on that corridor, and the two units sit adjacent to one another.
From Michigan Road
Head west on West 96th Street. The showrooms are on the same stretch, west of Michigan Road.
Access notes
- Closed Monday and Sunday, which catches out weekend shoppers. Saturday closes at 4 p.m.
- Wednesday and Thursday run later, to 7 p.m., which is the easiest option after work.
- Design consultation is complimentary, and virtual consultations are available if you would rather start remotely.
- White Glove delivery is offered, covering unwrapping, placement and packaging removal. It does not include electrical installation of light fittings or gas hook up for fire features.
- Take deck dimensions and a photograph of the space. Take a decking sample if you have one.
- Ask about lead times. Custom fabric selections on furniture are not quick.
Furnishing After the Build
There is a predictable moment in an outdoor project. The deck is finished, the builder has gone, and the space looks strangely empty and slightly institutional.
That is normal, and it is a furnishing problem rather than a construction one. Working through styling a finished outdoor room is largely about deciding what the space is for before deciding what goes in it, because a surface that tries to be a dining area, a lounge and a cooking zone at once usually succeeds at none of them.
Platinum Deck and Patio builds decks and paver patios across the Indianapolis metro. The sequencing advice that saves the most regret is unglamorous: know roughly what furniture is going on the deck before the deck is designed, because the footprint of a dining set with chairs pulled out drives the minimum usable dimensions more reliably than any other single input.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are RG Decor and Wicker Works the same business?
They are under the same ownership. RG Decor acquired Wicker Works and moved it into an adjacent space on 96th Street, but Wicker Works has retained its own identity and name.
How old is Wicker Works?
It was founded in 1984 in Brownsburg by the Schrack family and operated there for decades before the acquisition and move.
What are the hours?
Closed Monday and Sunday. Tuesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Confirm before travelling.
Is design help included?
Complimentary design consultation is offered at the showrooms, and virtual consultations are available.
Do they deliver?
Yes, including a White Glove option that covers unwrapping, placement and removal of packaging. It excludes electrical installation and gas hook ups.
Is it expensive?
It is a specialty design showroom rather than a discount retailer, and pricing reflects that. Whether it represents value depends on how long you intend to keep the furniture.
The Bottom Line
Wicker Works could easily have closed in 2023. A family business with no successor usually does. Instead it was bought by a neighbouring showroom, moved to 96th Street, kept its name, and kept the founders’ daughter. That is a better outcome than the ordinary one.
For a homeowner with a new deck, the useful thing here is not the story. It is that outdoor furniture is genuinely difficult to buy from photographs, and that the four things determining whether a set lasts three years or fifteen all require either touching the piece or asking somebody who knows.
Take your dimensions and a decking sample. Ask what the fabric is. Then sit in the thing before you buy it.