Some businesses are guarded at night by a watchman, others by alarm or security system. Afinia, however, is protected day and night by Amuk the elephant (pronounced ah-MOOK). Since the company’s inception, Amuk has stood his ground, fending off burglars and unwanted salesmen alike. This snow-covered bronze elephant not only knows how to protect his employers, but he also takes a great deal of pride in the products they sell.
Amuk is African; Afinia is in Minnesota. How does this great immigrant beast keep from freezing during the frigid winters of the Upper Midwest? The Naples Coffee Table, of course. Both versatile and stylish, this table doubles as a crystal fire pit. Amuk has been known to play a game of cribbage with companion birds while partaking in a snifter of brandy in the dead of night, huddled around his Naples Coffee Table. Through snow, rain, sleet, or hail, this is one durable outdoor coffee table that stands up to all elements.
While the side of the building and shrubbery provide some sense of space, Amuk really likes to create an ambiance of sorts by setting up his home base with the Tuscany Pergola. Fellow woodland critters at first asked Amuk what the point of a pergola is—it has the supports for walls but is open on the sides, and the roof is open as well, providing no shelter at all! Amuk explained that it’s all about creating a feel; he wants to enjoy the elements of nature while also providing a sense of space. The critters soon agreed, and now nary a night passes by when hawks aren’t perched from the roof beams, or squirrels aren’t chasing each other around the support beams.
This past Christmas, Amuk invited his critter friends over for a holiday party and rolled out his Portable Casablanca Bar and Rogar Estate Wine Opener, playing bartender. The chardonnay bottles were opened with ease, and cocktails were served from atop this one-of-a-kind bar that had even the beavers marveling. Amuk was able to share photos of his new niece through the glass-top counter, carry on a game of chess with the pull-out gaming table, and of course serve holly nog from the glasses in the counter of his bar. (The next morning proved to be a little rough, naturally.)
When Amuk ran tired of getting other local businesses’ junk mail by mistake, he knew it was time for a proper personalized high-quality mailbox, and opted for the Whitehouse Ultimate Mailbox Package. The weather-resistant mailbox features a customizable name plate with house number, decorative side and door panels, a separate newspaper cubby, and 54” post. The postman recently commended Amuk for having the nicest mailbox on the Chanhassen route!
Here in the winter, it gets dark out by 5:00pm and the sun doesn’t rise until 7:00am—that’s 14 hours of darkness each day, something the average elephant can’t tolerate. But Amuk has his Fanshaw Spotlight in case of emergency (and perhaps partially for his unmistakable sense of style). This 76” high spotlight not only lights up the entire night sky, but Amuk is able to send important messages to Afinia's President, Mitch, via Morse Code.
Amuk truly is valuable to Afinia, but it’s his keen taste for unusual décor, trustworthy merchandise, and practical tools that set him apart from other neighboring elephants.
