Where's the black workers?

Great post. I've taken two upholstery classes in DC and need a few several more. Its nice to see how streamlined the pros do it.

So glad to see older women there - this gives me hope that I might get a job somewhere with a good boss like this.

Good point. In fact, where are the people of color anywhere on AT?

This makes me weep for what we've lost in this country.

Great tour. Thanks for the insight on this American brand.

Thank you so much for coming to NC and this post about Hickory Chair. When I shop Craigslist I look for Hickory Chair, knowing I will find a piece that will last my lifetime +. I hope more consumers will decide to save for well built US made furniture if they want to buy new, rather than throwing $$ away and filling up landfills with the cheapo stuff.

@DC Mandy - Do you mind sharing where you took the upholstery classes in DC? I've been looking for something just like that. Thanks!

And no small part of their success is the vision of Ron Fiore, HC's creative leader. He is one of the very best in our business.
Well done.

Thank you for the story. First, I LOVE to see what goes on behind the scenes! Fantastic shots! Second, it so good to see American companies doing such a great job - especially since a lot of US furniture companies are outsourcing their work to China.

So nice to see "Made in the U.S.A."!!! and I'm Canadian!

This is great. I have a chair by Hickory Chair that my mother bought me as a divorce present. It was $2300 for the single chair--way way way out of my price range. But I loved the silhouette and was determined to find something like it. One day, the coveted chair arrived at my doorstep. It's sort of funny to look at now -- this single chair that could have been two, or even four for the price. But I love the sentiment of the gift... and let me tell you, that chair will stand the test of any design trend you throw at it. And its comfortable. :-)

Outlining the tools is a great wat to make sure things go back to where they were, and to notice what is missing. When we were in prison and were lucky to have kitchen detail, they did this with the knives. That way the guards can notice if something is missing. They didn't want any to get into the cell blocks.

I took the class at G Street Fabrics, the Rockville location, although they also offer it in Falls Church. It is a great class, but be forewarned that a good upholstery stapler cost about $175, almost as much as the class. But I highly recommend it. It's addictive.

Rahimah and LisafromCondoCool, good points. I think I spotted one black person in the background of the fifth photo. By the way, what happened to Rahimah's very observant comment?

I did this tour as well and it was great to see all the unique and classic furniture making methods. I enjoyed listing to the workers talk about their jobs and how happy they are working for Hickory Chair. It was really a great experience. Off to High Point NC next week to head to market! I know it is expensive but support USA made products, the quality is there and it is worth the purchase!

@goldspinner- very interested to read Rahimah's comment now, but it apparently deleted. :/

-Lucy

I love this post!

Thank you for this tour. I share SnowdogMaine's grief about the loss of manufacturing in this country. I absolutely refuse to buy any new furniture unless it is made in the U.S.; my father sold furniture, and I feel a real connection to the industry. The U.S. has a long tradition of excellent furniture making and I will do everything I can to keep that alive. (I try my best to buy only U.S.-made products in general.)

Very interesting. They definately have a good reputation.

Thanks Apartment Therapy. Great post about one of America's great companies.

Can someone help me identify the "curvy sofa"? I've been looking for something just that shape!

Love this company.
They make great pieces I use in every project.
Thanks for the tour.

In 1980 I purchased a Hickory Chair and it was stunning -- receiving many compliments and setting the tone for my interior design theme. The Hickory Chair survived the wear and tear of three active children for 14 years. The only reason I sold it was because I was moving out of state. At times I wish I still had the chair -- it was timeless.

So lovely to see a feature on Hickory, I have a few Hickory pieces, very well made products. I have another Hickory purchase planned for early next year, it's a big ticket item for me so I had to pinch pennies for a loooong time, I'm really tempted to take the tour to see where/how it's being made.

Signed,
Happy to buy American-made
(Canada you're my next choice, promise!)

My dad owned a furniture store and kept his shop tools on a shadow pegboard. Thanks for this very interesting post celebrating American-made. I love the smell of new furniture.

Love to see more stories like this, its fascinating and the photos are great. Is this tour open to the public?

Fabulous post!! Love the diversity of the work force, the quality of the product and the old schoolness of the approach in seeking modern objectives. Also, like others, I'm happy to see a thriving biz in the US. Thanks for traveling there to get the scoop!

Thanks for highlighting our North Carolina furniture craftsmen and women! NC is such a great place to find quality and custom furniture, made locally. When my husband and I bought our first house, we made a point of traveling to Hickory, Lenoir, and High Point to shop for quality furniture that would last. We ended up ordering a locally-made hardwood bed and dresser in Hickory, and a custom ottoman and a lamp from a store in Lenoir. They were worth the wait, and far less expensive than you might think!

Great post. We need to be reminded what great products Americans can make.

Love it, so much craftsmanship and love went into these pieces. Wonderful

I love Hickory, NC!!!!!!! Had a friend who was from there and I'm very proud to see it on AT.

@ Lucy and carolynapplebee:

Thanks for the truth-telling. That being said, I'm glad that unlike many furniture manufacturers in the Triad, Hickory Chair is still going strong. Perhaps AT can do a post on other North Carolina firms when they visit during the annual Furniture Markets. Some like Councill and Craftique still make high quality products here in the US and are economic mainstays in their local communities.

@carolynapplebee your comment is HIGHLY inappropriate. You should note that as well. Your IP address should be banned from AT.

Having been born in raised in NC I was happy to see the pictorial of Hickory Chair but my first thought was the same as @rahimah's.
That said, I am happy to see the diversity in age and that AT is highlighting quality American-made products from my home state.

The first comment bothers me for the following reason. It implies that there is racism being practiced as if we should all "get it" but does nothing to substantiate or inform the claim. If the specific company or the NC furniture industry has a documented history of racist employment practices then that would be important to share. But basically the first comment seems like an passive-aggressive attack based on innuendo and not direct informative dialogue and does nothing to inform me as a member of the AT community.

@JenPDX and curioslycuriousgeorgette: Speaking as a person of color and a North Carolinian, there is a long history of racism within the southern furniture industry. Just ask the largely black workers who recently tried to unionize IKEA's first factory in the United States, Swedwood in Danville, Virginia. If you would like a perspective on High Point manufacturers specifically, you can read the Google Books excerpt on baseball player Curt Flood entitled The Curt Flood Story: the Man Behind the Myth by Stuart L. Weiss. That being said, by even daring to mention the lack of diversity illustrated by the Hickory Chair photos, both Rahimah and carolynapplebee had their posts removed from this thread. In light of the tendency for some AT writers to overlook minority contributions to design (like excluding the exceptionally well-known Darryl Carter from a piece on DC area interior designers who were originally attorneys), the removal of these posts is especially troubling. Whether this comment remains posted remains to be seen but I will be keeping a screen-shot of the page for future reference.

Its kind of sad to me that I just now started recovering the seats to my dining room chairs. I have had the fabric for a few years, family illness kept me from doing the project. Any way two of my dining room chairs are from the Hickory Chair Co. Hickory NC. The bottom of each chair seat has that information plus February 1949. I have had these chairs for many years and never realized this before. Maybe they will last another 63 years.