The History of Furniture Manufacturing in Western North Carolina
Richard Eller, Author
Richard Eller developed an interest in history as a child, and growing up around the furniture industry, it was only natural that, in later years as a history professor, he would choose to delve into this important facet of North Carolina’s history. “What began in the mountains of NC because of the abundance of wood spread much farther and wider during the decades of the 20th century and, together with the eastern sector, allowed the Tarheel State to rightly proclaim it was the ‘furniture capital of the world’, at least for a time,” says Eller, who worked for one of the furniture manufacturers while a high school student.
“Most of the company names were familiar to me,” he says. “There were so many and I did not know all of them, but what hooked me the most in my research was finding the personalities involved. They took daring chances, built on the success of those who came previously and created a strong identity for the region.” That prominence in the field would last until corporatization, he adds. Since around 2000, when manufacturing receded from the WNC economy, “furniture has come back,” Eller says, “not completely, but in an interesting way, to include a rebirth of the industry, which offers hope.”
Well-Crafted: The History of Furniture Manufacturing in Western North Carolina, March, 2023, history, paperback, $35, by Richard Eller, and published by Redhawk Publications, Hickory, NC. Find the book at RedhawkPublications.org.
